Annoyed At Puppy Preschool

[milo&codus]

apocalypsepwnie, your post has definitely got my attention.... We have just signed our 13 week old Lab into a local puppy preschool that starts in a few weeks, and I noticed you are from Newcastle too.... From the information you've given I'm starting to think it may be the same one we intend to go to. I know you probably don't want to name the school, but it would be great if you could update this post after your next class & let us know how it went. If you are still unhappy with them, I would love to know the details (in a private message of course), as I do not want to take Milo somewhere that is not well-structured or run appropriately. Thanks in advance :)

I'd be taking a pup of this age directly to obedience training classes. I think he's a bit old for a vet pre-school.

Yes I though so too, but I was told that he needs to have his final vaccination at 16weeks before he will be accepted to obedience (apparently Newcastle has a lot of parvo cases at the moment), so I was informed that we should do puppy school in the mean time (we have already socialised him with other puppies/dogs that are fully vaccinated, and have been taking him on car rides, trips to the shops, the beach, playing with kids etc etc - I've not let him walk on the ground in areas frequently used by dogs, but he is getting VERY heavy to carry!) Plus we have been doing basic commands, sit, down, name, recall, wait, leave it... Should I just pull him out of pup school, focus on his training and socialisation, and book him in for obedience training as soon as he's had his last shot, in 3 weeks....? PS: Im still finding it hard to get through to him with his play-biting/mouthing, he's usually pretty good, but when he gets overtired/exciting his little teeth come out again.... ouch! tried yelping, tried time-out, redirect to toys etc... he seems to respond for the first few minutes, then goes right back to it again.... little bugger.

[aussielover]

8 puppies is too much for one instructor. Did they have a helper?

Some of those puppies also seem too old for puppy school. Usually the cut off age is 12 weeks. After that we would normally recommend obedience training or a follow-on puppy class (if available- some training centres/vets offer puppy kindergarten etc)

I have been lucky and found an excellent puppy preschool for my lab pup. She started when she was 8 weeks- only 3 other pups in her class. There was a good mixture of talking and keeping the pups restrained and quiet, socialisation (in a controlled way) and actual training. My pup thrived in this environment and learnt over 15 commands and tricks in a relatively short time. The instructor was always in full control and seemed to be very knowledgable and adapted her training style to each individual puppy.

Some puppy classes are crap though. I prefer classes where all the puppies start and finish at the same time- rather than ones where people can join at any time.

I would try to find another place on your area that runs puppy school and see if they are any better

[Steph M]

You could do some stuff at home in the 3 weeks! Puppy school is more for the people than dogs sometimes I think.

[Dory the Doted One]

You could do some stuff at home in the 3 weeks! Puppy school is more for the people than dogs sometimes I think.

That's what it feels like. It's hard to get the formula right. People complain because the puppies don't get to all be on the floor at once, too boisterous, not boisterous enough, too much training, not enough training, etc,etc.

[milo&codus]

Ok, I think I'll just take his name off the list for pup school, keep doing training at home (and visits with friendly vaccinated dogs, outings to the shops etc) & then get him into the next round of adolescent obedience training once he's had his booster at 16 weeks.... ekkkkk so much to think of.... last thing I want to do is take him somewhere that is poorly run with 8 puppies chasing each other around... I was hoping for a more structured setting. Thanks for everyone's advice, much appreciated :)

[LisaCC]

Milo&codus, I didn't do puppy preschool and then went to beginners obedience at 16 weeks. I think if you know how to train and socialise a puppy correctly then a puppy preschool isn't worth it unless there is an outstanding one available. Unfortunately all the ones around me probably do more harm then good.

[Steph M]

I loved ours for the social aspect. Gus still catches up with a few dogs from his class, getting used to having other people handle him and exposure to kids and noises and things was great, but certainly not something we couldn't do ourselves.

Next time I'd consider skipping it if we couldn't find one that suited. Easy enough to meet and greet lots of people and things.

The one thing I was grateful for with ours was the 'bring a prop' segment.

Someone bought.a sports whistle, another some crutches and a wheelchair, one person bought garbage bags and another a vacuum. Its a good idea even to remember its all new to puppies. They were allowed to sniff these and have a look and I think that was a great idea.

[apocalypsepwnie]

I will certainly update you when we have this week's lesson.

There are a few out there and Vinnie had his 16 week vac at 12 weeks because we were on a faster schedule from where we got him from. They accept pups up to 16 weeks.

