Puppy classes....aaargh

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I'm probably the odd one out here but does anyone else hate puppy classes?

My boys and DH have been going and I attended my first with the rest of the family last week.

High-pitched, CBeebies type trainer who calls everyone mum and dad. We were talked atfor an hour. Dogs expected to stay in settle position for a good 15 mins (no pressure).

Just felt like a failure and more than a bit patronised.

It took three classes to find the right trainer for my dog and me. If it isn't working don't be afraid to find another one.

Jeez. That sounds awful. Puppy classes for us were about trying to get a moment of attention. 15 minutes? Time to rethink?

Think you need another class....

I wasn't sure if I was just being prissy or over-sensitive but the woman put my back up within the first minute by asking us to 'settle puppies' and then by shouting across 'DON'T say sit mum to me.....'across class... cue class turningto warch me..... and then running across to take over what I was doing to get pup to settle. All without any introduction/conversation with me.

Thing is - pup is nearly 5 months and does know sit etc so we have named those actions.

It went down hill for me from then. Made me feel embarrassed and useless. And even more so as I tried to keep pup settled for another 10-15 mins while she prattled on at us. He was just fascinated with all the other dogs so her assistant had to keep running over with stuff to give him to make him lie on the floor.

I was just thinking ... why?? It's like expecting a toddler to sit silently as you chat to friends in a cafe.

As a parent, it just brought back memories of those health visitors who make you feel utterly crap because your baby's not eating lumpy food yet or hasn't put on 'enough weight'. Just under the spotlight and judgey judged.

So I was thinking is that just my baggage or is this objectively crap.

No you are not being prissy or oversensitive.

The first class I went to the instructor said very loudly 'well what do you expect if you bought a spaniel' as I was trying to keep him calm. Inside I was seething as I expected that actually I was expecting training tips from someone I was paying. As the rest of the class wasn't much better I never went back.

Even if you decide it's just a personality clash can you honestly think you will get any benefit out of it if you continue? If the answer is no then all you are doing is wasting your time.

Sorry should have said the trainer said that to me then walked straight away to talk to someone else rather than helping me.

I chose a trainer before we got our dog!
I went to a session to watch how they interacted with other owners and dogs. Saw how they dealt with issues.

I hated puppy classes too, got off to a bad start when the trainer openly criticised my puppy’s breed (not for any concrete reason like being overbred and having health issues, just doesn’t like them). She talked at us just like yours and had obvious favourites within the group.

She was also a primary school teacher and like you she pinged my insecurities, in my case it was memories of having teachers just like that and being one of the class scapegoats amongst the golden children. My poor pup had become the useless one who couldn’t get anything right rather than me.

I hated our dog classes. The "trainer" was an utter pillock who brought her own 2 unruly vicious dogs to the course and tied them up and told us not to go near them as they'd attack and then proceeded to just feed each dog shit baxters dog treats to try make them sit for an hour while we all sat there wondering wtf we paid money for.. We got a refund and went elsewhere where the dog trainer was amazing

Yes you will 'know' when you find a good trainer. First they alter their approach for each dog owner rather than assuming things aren't working because you are crap when actually your dog just needs a different approach. And secondly you enjoy going and interacting with them.

Don't waste your time and find someone else. I had a couple of 1-1s with our third trainer and we learnt far more on that first lesson than we had in any of the other lessons.

Yes! That's how I felt. Like my lovely boy was now under unrealistic pressure to perform or feel like the useless one.

We have a trainer who is fab but wanted to explore the classes for pup socialisation but thought it's very organised I am not impressed by the tone etc. They wizz through material with glib answers to everything when reality is far more nuanced. There is no time for 'dog parents' to speak or ask. You have to interrupt her flow to do so. I did this once and then thought - what's the point.

And the primary school teacher analogy is spot on.

I am a volunteer football coach in my spare time and I know so much about teaching skill is about empowering people and making them feel they can do things and they are moving forward. I would hate for any child to walk away from me feeling like a failure.

But that's how I felt.... doggy failures...

It's not you that's the failure. I good trainer gives you the tools to get better. A bad one makes you feel rubbish!

I paid upfront for a course of puppy training classes and was actually relieved to walk away from the classes after week 3 even though the cost was not refundable - I didn't care, I just needed to get away!!!

They were full on classes having to perform exercises in front of the class and sit and wait your turn with dog settled. Mine never settled - as a puppy, he just wanted to play with all the other dogs who were sat all around him and barked non-stop (not a barker at home or when out!) At the end of every practical session we all got herded into a room with our dogs to listen to them tell us about dog care etc. It was like sitting in a school assembly but with your dog sat at your feet - cue my puppy barking his head off!!! I left after week 3 when the trainer pulled me to one side after the class to ask if next week he could squirt water at my dog's face to stop him barking... errr right - wish I'd had the confidence back then to tell him where he could shove his water squirter!

Found another trainer who was brilliant - totally understood the puppy and had people who worked with her who would entertain over excited puppies during the 'talky bits'. It was so much more relaxed - no having to perform in front of everyone and I have to say her way of training made the bond I now have with my dog - I fell totally in love with my puppy during these training sessions - something that would never have happened in the previous classes where I would have felt like my puppy was the worst behaved puppy in the world.

