How Often Should You Take Classes With Your Dog?

After I posted last week's blog about my upcoming therapy pets training class, I had several clients reach out and ask how often they should be taking classes with their dogs and what kind of classes they should be taking.  I love that each and every one of them who asked me this had their dog's best interests in mind when they asked!  Obviously, they were concerned that they might not be doing enough, or doing the right things, to ensure their dogs are living mentally and physically stimulating lives. So, here are my thoughts:

There is no set number or timing of classes for your dogs, though I will say that doing at least one round of puppy classes between the ages of 3 months and 9 months of age is a must, in my opinion.  Ideally, puppy owners will start with a basics/socialization class and then move on to an adolescent manners class of some kind.  Whether those puppies go on to do more obedience classes, or specialized classes, is really up to their guardians and what those individual dogs might need.  

You see, some humans enjoy taking classes because the classes are structured, are a set number of hours of instruction, and occur in a controlled environment.  By the same token, some humans don't like classes BECAUSE they are structured and limited to the time frame set by the instructor.  Those humans might prefer to schedule private lessons, so to speak, for their dogs.  And then there are a lot of humans who prefer to do their dog's training on their own, when it suits them.  There is nothing wrong with any of these approaches to dog training, as long as, you are committing yourself to doing the work one way or the other.

You don't need to take classes every day, every week, or even every month, though I certainly know dog owners who do all of those things.  What I usually suggest is committing to 5-10 minutes of training every single day; maybe you get more than that because you take your dog to an hour class, or you get less than than because your work schedule keeps you busy.  It's an average: If every day you focus on your dog's behavior for 5-10 minutes, you will have a reasonably well behaved companion dog. You can spread out the 10 minutes, focusing on things like sitting and waiting to go through doorways every time you do so, for example, or maybe you are working on stay in place on a dog bed.  Don't spend an hour doing either, just incorporate a few minutes here and there throughout the day, when the situations arise naturally. Just remember to have those treats in your pocket to pay the appropriate behaviors when they happen!

I think most dogs enjoy learning tricks and most humans enjoy teaching them, so I like to incorporate tricks training into almost every treatment plan I devise for my clients' dogs.  For dogs who need more action than that, I like to send them to learn agility, parkour, or even herding. For dogs who have some good basic obedience skills, I think a rally class is a great idea.  But, again, you can teach your dog agility, parkour, and rally on your own, in your own yard, at your own pace, you just need the equipment to do so.

So, I guess my answer to the original question is take classes as often as you want to, if your dog enjoys them, but don't force yourself to continually enroll in classes if you find they aren't working for you or they are causing additional anxiety for your dog.  If that's the case, opt instead to do the training on your own, or one-on-one with a trainer, at a pace that works for you and for your dog.  Less anxiety all around.

And as always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Classes can be a great way to socialize for humans as well as for the dogs!