# First Puppy Class



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Talk about a cultural experience. Holy wow, some of these women take their dog training extremely seriously! And they're territorial. One lady told me I was standing in her ring and her class was about to start so I needed to leave. I asked her if she could tell me where the puppy class was and she said she didn't have any idea. Helpful. 

The people in the puppy class were more down to earth. I bonded with a mom and son with an out of control Lab puppy, and a gentleman with another rowdy Lab/pit bull mix. 

The trainer is really nice, but she seems into the more harsh methods (e.g., pinch collars, picking up dog by scruff of neck). She said she's respectful of our comfort levels, which is good because I don't do harsh. Firm is okay, but not harsh. 

We practiced getting our dogs' attention by saying their name, then adding "come" and "sit." Maizie was one of the star pupils. She didn't bark at the other dogs, wasn't afraid, and did what the trainer asked when she used her as an example. It seems I need some training, though--my posture needs to be more erect. We also practiced passive restraint. Maizie does NOT like to be restrained and acts like a calf that just got roped. We will work on that at home several times per day, along with her brief training sessions. 

Would love to hear others' stories/experiences with puppy training


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

could you explain the restraint method used a bit more? not sure i understand what is going on/being taught.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Here's a video, showing the position at 0:26

Dog Restraint | Videos | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS 

It's so they won't be stressed if they ever have to have a veterinary procedure that requires restraint.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

thanks. i guess i just never ran into the problem with either of my dogs, but i can see that not knowing what is going on might make a dog fearful.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

Twilight and I start our puppy class in the middle of September  Right now it looks like there will only be 3 or maybe 4 of us in the class. We have taken classes before with her and she is into Your Choice and other none violent methods so the classes are set up to be a lot of fun for the puppies while they learn. I am looking forward to it.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

We just finished our first foundation obedience class with Archie - it's a class geared toward recently adopted shelter dogs who know absolutely nothing, so pretty similar to a puppy class though the dogs are over 6 months old. Anyway, it was great! 

The main takeaway I got was that Archie is far from the craziest dog in the world, haha! There were some big dogs in that class who really could not concentrate at all with other dogs in the room. It was also just really, really helpful for learning how to work with him in a distraction-laden environment. I learned a lot about high-value treats, for example, after he decided that the regular ones we use at home just weren't worth it with so many people and dogs around to watch. There were some little things I was doing that I got trained out of me, too, which is really helping him learn quickly.

His class was very rewards-based, using clicker training principles and treat lures, and that worked really well for him. If you're not comfortable using the kinds of corrections your trainer recommends, you might want to look for someone who focuses more on positive reinforcement for your next class.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

That's wonderful you had a successful class with Archie! 

This trainer I'm with does use food rewards and praise, so I'm kind of confused by the other things she does. I won't do anything I'm not comfortable with, though.


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