Things to look for in a Puppy School

[mkbartz]

What are good things to look for when selecting a dog training class?

What questions should I ask the places I find?

[PennysMum]

Make sure they don't intend for you to use choke collars / slip collars for training. That probably should seem like a no-brainer, but it really surprised me when I was shopping around for trainers how many just didn't buy that yanking on a yorkie's neck with a choke collar could damage their trachea.

Outside of that, I'd just look for someone who uses positive reinforcement and is open to uncovering what motivates your dog in particular. The trainer I wound up going to with Penny recognized immediately that Pen is food-oriented. There was a little terrier-mix in the same class who hardly cared for food, but loved squeaky toys. She would use food for Penny, but for the other dog, she used a squeaky toy. I thought it was a great thing that she picked up right away on what really motivated each of the dogs.

[yorkiepuppie]

i took milu to sirius puppy school, and i like it.
Sirius Dog Training

i would say find out about the trainer. talk to the trainer to find out if you feel he/she is knowledgeable. at sirius puppy school, they have a bio page for all their trainers, so you can read about their experiences and trainings that they had.

also, make sure there aren't too many dogs in the same class, so you can get more attention from the instructor.

you can also look into puppy socials (check online to see if any is available in your area) it's helpful and fun way to socialize your puppy.

[mkbartz]

Originally Posted by PennysMum

Make sure they don't intend for you to use choke collars / slip collars for training. That probably should seem like a no-brainer, but it really surprised me when I was shopping around for trainers how many just didn't buy that yanking on a yorkie's neck with a choke collar could damage their trachea.

Outside of that, I'd just look for someone who uses positive reinforcement and is open to uncovering what motivates your dog in particular. The trainer I wound up going to with Penny recognized immediately that Pen is food-oriented. There was a little terrier-mix in the same class who hardly cared for food, but loved squeaky toys. She would use food for Penny, but for the other dog, she used a squeaky toy. I thought it was a great thing that she picked up right away on what really motivated each of the dogs.

UGG! So sad to see that people try choke collars on Yorkies. my Husband has a friend that is so disturbing. She claims to "love yorkies" and be so knowledgeable. It makes me so mad! She always calls my girls "tea-cups" and I try to tell her that there is no such thing and that my girls are breed-standard (4.5 and 5 pounds). Anyways, I ran in to her one day at the pet store WHERE SHE WAS BUYING A CHOKE CHAIN FOR HER YORKIE!!!! I literally nearly choked. I tried talking to her about it--but of course you can't tell the sort of people anything!!! You would think that you would want to air on the side of caution when it comes to your baby.

I mean I don't even use regular collars on my yorkies. They wear harnesses when we take them out for a walk. . .

[yorkie mad]

Make sure they like small dogs! My puppy class trainer was a BIG dog lover and used to make comments when I used to turn up with Tia in a coatand a ribbon in her hair.One time when I picked her up because a dog was out of control and heading my way aggresively she said put her down ITS a dog. Arrrrrr

[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by yorkie mad

Make sure they like small dogs! My puppy class trainer was a BIG dog lover and used to make comments when I used to turn up with Tia in a coatand a ribbon in her hair.One time when I picked her up because a dog was out of control and heading my way aggresively she said put her down ITS a dog. Arrrrrr

hi, i was actually told to take off harness and any dress/clothes from the dog during puppy class and puppy socials because other dogs might bite the dress and become too aggressive because milu will not yelp if her dress was bit, since it doesn't hurt. (then the dog might accidentally bite too hard.)

also, other dogs teeth might get caught in the harness when they are playing, so that was the reason for taking the harness off.

[chrisrg93]

I don't wanna change the subject but what is a choke chain?

Is it like a regular collar because I never knew those were bad for Yorkies?

Should I use a harness?

My Petsmart trainer told us that we can't use a harness during the class

[PennysMum]

Choke collars are usually chain (not always-- I've seen cloth ones too). They hang lax until you give a jerk on the lead, and then they tighten around the dog's neck. For most dogs, the quick snap they give is fine as a reminder to pay attention-- but it really isn't something that a dog with a breed predisposition for tracheal collapse should ever have used on them.

As far as regular collars go-- well, Penny has one, but never has a lead attached to it. It is just for holding her ID tags. I always walk her on a harness. Pressure on the neck is just a risk factor for yorkies.

[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by chrisrg93

I don't wanna change the subject but what is a choke chain?

Is it like a regular collar because I never knew those were bad for Yorkies?

Should I use a harness?

