Caring for working dogs

Constructive Tips for Selecting the Right Puppy School

2 June 2021

Jose Reid

Young dogs tend to wreak havoc in homes in a myriad of ways, ranging from chewing on shoes, scratching furniture, urinating and emptying their bowels in the home, unwarranted aggression and so much more. And while this behaviour may vary from one pup to another, one thing everyone can agree on is that training is mandatory to get rid of these bad habits. You should be mindful, though, that DIY training is not the best option.

Admittedly, you know your furry baby best, but if you want your dog to benefit from professional instructions while you also get the opportunity to learn about appropriate training, you must enrol your animal in puppy school. But which puppy school is best? To help you narrow down your options, this piece outlines constructive tips for selecting a puppy school.

How many dogs are enrolled in the same session?

A misassumption that some dog owners make is thinking that the bigger the class and the higher the number of puppies, the more popular the training school is. Consequently, they choose to enrol their pup in the same session with the hopes that they will get to benefit from this popular trainer, but this is a gross misassumption. The reality is that the more dogs that are enrolled in one class, the less individualised attention that the trainer can offer. Hence, your pup may lose out on vital training, and this will be a waste of money.

When whittling down your options, it is best to base your decision on quality rather than quantity. Gravitate towards puppy schools that handle a handful of dogs at a time, as this means the trainer has more attention to spread all around. Moreover, the fewer the puppies, the less stimulating the environment will be, so there is a better chance of your dog benefitting from their classes rather than always being excitable.

Does the puppy school prioritise positive reinforcement?

The second consideration to have when selecting the right puppy school is by analysing the training practices employed. Decades ago, negative reinforcement was the leading way to train puppies. This type of training would be brutal as it was characterised by the use of prong collars, shoving the dog's snout into their faeces, forcing it into positions such as sitting and so on. The consequence of this type of training is that while one would get the desired results, the negative reinforcement ends up breaking the puppy's spirit.

To avoid this, it is best to choose a puppy school that specialises in positive reinforcement. This type of training is based on rewards, but the rewards are not exclusively made up of treats. Your puppy can also be rewarded with words of affirmation and this helps with bolstering your pup's confidence and temperament too.

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