foxiezep Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 We are getting our puppy in 4 weeks and are taking her to puppy pre school, what are your thoughts on it? Is it worth taking them. We are taking her I just want to know what others think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 The one that I took Delta to was a waste of time and money, but I think they can be a good thing. I took Delta purely for the socialisation aspect and it ended up being her, my sister's pup Missy (who she could play with any time) and a tiny little malt/pom that was too scared to come out from under the chairs and couldn't be on the floor when Missy was off lead anyway. There was nothing said that I didn't already know from experience and obedience/agility training; however, for a new puppy owner it can be a great source of information. For us the whole time was spent troubleshooting the problems the other owner was having with her pup. Delta loved it though as she was used for the demo dog for everything. The fact that she learnt it all immediately made it easy for the trainer to show the end result for all the commands. I won't bother with PPS again, Delta got more socialisation from going along to agility and obedience each week. My foster puppy has gone along to training with my dogs each night, the easter show for a flyball comp, as well as playdates with friend's dogs. She is a well adjusted little thing and I cant imagine she would be any better if I took her to PPS. If this is your first dog or you don't have access to friendly dogs for socialisation then I would definitely recommend going. Perhaps ask them how big the class size will be? Mind you there were supposed to be about 7 dogs in ours and the others didn't show up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Where are you located ?? It all depends on who is running the classes and how it is run. The one I go to is great, puppies are all on lead and only 2 are let off at a time when they are all settled etc. Instructor should go through basic obedience, but more learning how to behave well with other puppies, and learning to focus on you etc For that reason I always atke any pups here to PPS, but would not bother if it was just an all in with the puppies let loose. That can quite easily end in tears If you decide to go ahead I would do research and ask many questions in regards to the running of the class and what qualifications the instructor has Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxiezep Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 Thanks for the replies, the info you have given me has been helpful. I'm in thornbury, she will be going to the PPS at petstock in south morang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 (edited) Thanks for the replies, the info you have given me has been helpful.I'm in thornbury, she will be going to the PPS at petstock in south morang. OK, dont know what they're like but I'd be asking questions just to make sure that it is going to be a well run class. The last thing you want is puppy getting a fright from an out of control situation. The person I will always go to is Robyn Jackson who is a qualified trainer and operates puppy school from Laverton Vet Clinic Edited April 13, 2008 by BC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I had precisely that out of control situation at puppy preschool. My puppy was 10 weeks old and there was a three month old lab puppy who was completely out of control. The owner did nothing and while this lab terrorised the other dogs in class, the other owners were told to do nothing by the f-ing moron 'trainer' (a term I use loosely) from Barkbusters. My dog, for years afterwards, was terrified of things landing near his head after the 'trainer' threw a chain down at him to get him to stop trying to get away from the lab. Finally, I picked him up (and was told to put him back down). My dog actually became sick there. Afterwards, I asked for my money back and took him elsewhere. Ten years later it still pisses me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budyjelle Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 We loved our Puppy pre school experience...there were 8 pups, a German Shepherd 2 Labradors, a Boston Terrier, a Cocker/Beagle cross, a German Short Haired Pointer, a very small Papillon and my Maxine. The vet Nurse who ran it was wonderful....she was very much in control of what could have been a chaotic situation....big dogs went off lead with big dogs and small with small. The puppies had a ball...the owners had a ball...and we learned heaps of useful information I have never laughed so much in my life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboyz Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Personally I would avoid classes run by vet nurses and pet stores. Most canine council obedience clubs also run puppy preschools where there are qualified trainers. The pups learn basic obedience and have controlled socialization as well, and the owners learn some very helpful training tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tibbiemax71 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Like others have said, find a good reputable PPS, where do you live? Some people might be able to recommend one to you. I just did a PPS with Nima, the vets I did it at used to let only 2 pups who were the same size off at a time (this is the 4th one I have done in 12 months as I taken my foster pups there to) now they are doing a "free for all" I witness a Maltese x being pummeled by a Boxer pup, the Malt x was using defensive behavior to fend off the Boxer, the trainer said this was great as the Boxer had to learn to leave small dogs alone and the Malt x would get used to bigger dogs I refused to put Nima on the ground while this was happening and stopped going there, I took her to friends instead and the Kennel club that I train at. Bad socialising can be as bad, if not worse that no socialising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 ... the 'trainer' threw a chain down at him to get him to stop trying to get away from the lab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 ... the 'trainer' threw a chain down at him to get him to stop trying to get away from the lab. Yep, thats worse than bad, thats disgusting !!! Sadly it is