what to expect 1st visit

[helen1]

Hi Bailey is going to dog obedience this evening.  I cant wait to be honest.  Trying to get everything in order regards new puppy early next year, have taken great advice from people here regards to Bailey being properly trained and obedient so as not to pass on any bad habits to new pup. 

So my question is what happens at dog classes on the first visit?  Did any of your pups get scared?   The man on the phone said to bring treats to have been cutting up bits of cheese for Bailey.

Any help greatly appreciated

[Helen]

the puppy class i went to was one of the best things i ever did.  i was petrified that jarv would be the 'norty' one, that he would disgrace us and show us up as the heinous owners we are!

ours wasn't an obedience class, it was at our vets, and was for puppies who had their first vaccs to socialise in a safe environment.  we had a behaviourist there who went over a couple of obedience things but most of it was watching puppy play

i thought jarv was going to be killed by the onslaught of a husky, goldie and lab but it really really helped with seeing how dogs interact and how if he did yelp the dogs stood back and let him recover, and how he actually initiated most of the rough and tumble.  When we eventually took him out i could now see what i surely would have thought previously was another dog attacking my pup was just rough play...

relax tonight, take some cheese, some chicken, some sausage....remember he is only a tot, and has a lot to learn...and enjoy being in a room with gorgeous puppies


ps
and it was the golden retriever who wee'd on the floor, and the black lab pup who had some tummy trouble in class....and our boy was fab

[PennyB]

Often classes are more about training you as then you put the practice in at home. I did group classes and 1-2-1s as well (amazing how much you learn in a half hour 1-2-1)

[Joules]

Coco hid under my chair for half of the first class.  After that she started to join in and had a ball.  I found the main purpose of puppy class was socialisation - ie for the pups to get used to other pups and have a bit of a play.  PennyB is right, the class was more about training me how to teach Coco at home.  The socialisation bit was invaluable though and did a lot to build her confidence with other dogs as well as learning how to behave with them.  She loved it so much that when we went on to the proper obedience classes she just thought it was another chance to play with her mates!  She was quite put out when she found she actually had to do some proper training! 

[Sarah.H]

We started with puppy classes but the trainer does competitive obedience so incorporates some into the classes, its great fun but really tests your patience when you can't get it right!  I found it really helpfull to watch the trainer with her dog and then compare it to how the other people were doing it wrong  , I know that sounds awful but you can then really get the jist of how to position yourself and how crucial timing and tone of voice is.