Puppy Class

[GobHoblin]

Does anyone else find puppy class really stressful? Went to the first one last week, so may have been 1st night nerves i guess.
I'm so not a nervous person, in fact i'm quite outgoing, maybe its because i'm so desperate to get it right!
Ah well, i'm sure i'll be fine. Lil loves it, so i should too!

[moosemama]

I think it depends on the class. If it's a chuck all the pups in together 'so they can socialise' type of class then I would find it stressful and wouldn't go back.

I remember going to a puppy class years ago, when they were just becoming popular and that's exactly what happened, so we had giant breed pups attempting to play with toy breeds and confident strong pups picking on less confident more gentle pups etc - it was a nightmare and totally not what puppy classes should be about.

If on the other hand it's a well organised class with an experienced class leader where you can learn more about your pup and how to handle him/her whilst your pup gets to be around other and meet dogs in a controlled manner then it's worth persevering.

I think it's fairly normal to feel a bit stressed the first couple of lessons, as it's new to you and really exciting for the pup and you can feel like you are on display a bit during the actual training, but it will get better. You will relax as the weeks go on and hopefully you and Lil will might even make some new dog-walking friends in the process.

[batteryhen]

I found mine a bit stressy first off. We all work our own dogs, and the 2 instructors come round and instruct you one to one. At the end of the class the pups are allowed off the leads (if you want) so they can have a play as a reward. Try to stick with it for a few more weeks - it might get better!

[GobHoblin]

Thankyou both, that is helpful. It is fairly structured in that we take it in turns to work with our dogs, maybe its the doing things in front of others i struggle with. Lil loves it and has found a couple of great pups to spar with! The next day shes almost hungover/shattered! Definately going to stick with it, no worries there. Thanks again :)

[Sausagedog27]

I cried when we first went! In hindsight it was totally wrong for me and our (then) pup- giant breeds and small breeds mixed, little 1-1 help etc. we persevered with it for a while and then gave up. She was much better when we did it on our own and just socialised separately with dogs in our local area. I think it was better when I was less stressed and also she was so little and young she just used to get overstimulated there. Worked much better when she was a few months older.

Good luck though- find what is right for both you and the pup x

[SophiaWinters]

The first puppy class I went to we dropped out half way through, it was way too stressful for both me and our puppy. It was pure un-organised choas and the class was way too big. The next training school we went to was totally different, very calm (as calm as puppies can be) and not stressful at all with a much smaller class size. Now that I have two to compare I realise the first class was not very good and we should have dropped out after the first night. I recommend you shop around classes, go on your own to observe and then decide which one you think will suit you and your puppy before enrolling.