If you're worried just keep him at home and keep your training up. I believe the obedience class would be better as the dogs will already have some sort of basics.

Vinnie can already sit, recall, lay and stand. He sits for his dinner and can do vocal commands and only needs treats if he is distracted. I feel that this class is too basic for him tbh.

[Sares]

We recently got a pup and because we knew how to teach the basic commands, we decided to do our own training and socialising for her as we have friends who also recently got puppies too. we have puppy play dates with each other and make sure we do our own trainig. Now that she is old enough, we are now registering her in obendience classes at our local kennel club. We done this because we felt confident enough to socialise her properly ourselves and also felt that our local puppy schools would not be worth the money and as someone said previously, we didnt want to risk doing more harm than good.

I think properly run classes are great for first time puppy owners as there is so much to learn about raising a puppy. But if you are confident you know what you are doing, you can do most of it yourself. These classes are a lot around teaching the owners (hence the 45 minute talking during the session).

Edited February 17, 2014 by Sares

[apocalypsepwnie]

OH is already looking into other classes as he is frustrated at what he's learning.

I think we thought it would be much more training focused. Vinnie can do about half an hour as long as the treats are good :laugh: He's quite happy to sit with a pigs ear or other chew and go again.

[Leah82]

IMO I wouldn't bother looking for another class if this one is not working out. I get the impression that good ones are few and far between so you might be setting yourselves up for more disappointment and further out of pocket.

Vinnie might be better off if you can do training and socialisation yourselves for the moment and then when he's old enough attend formal obedience classes

[apocalypsepwnie]

Yeah that's what we were going to do. We didn't go last night as OH wasn't well and I simply CANNOT do another class on my own.

I doubt we'll be going back for graduation next week as we missed a few 'trick' type commands such as roll over - which honestly I give little to no shits about. My dog can be the best trick performer in the world but if he can't sit, stay, leave it, come and walk properly he's not trained properly. Tricks are just fun and energy burners.

[Steph M]

That's true, and a lower priority for sure, but mine love showing off their tricks to people. Gus particularly wants to shake everyone's hand/paw, and it distracts him (to a degree) from licking their faces.

Added bonus!

Everything in it's place!

[apocalypsepwnie]

Oh of course steph, it is certainly a huge thing for dogs with their confidence and obedience. If you can do something good and cute for the attention they want it's much better.

I'd just prefer to get the basics from someone I'm paying rather than spending $35/hour doing something I can really do at home with him.

[Dogsfevr]

Actually teaching tricks as part of your training works wonders & keeps a puppies brain working .

Mine get taught to do high 5's or any trick they may foster themselves ,yes it means very little but there desire to please you whilst performing these things is often 100 percent more doing sit over & over again .

My current boy is a leg weaver & his whole body language changes when he gets to do this & the focus is so much better generally i use it for his reward for doing things right .

Like mentioned shaking hands many dogs love so having a good sit is required ,rolling over or playing dead is part of the drop,high 5's can be part of the sit or stand .

Mine are showdogs but i still enciurage tricks because they enjoy it

[luvsdogs]

Agree showdog. Many of the tricks or moves learned are used in Rally-o & Dances with Dogs. If you think about it just teaching a dog to sit, drop, stay, come etc are also tricks. They are also a great way to exercise the dogs brain & tire them out especially if you can't get out for a walk.

[milo&codus]

Puppy school cancelled, I have instead contacted out local Dog Training Club to see when he would be able to commence their beginners and/or obedience classes. They have been very helpful - he has to have had his 16week shot before he's allowed to start. He gets his last vaccination next week - yippeeeee! Does it take about 1 week to fully get into his system...?

The price difference between the pup preschool ($150!!!), and the obedience classes at local training club ($6/class) is amazingly different too!

Cheers for everyone's comments and input, I'm sure little (or should I say BIG, did you see his paws??) Milo will thank you for it :)

[apocalypsepwnie]

Which one are you going to?

Yeah the difference is a huge amount. We have the last week tonight and we are cutting our losses.

[Loving my Oldies]

I've been associated only with two dog clubs: each had an annual subscription of $20 or $30 dollars and a grounds fee of $2 each time you went. Both run by volunteers.

[milo&codus]

Yes Danny's Darling is right, the annual subscription is $20, and it costs $3/class. Newcastle All Breeds Dog Training Club was recommended by a friend, they have several different types of obedience classes available, including agility etc.