Walk away OP and find some where else! Good luck!

I hated puppy classes.

I used to start feigning a headache at around 1:30 on a Fri afternoon, my usually sympathetic husband used to be like

‘Take some paracetamol, I’m not going on my own ’

Ours was the Naughty One, which in turn used to make us feel like the naughty ones and we’d find ourself eye rolling and whispering to each other whilst the Good Ones looked on in pity.

So with you OP. Total throw back to health visitor days. Binned them off at 6 months too because I got tired of their bizarre methods of obsessing to get baby 2% growth trajectory. Got a sturdy tall 15yr old now. Our puppy trainer insisted in ranking pups by their breed intelligence. Of course having a cross mutt wasn’t worthy of her attention (oh but it’s unusual she’s not a cocker or a poo mummy?)

Don’t stay. You can socialise so much better through other means.

Thanks all. I am so glad I am not alone with this. It was making me feel really bad and dread going. They go round the class getting dogs to perform too. It all just feels like unnecessary pressure and not supportive.

It feels like it's about the 'coach' and her telling you stuff rather than about the learner and your learning.

A good trainer adapts their methods to suit the dog. They accept a dog is a living and breathing creature and not an automaton.

What a shame that you unfortunately seem to have joined a class with a bad instructor. I run training classes and am they are nothing like you describe. We have a whole host of different breeds that come along and although I secretly have a soft spot for certain dogs (purely because they are my 'type') I never treat any of the dogs or owners differently. I help the owner's recognise their own dogs strengths and weaknesses (and they all have them) and how to build on these.

Within any class you will have a range of experience and ability and the exercises set should be tailored for the individual so that everyone is learning something. I always find out what a dog and handler can do first before giving advice. And no dog (particularly a puppy) should be expected to settle for 15 minutes in a class scenario. The lesson pace should be good and the instructor should not be doing any more talking than is necessary.

Puppy classes should be enjoyable for dog and handler. Many of ours stay on because they enjoy it so much they don't want to leave. My advice would be to look around and go and visit some other classes as you'll hopefully find something better.

Good luck with getting a 5 month old puppy to sit still for 15 minutes in a room full of other puppies.

You hate puppy classes because your 'trainer' is not the right one for you, or possibly anyone else. Anyone can call themselves a dog trainer. Find another one and keep looking until you find a good one. Ask dog people you meet in the park. That's how I heard about my dog trainer.

I'm no expert in puppy classes and my dog didn't come away having learned an awful lot at the time; I got the impression she didn't think it was worthy of her time and also she's not that happy around a load of other dogs. But the classes gave me a lot of food for thought and a good basic idea of what I needed to be doing to successfully train my dog.

I also read a lot - books and online - also watched a lot of Victoria Stilwell programmes on television.

I paid upfront for a course of puppy training classes and was actually relieved to walk away from the classes after week 3 even though the cost was not refundable

I have come to suspect this is how most trainers make their money.

I took Battendog to some follow on classes and beforehand was really clear what I was looking for was something a bit fun and upbeat to help us. NOT a series of sits and stays. "Oh no" she says "this is not a boring class at all but all about having fun and life skills". What happens when we get there? We are expected to put dogs in a series of sits and stays ad nauseum.

Battendog was so distracted by the other dogs after she'd insisted he be let off lead for the first 10 mins for a mass play session - including him being humped by some older dog - that he didn't give two hoots for the treats or toys I offered.

I still don't know why I perservered because he never once (ever!) did what I asked in that class. Not once. He never accepted a treat (venison sousage, rump steak, roast chicken, cheese, liver, liver cake, hot dog etc) and didn't learn anything. Despite it clearly not working I just keeped getting told to try a different type of treat next time and 'keep trying' like the dog was magically going to be able to concentrate in that class in under 6 weeks. She just had no other options.

I ended up crying in frustration after the final lesson in which the trainer just kept repeating in front of everyone "please don't give up on him" like I was about to give the bloody dog away! I could have thumped her for that because I'd sooner give a kidney away than that dog.

I wouldn't have minded quite so much except he could do ALL the things trained in that class - just not in such a distracting environment.

Same here, the first one was a group of sessions that had been prepaid but even losing that money wasn't enough for me to go back.

It is reassuring but then also sad to hear I am not the only one who's suffered this frustration.

Next week we are told the dog's will be 'out to the test' in a fun way with a little competition against each other to see how far they've come.

This just sounds horrendous to me. Unnecessary pressure for everyone and no fun at all. Why do it?

Reputable organisation too. Very disappointing and rather clueless approach.

That's such a shame.

Ours loves class and is top at the moment but he does bar and fidget and want to play still. But he's five months old - it's normal and our trainer just laughs and gives us tips on how to distract him so he quietens down.

with a little competition against each other

That would make me run a mile. Completely unnecessary and unhelpful. So what if the next dog to you can sit for longer than yours. You are going there for training and advice not to win a meaningless medal for being first at puppy class.