quite common and it seems anyone can run a puppy class these days ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 (edited) Foxiezep .... as said here, it is not about going to PPS - IMO that is highly recommended not only for the pup but also for the owner, who often has much learning to do as well, to best understand about pups; pup behaviour; and how to avoid problems. It is about WHICH PPS you go to and finding one who knows well how to best deal with pups of all different temperaments. I don't know which trainer is at Petstock - as I understand it, for the most part Petstock have partiality to a particular training group (not necessarily a particular trainER). I am not familiar with this group's approach or insistance on their trainers' knowledgeability, so am unable to comment one way or the other. Four Paws K9 Training have a school at Diggers Rest and also at Taylors Lakes which I don't think is all that far from you? I know they will serve you and your puppy well there. Edited April 13, 2008 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Seeing as you've got a month, why not ask to watch a couple of classes in the puppy school's you're considering. Things to watch for: Does the instructor ensure that pups aren't allowed to get out of control or intimidated? Are the participants actually learning anything or is it more of an expensive play date? Is the area well set up, thoroughly cleaned and disinfected? Do you get good instructional handouts or a book? How big are classes? Are there enough puppies to make it worthwhile but not so many as to prevent some one on one time? I think puppy pre-school is a great idea if its well run and owners don't make the rather common mistake of thinking that their dog will learn all it needs to in those weeks. I'd love to see at least a puppy high school too - where adolescent pups learn new boundaries and how to interact appropriately with adult dogs - a skill that will be far more important across their lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Agree with Poodlefan- great post! Erny- PETstock stores do vary, we run the puppy school at the Sth Melbourne store but most use Righteous Pups- some trainers are qualified, some are not. Second the rec for Four Paws if they are close by! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassie Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 The only reason I've taken my pups to puppy preschool is for the socialisation with other pups their age of different sizes/shapes/breeds - generally they don't teach me anything I didn't already know BUT as someone else said for a new puppy owner who has no idea about worming, desexing, correct food, etc (not saying this is you) then they would be quite beneficial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan of Arc Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I agree with the others it depends on whose running the PPS, but why not just go to your local obedience club (affiliated with your state controlling body), they will have great beginners classes, qualified instructors and you and your puppy will experience great socialising as it should be done. OK so now I 'm prepared to be flamed here but I would never rec Barkbusters - We had friends who took thier dog to barkbusters despite our protestations. Three months after the dog had finished its "training" with them we were visiting fo rhte weekend. The dog was out of control and they were sick of giving it verbal commands that it never seemed to obey. One simple 5 minute observation and a thrown metal dinner plate - then I recommended they visit thier vet - YEP the dog was deaf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I agree with the others it depends on whose running the PPS, but why not just go to your local obedience club (affiliated with your state controlling body), they will have great beginners classes, qualified instructors and you and your puppy will experience great socialising as it should be done. Hi Mercedes. Just curious - is this a 'generalistation' or do you actually know for a fact that the local obedience club affiliated with the OP's state controlling body has a "great beginners classes, qualified instructors" and that the OP's puppy "will experience great socialising as it should be done"? OK so now I 'm prepared to be flamed here but I would never rec Barkbusters - We had friends who took thier dog to barkbusters despite our protestations. Three months after the dog had finished its "training" with them we were visiting fo rhte weekend. The dog was out of control and they were sick of giving it verbal commands that it never seemed to obey. You won't get flamed. Franchise businesses are like that. Similar to the answers given to the OP to her question, it isn't about the "name" of the place, but about the qualifications, reputation and capabilities of the person who runs it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I agree with the others it depends on whose running the PPS, but why not just go to your local obedience club (affiliated with your state controlling body), they will have great beginners classes, qualified instructors and you and your puppy will experience great socialising as it should be done. Just be careful here too, most obedience clubs are run by volunteers, and that includes their instructors without qualifications so again, be careful with what obedience club you decide to become a member of should you go down that path. On the other hand others are great. I am not against correction chains and other training methods as IMO any piece of training equipment used correctly serves it purpose, but some clubs will put corrections chain on little puppies etc which I dont like at all, and some club dont have a puppy class and in beginners can often be put in a class with much older/bigger dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 And some obedience clubs make their instructors do quite long courses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxiezep Posted April 14, 2008 Author Share Posted April 14, 2008 WOW so much info, Thanks every one for the advice. I think I'll be looking into a bit more, I never realised it could be bad too Thanks again for all the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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