How Important is Professional Training?

[Subverto]

Nala is now 12 weeks old, and I am wondering how important going to a professional trainer for obedience training is. As in, taking her to a class with an instructor.

She currently knows all the basics: sit, stay, laydown, give paw, and she comes immediately when we call her inside and outside. She is also extremely good on a leash. I have not yet taught her the "heel" command because she doesn't pull at all. She naturally always wants to walk next to me. The only issue is she sometimes can't make up her mind what side she wants to be on, constantly crossing from left to right either behind or infront of my stride. I don't think this will be too difficult to fix however.

So my questions is. Is it worth the money to take her to an obedience class, or will they basically just teach us what she already knows?

As is typical with all my posts, here's another picture of my baby

 

[takemebacktotulsa]

First, she is adorable!

Is there even the slightest chance you want to do water training with her? Carting? Therapy? What about Rally or formal obedience? Even if the answers are maybe, I would say get yourself into formal classes ASAP! She may be able to do everything at home, but the real test comes when she's a teenager, is around multiple other dogs with distractions and you're asking her to "come"!

I started training because I knew what a great therapy dog I had on my hands and wanted to get a CGC so we could begin therapy work. I also knew if we had a CD, we would have an easier time at the water test. But we just kept on going, class after class, and I found Willis loves it. He loves showing what he knows and seeing friends (people and doggie) every week. I can't say enough good things about formal training. Even if you don't want to do formal obedience or anything else, your relationship with her will be better for it. Go for it!

 

[ElvisTheNewf]

I wouldn't even hesitate to get her to a trainer. She may be the most well-behaved pup in your eyes, but good training is worth it's weight in gold. Plus there's the added bonus of getting her around other people and learning how to socialize correctly with other dogs.

There's also "Crazy Teenage Newf Syndrome", which seems to hit these guys around 10-12 months or so. Search the forums here and you'll find plenty of stories about the most calm, well behaved puppies turning into crazy monsters around a certain age. A back-to-basic training regimen is almost always recommended.

Our own newf is 5 and he went to training at 5 months (when we got him), 1 year, 2 years, a bootcamp at 2.5 (to help with his fear of motorcycles), and several group classes since then. Maybe it's just Elvis, but he's not a "train once and he's good forever" type of dog.

 

[Cascadians]

Nala is so scrumptiously cute!

Formal training is beneficial. The dog learns to focus on you amidst other dogs and distractions. The instructor will coach you on your body language and physical cues for your dog.

Formal obedience is the foundation for all the other things you can do with your Newf. Proofing the basics, adding variations and advancing skills is a lot of fun and addictive. The dog thrives. The bond between you and your dog strengthens with a tangible foundation.

Beware of the teenage phase which can last a long time with slow maturing Newfs. omg ... yes search archives for stories.

We just graduated from Advanced Companion Obedience (4th formal class series) and segued immediately into beginner Rally. Orka's had beginner water training and drafting and joring, and is a well trained autism service dog. I consider us at this point at the wee start of kindergarten as far as training goes.

Look at well trained Newfs getting their obedience, rally, drafting and water titles, and showing off in the conformation ring. All this is a blast. Go for formal training!

 

[OodlesOfNoodles]

As others have mentioned, one of the biggest benefits of the formal training is training her to stay focused with so many other fun distractions (dogs and the treats their owners drop) around. Finn has been in 3 sets of classes since around 12 weeks. He too knew his basics very well going in and blew the other puppies out of the water, but it was a great change of learning environment for him. He's 7 1/2 months now and going through a rebellious stage - he's perfect with his training at home and at quiet parks, but get him to class and he acts like he knows nothing. Very frustrating from our end as we know how good he actually is at these things, but also beneficial to be in the class so we can work through it and get tips from the instructors on other things to try when options 1, 2, 3 and 4 still fail to get his attention.

Edited to add - maybe see if you can skip the beginner's level, where they most likely will just teach you what she already knows and see if there's a next level up that she could get into, where they'll challenge her more? (i.e. heel, come from a playgroup, leave it, down from a distance, go to your mat, stand/sit for exam, etc)

 

[Cascadians]

"... he's perfect with his training at home and at quiet parks, but get him to class and he acts like he knows nothing ..."

*tears more hair out* "Who are you? I've never heard a command or looked at you before. I don't even recognize you, and you're in my way. I'm fixated on that cute dog over there. I'm going to fuss, whine and lunge all day today and mortify you beyond belief, whoever you are." sez Mr Perfect At Home, aarrrggghh

Hear you all too well

 

[pecanpiepatti]

I wouldn't even hesitate to get her to a trainer. She may be the most well-behaved pup in your eyes, but good training is worth it's weight in gold. Plus there's the added bonus of getting her around other people and learning how to socialize correctly with other dogs.

