Trainers!! Puppy class..what skills should be taught?

Question

From the list below, what do you think is most important for a pup to learn, what skills can be combined together and taught at the same time, what can be addressed by discussion and what can be taken care of by handouts? Do you thinks all the skills below are needed in pup class? Are the pups too young to learn some of these skills? What do you think should be taught first? Is there anything you would add?

Class will meet once a week for an hour and lasts for 8 weeks..Pups in this class will be up to 7 mths old. Some will go on to be Obedience, Agility dogs and some will be pets with good basic manners.

I need you to put on your thinking hats...

Brushing/grooming, handling of feet, ears, mouth

Socialization/interaction with other dogs/pups/people

Sit (come-up sit)

Collar grab

Housetraining

“Touch” command

Down (fold-back down)

Attention

Walk on a variety of surfaces, inside and outside, including water

Basic manners: what would you include under this?

Recall (on leash?)

Wait

Sit for exam/petting

Riding in vehicles

Playing with toys/chasing/retrieving

Giving up resources

Stays on leash

Negotiating strange obstacles (tunnel, table, ladder, etc.)

Stand

Back up

Expose to a variety of people (including kids), places, things (stairs, crates, walkers, wheelchairs, etc.)

Expose to different noises

Walking on a loose leash (let’s go)

Mouthing/biting (bite inhibition)

Jumping/excitable greetings

Place

Strangers examining body and teeth, brushing/combing, picking up feet and performing nail care

Being able to be turned over on back, be hugged, and have ears, tail, fur gently pulled

Barking

Fear issues

Expose to LOTS of new experiences

Crate training

Games (bob for cookies, find it, hide & seek, find me, who’s got the cookie, follow me, etc.)

I know there will be a lot of different opinions on this, no TD please, everyone has their own thoughts on this.

Answer 1

I would tell others or your self, don't punish your dog if it yawns. Yawning means it's stressed out, not tired. so then if you punish it it will yawn more. that's what I would add..

Answer 2

Were it me holding the class, I'd break it up into different themed sessions. I think it's fantastic to include some basic ownership info along with the basic commands you've included.

The first 1 or 2 sessions, were it me, would be humans only, and would cover the basic care topics, like grooming and handling, introduction to crate training, importance of socialization, and the like. That way, you can educate new dog owners without the distractions of having their puppies present. I would include hand-outs on every topic covered for quick reference as well.

The next few sessions would be dedicated to teaching and practicing commands, and allowing the pups to socialize among themselves...starting with the easier commands (like sit), and working up toward more difficult commands toward the last few sessions (like allowing examination by a stranger). Participants would be encouraged to socialize amongst themselves as well, and schedule out-of-class playdates to continue optimal socialization.

The final class would be a bit about dog-troubleshooting, including problem behaviors (like jumping and the like). Again, hand-outs would be given, and participants encouraged to call if behavior becomes too much for them to control.

That seems like a good way to cover all topics.

Answer 3

Is this a beginners class or an actual puppy class??

Most of these exercises and skills that you have listed can and should be worked on by the owner of the puppy at home. From the second that dog enters their home it should be used to being handled by the owner as well as other people that the puppy does not know. It should be socialized with strange people and dogs. A puppy should be accustomed to the car and strange places. It's up to the owner to socialize their dog appropriately. In my beginners class, there is a lot of discussion when it comes to socialization. Guides and pamphlets are given out as well as instructions and "homework". In the first few classes, people are instructed to leave their dogs home. We cover the basics without the owners being distracted.

Topics such as bite inhibition, drives, praise, NILIF and crate training etc. should be talked about in class and an understanding should take place, but some of these things cannot be taught in a class setting. Hand out pamphlets and explain why and how you do certain things. A puppy class is basically used to teach the owners a bit about canine bahavior. The owner needs to learn. They need to learn how to properly control and interact with their dog. The puppies might not learn that much at all besides the basics.

A beginner class should be comprised of the basics. It should be fun!! What are the basics? Sit, down, come (recall), stay, stand, ok (release command). The end of the hour should be fun. Games and play time should be allowed. Commands such as wait, leave it and gentle should be explained.

A beginners or puppy class isn't so much about teaching the dogs to be perfect canine citizens. These classes are used to teach the owners how to control and teach behaviors as well as how to reinforce a behavior. It's a class for the owners!! Basics are taught to the dogs, but the majority of learning is concerned with teaching the owners.

After puppies are somewhat solid in these basics they should move on to another class which should once again go over the basics and make it a touch harder and make the dogs more solid. Stay work should be increased. Walking on lead should become solid. Heel after recall etc.

Answer 4

I think much of this should take place before "puppy classes" are even signed up for.