My Petsmart trainer told us that we can't use a harness during the class

i used a regular collar for milu when we went to puppy class. it was ok, because i never was pulling on her. (she doesn't pull either) (and for the most part, the dogs are off leash during the entire class)

if you are worried, (if your puppy likes to pull when you walk him/her) you can put the harness back on right after class.

collars are ok as long as you don't use it for walking or any pulling. you don't want to pull on your yorkie AT ALL when he is wearing a collar, it's really bad for them because they are so small and delicate, you can injure them. so just make sure no pulling in class, it will be fine.

[mkbartz]

I actually have snap-on cat collar for the girls. that way, if there is any pressure they pop opend. I still rarely use them because my breeder really doesn't like any collar being on them.

BUT the beauty of cat collars is that they have bell on them, so sometimes I put it on them when we have company, in case they aren't use to little dogs being near their feet.

[yorkie mad]

Originally Posted by yorkiepuppie

hi, i was actually told to take off harness and any dress/clothes from the dog during puppy class and puppy socials because other dogs might bite the dress and become too aggressive because milu will not yelp if her dress was bit, since it doesn't hurt. (then the dog might accidentally bite too hard.)

also, other dogs teeth might get caught in the harness when they are playing, so that was the reason for taking the harness off.

She wasn't wearing any clothes , just the coat she arrived in as it was cold outside, which I obviously removed inside. As for her harness , no she didn't mock that as the class requires dogs to be on leash. She made it clear that she thought little dogs wern't proper dogs.

[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by yorkie mad

She wasn't wearing any clothes , just the coat she arrived in as it was cold outside, which I obviously removed inside. As for her harness , no she didn't mock that as the class requires dogs to be on leash. She made it clear that she thought little dogs wern't proper dogs.

ah, i see. yorkies do get cold very easily (milu also wears coats and dresses all the time)

wow, your trainer sounded like a rude person....

when i attended the puppy class, i wasn't really sure how the trainer felt about milu because she owns 3 large dogs herself and milu is a lot smaller than all the dogs in the class. (she would use the come command for other dogs, but she would just pick milu up instead of calling her to 'come')

i hope you had an ok time in the puppy class. next time, try to talk to the trainer first to see how they feel about small dogs. (if you want to take your doggie to another class)

i am thinking of taking milu to another class myself, but this time i want to try to find a class that has at least some small dogs. ( it is difficult though, because milu is 3 lbs. and every dog looks big compare to her)

[yorkie mad]

Originally Posted by yorkiepuppie

ah, i see. yorkies do get cold very easily (milu also wears coats and dresses all the time)

wow, your trainer sounded like a rude person....

when i attended the puppy class, i wasn't really sure how the trainer felt about milu because she owns 3 large dogs herself and milu is a lot smaller than all the dogs in the class. (she would use the come command for other dogs, but she would just pick milu up instead of calling her to 'come')

i hope you had an ok time in the puppy class. next time, try to talk to the trainer first to see how they feel about small dogs. (if you want to take your doggie to another class)

i am thinking of taking milu to another class myself, but this time i want to try to find a class that has at least some small dogs. ( it is difficult though, because milu is 3 lbs. and every dog looks big compare to her)

To be honest she was quite rude but you get used to it because you don,t see many small dogs in my area. Yes I should of explained in the u.k it is chilly in the evenings most of the time, hence her coat lol.Me and my sister who has a chi had the smallest dogs there.They were the most well behaved also.lol

[viviansnickers]

Originally Posted by chrisrg93

I don't wanna change the subject but what is a choke chain?

Is it like a regular collar because I never knew those were bad for Yorkies?

Should I use a harness?

My Petsmart trainer told us that we can't use a harness during the class

I would never join this class if the harness is not allowed. You never know when your pup might be curious about something and lunge at another pup or go to smell something. One tight pull on a collar attached to a leash could collapse a treachea. I went to PetSmart for classes and Snickers was always in a harness and clothing (it was winter) and the trainer accommodated anything and everything. Remember, many trainers do not know about specific breed needs, so you might have to explain Yorkie fragile necks, they should accommodate you.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by viviansnickers

I would never join this class if the harness is not allowed. You never know when your pup might be curious about something and lunge at another pup or go to smell something. One tight pull on a collar attached to a leash could collapse a treachea. I went to PetSmart for classes and Snickers was always in a harness and clothing (it was winter) and the trainer accommodated anything and everything. Remember, many trainers do not know about specific breed needs, so you might have to explain Yorkie fragile necks, they should accommodate you.

Yep!

It's funny because Jackson is actually bigger, 14lbs now at 7 months old
and you'd think he would be a bit "tougher" but he's really not. His little neck is so sensitive - I always use a harness.