All Dogs Need to Go to School

All Dogs Need to Go to School

Children aren’t the only ones that need to go to school. Your dog needs to go to school and not just for the reasons you might think. Going to school helps your dog not to just obey commands but to become Social. School is important in your dog’s cognitive development. It teaches them what they need to learn but it enriches their lives and makes them a more well rounded dog. Socialization between dogs is just as important as basic obedience. And remember an old dog can learn new tricks so even if you are past puppy school and have the basics down there are fun classes out there and training for different dog sports that can help enrich your dog’s life and continue with their Socialization.



All Dogs Need to Go to School. Which classes are right for you and your dog



Puppy School
If your dog needs help socializing, or is in social situations often, obedience school may be ideal. This will help the dog interact with others well, stay calm around others, and demonstrate appropriate social behavior. it will help them remember their manners around other dogs and in exiting situations so that in an emergency your dog will listen and obey what you are telling them to do. Your dog does not have to interact socially with everyone people or canine but they have to feel secure in various situations.

What does Puppy School Focus on?
Puppy classes focus on Social skills and learning the very basics.

Who attends puppy school?
The entire family should attend puppy school. Even if they cannot make it to every lesson they should all take part in training between sessions. Having the entire family there is great for the puppy so that they learn to respect every member of the family but it is also great for the other members of the class that might not have children at home or might not have an elderly adult at home. It allows your dog to interact with people of all ages and backgrounds.

Why should you care about having a social dog?
A Social Dog is a happy relaxed dog.

Think of Puppy school as Preschool. Your dog’s education should not stop here!



Obedience Classes and Canine Good Citizen Classes
You will need your dog to listen to and perform to basic commands such as sit, stay, heel, down, and no. These commands are the very basic building blocks for higher learning in the dog world. Your obedience class and Canine Good Citizens class will start with these commands and quickly progress to more complicated multiple command activities.

What does Obedience Class Focus On?
Things like down and stay with a stranger. Not overreacting to loud noises. Recall. Stand for exam – great for use at vet visits! Drop, retrieve, and jump are all things you will learn at this level of classes!

Who attends obedience classes?
While the entire family should learn with the dog it is generally the person that will spend the most time with the dog that goes to these training classes. They are more focused on learning and not on socialization. In a basic class you will probably find the entire family but as you move up through the levels you are more likely to find one person attending with their dog on a consistent basis.

A well trained dog will listen to whoever is giving the command. Even if they normally are not around that person.

What can we do with Obedience Training?
Obedience Competition / Trials ! You can compete as a well oiled machine with your dog against other dogs. The basic objective of obedience trials, however, is to recognize dogs that have been trained to behave in the home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs, in a manner that will reflect positively on your dog at all times and under all conditions.

If you advance even further you can do Schutzhund with your dog, detection work, search and rescue, participate in reading programs for children, and become a certified therapy team.

Why should you care about Obedience Classes?
An obedience dog is a safe dog.



Doggy Sports Classes
These classes build up from puppy classes and basic obedience. Each sport will focus on different tasks that your dog will have to perform. You work as a team with your dog so be prepared to work just as hard as your dog during these classes. They are fun and once you graduate you can participate in dog events near you.
There are so many sports out there including Agility, Dock Diving, Disc Dog, Doggy Freestyle, Weight Pull, Tracking, and Rally. Depending on your dog’s breed there are activities that you can participate in. These breed specific events are geared towards what the breed or breeds excel in naturally and trains them to hone their skills. Things like Lure coursing, Terrier Racing, Herding, Dog Mushing, and Hunting.

Who participates?
Generally the person that will be attending the shows and trials is the one that would participate in these training sessions.

Why should you care?
A busy dog is tired dog is a happy dog! Plus your dog will continue to work on their obedience and social skills.



Is your dog aggressive?
Not usually something you need to worry about with a puppy as they are more happy go lucky and willing to experience new things. If you have just adopted a dog or are trying to work on an issue with an older dog this is the first and most important question to ask yourself. If your dog is showing signs of aggression such as biting or snapping, it is time to bring someone in to help you. This is a behavior that needs to be tamed now, and a professional can help. If your dog is aggressive first take a step back and figure out if they are always aggressive or if there is something that triggers their aggression. Once you figure that out you can find someone in your area that can help work on this behavior with you and your dog to hopefully eliminate it or at least greatly reduce it.One on one lessons to work through the aggression issues to help your dog become happier and less reactive.

An angry dog is not a happy dog.

What classes have you attended with your dog?

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Comments

  1. So very true! Mom hates obedience classes, so we only do the basics on that, but sports classes are wonderful and so much fun. They also build the bond as you really have to work together as a team and learn to trust each other. Sports like nose work are also good for aggressive dogs or dogs that are not socialized as dogs don’t work with the other dogs around, so if you have that issue it is a great way to do a sport with your dogs. About half the dogs in our classes have issues but do well in nose work.
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