Training

There are as many dog training philosophies and methods as there are parenting methods and philosophies. Many of them work well. There is no perfect method. Absolutely nothing can replace the work and consistency that will be needed by you. No training method will trump the relationship you build with your dog, though your training method can foster or hamper a loving and trusting relationship.

Puppies are creatures with their own body, mind, and will; Good training guides their body and their will, and this takes time. Good training also enlarges the relationship and bond with your dog, and doesn’t harm it. And in all honesty, training never stops. If you stop guiding/training/ reinforcing for an appreciable amount of time, behaviors are likely to slip and change.

Thus far we have trained our own dogs. We’ve used Puppy Culture videos and “Dog Training For Dummies” by Volhard. We sent Maya to Petco’s Puppy Play class every Sunday for socialization, but it’s been shutdown since CoVID started. We do not have personal experience with group training classes or private trainers. I’ve been asked for trainer recommendations and I honestly don’t personally have any; I’m sorry. We have previous puppy buyers and friends who have hired trainers and love them.

Here are your general options:

Do It Yourself Training:

There are many do-it-yourself training sets out there and they are typically a book or video series. A few examples include:

Books:

• Dog Training for Dummies, by Volhard (we used this and I think it’s a good reference book when looking for training or tune ups)

• The Art of Raising A Puppy, by the Monks of New Skete

• Canine Good Citizen, The Official AKC Guide, by Burch

• Etc

Video/streaming training:

• Puppy Culture (we used with our dogs) approx $70

• Cesar Milan, $49

• Brandon McMillan via Masterclass.com, $180 plus all access one year pass to this & other life skills & business training classes.

• etc

Do It Yourself Training With Active Support.

-Avidog.com - offers “Puppy College” for streaming video training $150, with access to Facebook community group with professional trainer input. This is a good pandemic option in my opinion.

Group Training

Group training classes usually have 1-2 trainers and several clusters of dogs and their owners. Most group classes tend offer a handful of skills per level of class, and you can take back to back classes and level up. Classes are approx $40-150/level. examples:

-Petco

-Petsmart

-Breed Clubs, etc.

Private Trainers:

There are lot of private trainers out there, and many people love them. Various arrangements can be made at public meeting places such as a park, the trainers home or place of business, or in your home. This is usually the most costly option. Off Leash K9 Training who has been recommended to me but I have not used, seems like a boutique training company. They will offer our homes 10% off services. Services range from a 1.5 hour in home puppy consultation for potty training, crate training, confidence boosting, and troubleshooting for $185 to high end Top Dog 21 day board and train @ $4,285 @ 5+ months old. Basic obedience (4private lessons) is $585.

It’s going to be important for your puppy to learn the basic rules of your home early on so think about them now, well before puppy comes home. Where will Puppy ultimately sleep (Crate, laundry room, bedroom, etc)? Will puppy be allowed on furniture (always, by invitation only, on lap only, never)? Will puppy have an indoor potty option (litter box, pee pads) or potty only outside always? Think about it now because they will need to be taught the rules.