Socialization, exposure to new experiences, sounds, etc., should begin as soon as you have possession of the puppy.

Personally, I think "leave it" and recall are the most important commands.

Answer 5

WOW!  Those sound great to me - but will you have time to do them all?

The one thing we did in the puppy class I took was sort of a recall - the trainer held the dog, and the owner(s) ran away, calling the dog, clapping hands, etc., then hid behind a large screen.  The trainer let the puppy loose, and it was supposed to go and find their person.  The trainer said it reinforced pack drive.  Don't know if it did or not, but I did see a change in a lot of puppies in this test over the course of the class!

Answer 6

Its been two years, and I still haven't perfected "recall" with Rocko, so I would say that one is the most important to me. Most other commands/tricks we were able to master.

"Stay" was a toughie too!  

Answer 7

Definitely getting them used to being touched and prodded at is important.  The first day of my puppy classes, we just did a "massage" on them, touching every part of their body.  When they go to the vet, or if they need grooming, it's very important they don't freak out if someone touches their back end of their face.  You could work in a bit of grooming and nutrition tips as they are doing the massage.  You could also touch on housetraining and the mouthing/biting.  Those are two huge topics for new puppy owners.

Next, I say socialization is super important.  Allowing the puppies a play time at the beginning will let them burn off some steam before having to focus on learning, and get them used to meeting other dogs.  Also, playing pass the pooch while learning basic commands can help them learn to listen to different people as well.

Then I'd say work on sit.  I think of it as the foundation.  From here they can lay down, shake, high five, whatever.  It's fairly easy to teach, and will help build the pups (and owners) confidence.  I consider the basics to be sit, down, stay (sit and down positions), leave it, drop it and wait.  Coming when called is a trickier thing, but also very important.  You could probably spend one or two whole classes just devoted to that.  Then you can move on to showing them how to do the "tricks" - shake a paw, roll over, high five, etc.

Don't do too much repitition, and allow people to ask questions.  I would leave the walking on different obstacles thing until near the end, if you had people interested, since not everyone plans on going into agility.  The same basics for agility would be covered in a beginner agility course, right?

To me, puppy classes aren't about cramming a bunch of info into their heads, it's more socialization and training the owners - that's the hardest part lol.

Answer 8

My biggest complaint about the puppy class we took was that they did too much at once and then the dogs had to practice the skills until they were bored out of their skulls.  Being overwhelmed and then bored is setting a puppy up for failure.  I think it should be kept very simple and doable.

I would cover:

Housetraining

Sit

Walking on various surfaces

On leash recall

Wait

Expose to different noises

Jumping/excitable greetings

Place

Crate Training

Barking

Games

Mouthing

Answer 9

Basic manners-no jumping on people, no barking for attention, no begging. My brain isn't working correctly right now but those are a few things I would put under manners.

Answer 10

Excellent question!

Here's the ones I think are the MOST important!

Grabbing/handling of not only feet, but tail, face, ears, etc.- by known people AND strangers!

Socialization

Exposure to new experiences (sounds, surfaces, etc.)

Crate training

Collar grab

Walking on a loose lead

No jumping

Bite inhibition

Sit/down/stay/come

Watch

Now- that's for just pets- if you are talking agility or obedience, that last would include other things.

Answer 11

Personally, I'd probably skip out on the games.

This really probably is too much to cover, but it sure is a great list.  I would ask people to write down on a slip of paper on the first day what THEY need/want to get out of this class.  What THEY really need help with.  It's not going to do any good to spend a bunch of time on crate training if everybody in your class is doing well with that already, etc.

One thing I cannot stress enough is a recall.  In my opinion, there is no more important command.  I find it to be extremely important to teach (no, more like POUND INTO THE HEADS of) owners HOW to encourage their dogs to come when called.  I see people constantly just stand there and call their dog.  Owners (especially new owners) need to be taught that this body language is NOT the best way to get their dog to come to them.  The need to be taught, even if it means grabbing them and dragging them, to move away from the puppy while calling to give inviting body language to the dog.  Patricia McConnell states that this is the number 1 best piece of advice she has given in one of her books, as numerous people have told her it probably saved their dog's life.  I personally believe there is no more important thing that can be taught in a class.

I don't think I saw "leave it" on your list.  Another important one.

Answer 12

Well Expose to LOTS of new Experiences,

Grooming,

socialization, ie, touching everything on them.

Sit, off, down, and stay are also important.

Fear issues should be handled with the socialization.

Exposeing them to people is added in the socialization.

I dont really like training games. or with treats. You can use other things other than treats. (a ball, or even praise is better in my opinion)

Answer 13

I think "recall" is the most important. It's hard to get them back in the house if they've run off, and they could get lost or hit by a car!