To go to class? or not to go?

[Hagrid]

I am wondering if I really need to go to doggy training. My 5 month old will sit, stay, sort of come of leash, play dead, shake , go down when told. We have even taught him to wait. It's funny when we do that. We love the wait command. In fact our kids do it for the plain fun of seeing him skid to a halt. He sees a piece of shicken on the floor in the next room, starts his bear cub run to the next room, we yell wait and he skids on our wood floors for at least 4 feet before he stops. He never grabs the food until we say ok . We even walk him every day to meet lots of other dogs. He doesn't really get to play with the other dogs except for a boxer across the street, because he's always the biggest and frightens most other dogs and their owners. And we also live near a 20 foot bluff on the ocean and knowing this one he'll be running after a bird or dog and yes over the bluff we go!!!!. No landing plan. He is so good do we really need to go to classes? Lily

 

[BlackLightning]

I LOVED taking Ayasha to class. When the time comes for another Newfie, we will be attending classes with him/her too. It's awesome that you can teach all of those commands. My biggest thing with class was that Ayasha had to learn how to properly interact with a lot of dogs. She attended four levels of obedience classes and as we advanced, the trainer introduced "strange" dogs and made us practice our greetings, etc. I found class was one of the best places to do this. Of course, you can ask people with dogs to help you do this, but it was great having the "strange" dog every class. She also had to meet strangers, learn to walk through crowds, etc, all with the guidance and instruction of a trainer that knew what to do. It was also a time when we could ask questions. The NN family is always here too though.

 

[Peter Maniate]

There are two reasons for you to take your puppy to classes. One is for socialization with other dogs, especially non-Newfs. The other purpose is to do training off of your premises. So many dogs behave well at home but seem to forget all their training when they go somewhere else.

 

[lacey9875]

I would take him. Maggie so far has known, or learned in a matter of a few hours, whatever was being taught. However, every dog in class has been smaller than her, and she's learned ( totally on her own ) how to behave around them. It also helps with socialization with people as well. You want to get him used to go different places, and behaving every where, not just at home. I made that mistake with my lab, I only trained her off leash, so when the time came to put her on a leash, she acted like a wild animal. It took quite some time to train that out of her.

Plus, it's nice to have the smartest dog in class.

 

[R Taft]

There are two reasons for you to take your puppy to classes. One is for socialization with other dogs, especially non-Newfs. The other purpose is to do training off of your premises. So many dogs behave well at home but seem to forget all their training when they go somewhere else.

Isn't that the truth.............Katy was sooooooooo exited when she met everyone. it took about ten minutes of meeting and greeting, before she would give me her attention :lol:

As for another thing. most dogs love it. Annabelle actually gets quite low when we do not go for a week or so. we go twice a week at least. over Christmas our Kennel Club has a six week hiatus. Annabelle gets the sads . She will stand next to the car and look nearly every evening. When we finally went back she was so exited and had to say Hello to every dog she knew and the people she knows. there are quite a few dogs at our Club like that, They are just so happy to be there. So simple said "it is not all about training". And as long as it is fun........... GO!!!!! and make it fun. You might find the first few weeks as you settle in are not fun and you might be trying too hard, but once you start to laugh at the mistakes it is just fun

And a BIG PS.......We have made so many new like-minded friends since we started with the Kennel Club, even if they do not have newfs :lol: We have dog days at the river with the "lesser newfs" (labradors) and now go tracking with the GSD's

 

[NewfDad]

Plus you get to show off your pup!

 

[drulzelot]

I second Peter, it will help socialize, and give him the opportunity to learn to focus on you even with distractions (all those hineys to sniff!). When Orion went to puppy kindergarten, he learned he had to stay focused on me in spite of having his nemesis in the class (a very poorly behaved German Shepherd and his very timid owner), and a female in heat (her first heat, so the owner wasn't "sure" so brought her, twice). He was perfectly behaved, the very best, and I was so proud he learned to look to me for direction even with such distractions (and his nemesis was the perfect distraction, lunging and jumping when we walked by).

 

[M & M's Mom Linda]

We love to go to class...good for us and the boys....at 3 and 4 we still attend as often as we can.

 

[wrknnwf]

And to add to all of the above...it's amazing what YOU will learn! A good instructor/class is going to take you way beyond sit, stay, down and wait. Stuff you will be able to use when you get ready for that water or draft training!!!

One of the things that always amuses me, when teaching a new class, is the number of people who say, "But she does it at home!!!". I was that person once. LOL!

Go to class, it's worth it!

 

[Newfs Forever]

Not only what has been posted above, but Hagrid has not gotten to his "teenager" time yet.

My Sammy who will be 6 yo. this month is a rehome (I got him on Jan. 4, 2010) and I am not sure if he has had formal training or not. But, it is certainly good practice for both of us.

I would say definitely take him to Obedience classes. i don't think you will regret it.

JMHO,

 

[Sue M.]

Yep, take him to class. You won't regret it.

 

[newfam]

Agreed with all the above! You can't lose, it's a win win for all. I think the biggest thing for us is the interaction with the other dogs. Tsunami sooooooooooooooo needs this.

 

[Jorge's mum]

we are taking stanley in a few weeks when he is safe to go out, I am going so he gets to interact with different dogs and of course to show him off! x

 

[newfy]

Agreed with everyone else, take him to class, we actually looked forward to class, it was fun & our dogs learned alot. Tiki is going to start another class soon.

 

[CMDRTED]

There are two reasons for you to take your puppy to classes. One is for socialization with other dogs, especially non-Newfs. The other purpose is to do training off of your premises. So many dogs behave well at home but seem to forget all their training when they go somewhere else.

I agree 1000%. Take the training. You may find that you both like it, and want to continue in Rally or Regular Obedience, and earn a title.:wave:

They (because they are so much the smarty-pants) get to know what day and time training is, and will nudge you to the door/car.

 

[bria]

I have to agree with Peter as I have proof of what he says. Although socialization wasn't an issue here as I'm in petcare and have dogs of all shapes and sizes boarding constantly so I knew that Sherman would get that part of it. However I have to admit that taking Sherman and Bria on outings can be a challenge. They are definitely better behaved at home and will feed off of each other while out. I can get their attention by using treats but sometimes it is at the expense of my bad shoulder. So yes Sherman should have done puppy classes but we're still a work in progress. All in all they are pretty good dogs they just get a little over zealous at times while on walks.

Susan

Susan

 

[Erika]

Id go just to get myself better trained....lol

 

[Newfobsessed]

There are two reasons for you to take your puppy to classes. One is for socialization with other dogs, especially non-Newfs. The other purpose is to do training off of your premises. So many dogs behave well at home but seem to forget all their training when they go somewhere else.

I couldn't agree more. You can't give puppy enough socialization or enough experiences outside of his comfort zone. I've fostered several rescues recently who had no socialization and their owners did not understand why they could not deal with other dogs/people etc. go for it - you both will benefit.

 

[2Paws]

All the reasons stated above are why you should go. My dogs start going to puppy class and will continue going until they are ready to retire. Socialization and training doesn't end at puppy stage. It's a lifetime commitment. And I am always learning something new. Each dog is different and there are many different ways to train a skill.

The evening of our class is our date night. It's that special one on one time with your dog. All I have to do is whisper "date night" to Henry and he is at the door impatiently waiting for mom to get all the stuff together.

 

[Hagrid]

We are on our way to puppy classes. Thanks for the info, you are all right. This will be good for me to get out of the house also and meet new people. I am very excited to do this. Lily