# Horrible First Puppy Class- Need to Vent



## schpeckie (Jun 29, 2010)

Yikes, that's terrible! The trainer should have taken control of the situation, as it probably created alot of problems with the other dogs too. I definately would talk to the trainer and tell her, that kind of behaviour disturbed you. Don't be discouraged, and hopefully things will change in your next class!


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Thanks Schpeckie! Next time we'll go to a different place that specializes in training.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Wow, what a disaster. I am in a puppy class right now. Our first class was without puppies and she went over expectations, equipment and behavior before we actually brought the dogs. We were told dogs were to stay at least 4 feet away from each other for a while. Later on, they will start interacting once they have learned their manners. I have been very happy with my class. Last week she showed us how to appropriately introduce dogs to one another, not a free for all. 

Lbs are wonderful dogs, but require a strong hand. I hope that owner learns how to handle him.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Oh, what a shame! It's not that hard to make puppy classes work, yet I still hear of those sorts of free-for-alls. As if just chucking a bunch of puppies together is going to teach them anything positive ....

Try another trainer; there are excellent ones out there.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

What a terrible experience. I honestly think there is almost nothing worse than a bad puppy trainer... such a negative experience for all the pups in that class, including the lab. I'm glad you're not going back to her. I hope you complain and get your money back.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

What a disaster and it's outrageous this woman calls herself a "trainer." My neighbor's 5-year-old could run a better class! I also fault the lab puppy's owner; even a first-time dog owner should realize such behavior isn't appropriate. Wait, full stop. I'm giving people way too much credit here. 

I'm glad you're not going back. I also hope you speak to this alleged trainer and give her a laundry list of things she needs to address ASAP so this doesn't happen to other puppies. Give her a brochure for a training class of her own.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Well I'm afraid that episode has had a lasting effect. We were visiting family and Raleigh did fine with the first two dogs we visited. Then we got to a friend's house. They have an 11 week old Golden Retreiver puppy. (very similar appearance to the biting lab). I was concerned that Raleigh woud be too rough for this sweet little girl. He was terrified. We never got past the introduction and they had to put their puppy in a crate while we visited. 

I'm kicking myself for taking him to that class. Hopefully he'll get past this when we go to formal (on leash) obedience class at a different place.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Don't kick yourself for this!! That puppy should have never been able to ambush you at the door. If they were having off leash time with puppies, there should have been some barrier there to stop puppies from running out or up to other dogs. 

Find some GOOD lab or golden puppies to introduce Raleigh to. If you are unsure of the puppy, observe it playing with other dogs/puppies first before deciding if you want to introduce it to Raleigh.


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## WestCoastSpoo (May 11, 2011)

So glad I read this post! It's VERY similar to what I experienced last night at Huxley's first "puppy socialization" class! We got there and the trainer immediately told me to take him off leash, then the 1st dog to arrive was a 12 week old bulldog that just plowed over Huxley and made him cower in the corner. The next dog was some random mix of who knows what that actually ATTACKED Huxley! I was ready to leave right there but the trainer had the owner put that dog back on its leash and hook it to a tie down on the wall (which seemed like a weird solution to me but what do I know??) Huxley barely went near the dog and it went ballistic. So that was it for me I told the trainer this wasn't the class for me and she sort of looked at me like "what an amateur dog person" and rolled her eyes and said "have you read ANYTHING about puppies?" And I said "YES I've read everything I can get my hands on by Patricia McConnell and Ian Dunbar and both stress POSITIVE experiences when socializing puppies, not puppy mosh pits or allowing a puppy to get ganged up on and attacked". So after that she asked the crazy puppy to leave (and not come back because he was "too advanced" for the class - WHAT??!) Oh and it came out later that the aggressive puppy BIT a human during the class last week!!

Some more puppies had arrived by then and I wanted to let Huxley stay to have a positive experience before we left so he didn't leave with "if I try to play I get hurt - other dogs are scary" stuck in his head. There was a nice golden puppy and 2 other mixes and Huxley looked like he was having fun (tail wagging) be he acted BIZARRE - he was trying to hump everyone and barking (he NEVER barks at home - or humps for that matter). Do you think his humping was because he was so scared from the "attack" and trying to make up for it by trying to be dominant to the other pups? The trainer did intervene several times to have the puppies settle down when they got too excited, and pulled Huxley off and made him sit every time he humped, but the class was just not what I had expected.

The other part of the class was the puppies on leash and being passed around the group for the other owners so "handle" and the trainers 2 adult dogs came in for awhile to "show the puppies good manners". Huxley LOVED meeting all the people. And they were playing a fireworks CD in the background which at first he was listening too but quickly ignored. The trainer also walked around on crutches for awhile (which Huxley went up and sniffed and then ignored) and the trainer had a skateboard she was playing with and Huxley also sniffed that, put his foot on it and then just ignored it.

My gut says this isn't the right class for us, but am I overreacting? I want to make sure Huxley has lots of opportunities to socialize with other dogs and humans and the idea behind this class sounded good, but I'm not sure about the way it's handled. The trainer is pretty well known in the area and runs a private training place. She says she stresses positive reinforcement and follows Patricia McConnell's philosophy but I thought the way she handled the aggressive dog was weird.