There's also "Crazy Teenage Newf Syndrome", which seems to hit these guys around 10-12 months or so. Search the forums here and you'll find plenty of stories about the most calm, well behaved puppies turning into crazy monsters around a certain age. A back-to-basic training regimen is almost always recommended.

Our own newf is 5 and he went to training at 5 months (when we got him), 1 year, 2 years, a bootcamp at 2.5 (to help with his fear of motorcycles), and several group classes since then. Maybe it's just Elvis, but he's not a "train once and he's good forever" type of dog.

Totally ditto!

 

[OodlesOfNoodles]

*tears more hair out* "Who are you? I've never heard a command or looked at you before. I don't even recognize you, and you're in my way. I'm fixated on that cute dog over there. I'm going to fuss, whine and lunge all day today and mortify you beyond belief, whoever you are." sez Mr Perfect At Home, aarrrggghh

Hear you all too well

Ha! To a T.

 

[blaue_augen]

I would say it depends on you and the trainer. I have been to trainers who weren't very helpful and only teach what I think you and your puppy already know. But I am not super disciplined and found going to a class (even a not that great class) to be beneficial because it made me practice our training all the time at home. And if you have a good trainer, there is sooooo much you can learn. You can ask questions to specific problems you are having at that moment. And it's a great place to learn to be around other dogs without interacting with them.

I have taken all of the dogs I've ever had to training classes. I learned so much in them beyond the specific skills listed for each class, and so I will continue to do classes with my dogs. But if you are very dedicated and have knowledge of training a dog, it is possible to not go to a training class and still have a well trained dog. But either way that you go (in a class or on your own), I think it's SUPER important for us to train our dogs. I think all dogs need training, but especially our giant breeds! If they wanted to, they could easily overpower even the strongest adult.

Good luck deciding and whichever way you go, keep it fun for both of you!

 

[wrknnwf]

The training classes are really as much or more for you than the dog, since you will be practicing at home. It's always best to have someone evaluate you and your dog to help you learn good skills.

It is possible that you can train her yourself, but if you ever want to do any kind of water or draft trial, therapy or obedience, you will need to know the correct way to perform the exercises.

Also, for a small puppy of this age, the most important part of training classes is socializing and learning to work with distractions. It's difficult to get that at home.

If you feel she is very skilled already, ask an instructor if you and your dog can be evaluated and possible go to the next level immediately.

And lastly, training classes are fun for both you and your pup...at least they should be.

Sometimes the owner is worried about how badly their dog will perform in a class and sometimes the owner thinks the dog will be perfect in class and do everything well. Throw any anxiety or pride you may have out the window. I can promise you that in the beginning, dogs always surprise, embarass and/or delight their owners. Just remember, that everyone there has the same anticipation and all go through the same experiences that you will. But it's precisely those unexpected moments that help you learn and bond with your dog until you are a team.

 

[nsmarlis]

It's like school for kids - you learn more than just ABC. Learning to get along with others, putting up with others, & it's structured time for you & the pup to do something together.

 

[R Taft]

All of the above.............And you keep on training forever and ever...with as many different Instructors and different dogs and lots of different people as you can possibly have.........Dogs love it and it often becomes a great hobby for you too

 

[new_2_newf]

hehe....'we' teach at our kennel club, and I still bring in Sulley periodically, and any fosters that I have long enough and that are suitable for that environment.

 

[CMDRTED]

The training classes are really as much or more for you than the dog, since you will be practicing at home. It's always best to have someone evaluate you and your dog to help you learn good skills.

It is possible that you can train her yourself, but if you ever want to do any kind of water or draft trial, therapy or obedience, you will need to know the correct way to perform the exercises.

Also, for a small puppy of this age, the most important part of training classes is socializing and learning to work with distractions. It's difficult to get that at home.

If you feel she is very skilled already, ask an instructor if you and your dog can be evaluated and possible go to the next level immediately.

And lastly, training classes are fun for both you and your pup...at least they should be.

Sometimes the owner is worried about how badly their dog will perform in a class and sometimes the owner thinks the dog will be perfect in class and do everything well. Throw any anxiety or pride you may have out the window. I can promise you that in the beginning, dogs always surprise, embarass and/or delight their owners. Just remember, that everyone there has the same anticipation and all go through the same experiences that you will. But it's precisely those unexpected moments that help you learn and bond with your dog until you are a team.

I couldn't agree more. Definately go to a professional trainer. if you need help there is a professional organizatoin of dog trainers out there. They have high standards. you can search for trainers in your area also through them. Try:

http://www.apdt.com/

Accociation of Pet Dog Trainers.:kgo_027:

 

[Subverto]

I couldn't agree more. Definately go to a professional trainer. if you need help there is a professional organizatoin of dog trainers out there. They have high standards. you can search for trainers in your area also through them. Try:

http://www.apdt.com/

Accociation of Pet Dog Trainers.:kgo_027:

Thank you for the link it is very helpful!