| Oh you guys, you knew I'd show up on this thread! We don't ask the dogs to be already trained in order to go to doggy school, that is silly. They are there to learn and to be trained! You have an instructor to be your coach and give you hints and you have a group of great supportive people all wishing each other well. AND, you have a weekly date with your dog so you are forced to get up off that chair and get out with your best friend. The dogs love going to school.
Remember, that someone who earns their living giving pricy private lessons is going to be a strong believer in private instruction and opposed to group and club classes. Now, I believe that if someone is having real difficulties, they can benefit from some private lessons as an adjunct to classes but not instead of. We have too many examples of dogs who only had private training and then act simply awful in the presence of other dogs. Well, why not? they think they are "onlies" and that has been fostered by keeping them isolated from others of their own species.  |