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## WestCoastSpoo (May 11, 2011)

This is the "course description" of the class we went to last night. Should I just skip this kind of class and wait for a more formal training class after he's had all his shots?
Course Description: This class will teach you and your puppy two very important things to prepare them for a good life: 1.) Good bite inhibition – never to cause harm to another with their teeth; 2.) Good social skills - learning how to be confident and not fearful of dogs, humans (and all that go along with humans like what we wear, what we ride, what we hold in our hands), sounds (fireworks and thunder) and touch (vet exams and others wanting to pet them).

When puppies play in this off leash class, they learn how NOT to apply pressure when their mouth is on another. This important life lesson means you will have peace of mind when your dog matures and is around people, especially children. Puppies must learned this skill NOW with other puppies and by practicing good play with humans. Good bite inhibition (or bad bite inhibition) is practiced for life and can only be learned before 4 months old!

Socialization is learned before your puppy turns 4 months old. Unfortunately it cannot be easily corrected for older puppies/adults. When adult dogs fear bite it is usually because they don’t understand what something/someone is or the way they move. Biting usually occurs as a dog gains confidence between 1 to 2 years in human years (15 to 24 years in dog years). Puppies typically don’t show fear aggression. Instead, they are programmed to explore their environment up to 4 months of age to determine what is safe or dangerous. If they have not had the opportunity to explore and deem it safe in their early years then it is assumed dangerous later in life and they may act on it – with fear biting! So it is important for puppies to have lots and lots of positive experiences since these early experiences are etched in their brains for life.

In class, puppies play off-leash with other puppies. They learn to read body language and develop communication skills. This does not come naturally to dogs. If not learned early on, most dogs will over react (bark and/or lunge) when they see another dog since they cannot read the other dog’s intentions through body language. So that means taking your dog for a walk could become challenging and difficult to control whenever he sees another dog, even if the other dog is friendly. Or your dog may over react when a dog passes by the house. When they know how to read another dogs body language they are confident and not fearful making your life with your dog pleasant. Ideally, puppies need to play off-leash with 25 different puppies and be exposed to adult socialized dogs. Since dogs don’t generalize well, 2-4 dogs won’t be enough. They need lots of positive experience.

In summary, this class is about teaching you and your dog the importance of not biting and good socialization skills. The four areas of socialization are: Dog Socialization, People Socialization, Touch Socialization (we pass your puppy around and do mock vet exams so your puppy learns to accept human touch) and Sound Socialization (we play a fireworks CD in class).

We will give you an education of a lifetime about dogs including house-training, toys, bones, food, avoiding bad habits like jumping, digging, and so much more. Puppies are inside in a clean and safe environment.


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## WestCoastSpoo (May 11, 2011)

OH and I'm sorry CurlyDog if I highjacked your post!! Maybe I should have started another thread?? I just got a little fired up when I read you had a similar experience and needed a little venting too!! lol


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Not at all WestCoastSpoo. I think it's good to keep the conversation going!


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Regardless of how the classes are described, if you and your dog aren't comfortable, I wouldn't go back.


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## mandyand casey (Jan 12, 2011)

just want to remind both of you that the worse thing youcould do now is to pick the puppies up at the site of the big scary dogs. You need to no noncence NO fuss just walk your dogs past the `scary`dogs like you would walk past anything. no coddling no baby talk or you could be setting yourself up for big problems.
I have been to many a classes and yep some are better then others that is for sure.
maybe next time see if you can sit in on a class and see what the trainer actually trains.
There are some awsome trainers out there and then there are some horrible ones. Even at Petsmart have had both good and bad. 
I have a great Scottish lady now and have used a brad pattison trainer which i loved the training just not the actual CTE and am now looking for a new CTE in my area as some people just have difference of opinions on other things in life and it can get in the way of the training


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Yep you are right about that.


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## WestCoastSpoo (May 11, 2011)

Just wanted to post a little update: My husband told me to try the puppy class one more time before I gave it up since the trainer had seemed fantastic when I spoke with her, the class had such potential for being great, and it was kind of all ruined by this aggressive puppy being around (who was no longer in the class). So I went back the next time (it's twice a week, an hour each class) and it was GREAT!! We've been to 3 more classes now and none of them were like that first class. I don't know if the trainer was just completely out of sorts that night because of the dog, or something else, or if my (and others) comments got her to kick her butt into gear, but she's AMAZING! Huxley is THRIVING in the class! He is having SO much fun, learning fantastic bite inhibition and meeting puppies (and humans) of all different shapes and sizes! She introduces potentially scary things (last time she walked around with an umbrella, on crutches and then used a hand vacuum) then leaves them for a bit in the middle of the room so the puppies can go up on their own to investigate and see they aren't scary at all. She's been playing fireworks during part of the class. And Huxley's personal favorite is the "mock vet exam" where several other puppy owners get to check his ears, feet and tail - he LOVES all the attention, even if it's from complete strangers!

I'm so glad I didn't give up after that first horrible experience! And there have been some "disagreements" between other of the puppies, but the trainer is right there almost before the dogs even touch to stop and correct so nothing has escalated. It's like night and day so I have no idea what was going on that 1st class. But Mr. Huxley and I are having a great time and he is making some great new friends (last time he and a 12 week old English Bulldog had a sweet cuddle session for most of the "free play" time) and Huxley makes sure he goes around and greets every single human in the room which is so cute to watch


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

I'm glad to hear that! I also had a good experience this past weekend in a different puppy class. I was thrilled to see that Raleigh completely forgot his aversion to little yellow dogs (there was a golden puppy in class). He did great and LOVED the agility equipment.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I'm so glad to hear things worked out so well - a good puppy class makes such a difference, and building a relationship with a trainer you can trust is very helpful later on, too.


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