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Group Class or Private Lessons? |
Group or Private? Making the Best Choice for Your Dog
As a trainer who offers only private obedience training lessons customized for individual novice owner/dog teams,
I "make no bones about it" that I'm unquestionably biased in favor of private obedience training
lessons for beginners. There are a number of valid reasons, learned through years of professional dog training experience,
why I only offer private, one-on-one training lessons to novice owners and their dogs who are beginning their
team training journey.
It's true, there are some dogs out there that don't require formal obedience training. These are the easy
going, laid back, come-what-may delightful little souls who wouldn't even think of lunging at another dog
possessing twelve times their own body mass or bolting after a speeding Peterbilt. I'll express my admiration
for these dogs and their owners in this article, because I know I'm unlikely to ever meet them in person at
one of my private training lessons.
However, the majority of companion dogs should have formal obedience training. And a subset of those dogs
absolutely must have some formal training if they are to sufficiently function as household and family
members. And then there's the (thankfully) smaller subset with such serious behavioral issues and problems
that, without immediate intervention with an intensive behavioral modification and training plan,
the dog's very life may be at stake.
Your dog's temperament and behavioral status and challenges are an important consideration when
you are in the process of deciding between group class training or private,
individualized training. For some dogs, either format would be an appropriate venue and a wonderful
opportunity to learn and train. For those dogs with certain innate characteristics and associated
behavioral challenges, especially puppies and adolescents in their formative stages of life experience
and learning, the group class environment could generate regrettable consequences.
Just Because I Don't Do It, Doesn't Mean It's All Bad
If your dog is completely unaware of other dogs and their people and generally oblivious to environmental
stimuli as a rule, and your dog "only has eyes for you," then -- assuming that you also would not be distracted
by the noise and activity of other handlers and their dogs -- the group class format should be a comfortable
venue for both you and your dog to focus on the instructor and observe, listen, and learn.
The group class format may also be very well-suited for you and your dog if yours is one of those dogs that
have no problematic behavioral issues that may be exacerbated by immersion in a group of unknown
people and their untrained dogs. Perhaps you'll find a group class that admits only 4 or 5 well-behaved,
non-reactive puppies and dogs in each class. In such a group training environment, you and your calm and
serene canine companion will enjoy an equally uneventful group training environment and experience.
The group class format may be quite helpful for the owner hoping to observe and learn some basic
obedience training strategies to take away from class and apply in the low-distraction home environment.
If there are other teams in the group class who have behavioral issues and training goals that are
similar to yours, you can learn much from observing how the group class instructor individually
addresses the special needs of other teams. The experienced instructor leading a group class no bigger
than 3 or 4 students should be able to provide some individualized, one-on-one behavioral modification
and training that is tailored for each participating student team.
If the group class instructor is not able to or uninterested in providing individualized training for
class participants, then consider attending the group class without your dog. This can be a good way
to free your focus and energies to fully concentrate on the instruction while in class, and then apply
what you've learned to your dog upon your return home. This may be an option for owners of reactive
dogs who aren't prepared for the battle of trying to control their dog in the group class setting.
However, there is the caveat that training strategies and techniques recommended for the non-reactive
dogs in the group class may not be at all suitable or effective for you and your dog in your at-home training sessions.
Dog owners who have already trained their dog to reliable obedience using one method of training
may consider attending a group class to observe a different approach or method of training to incorporate
into their advanced training activities.
If your dog is already trained to reliable advanced obedience, you might consider attending a group
class to further develop your dog's obedience under the extreme distraction of other people and dogs
in close proximity. The noise and activity level of the typical group class, and the associated
amplification of environmental and psychological stressors, may be an excellent opportunity to advance
your dog's formal focus and obedience training and performance.
Getting to Know You... and You... and You....
If your desire is to meet other dog owners and expand your network of dog-loving acquaintances and
friends, a group class may be just the ticket. Understand though that during the class, most of the
participants will have little attention or time available to devote to socializing and conversation,
and some might resent the additional distractions contributed by the "Chatty Charlie" next to them.
If it's social networking with other dog owners that you crave, understand that most of that should
occur before or after the formal class training period. Consider instead long-term membership in a
breed-related training club with associated social activities and get-togethers, as opposed to a
short-term group training class populated by relative strangers with dogs of varying breeds
and training interests.
Please do not consider a group class if you are looking to "socialize" your dog with other dogs.
This is not the environment to be introducing your untrained dog to other untrained dogs, most
especially if your dog is already exhibiting fearful or aggressive behaviors toward other dogs.
You must first provide your dog with the behavioral and obedience framework that will support your
dog with a choice of alternate learned behaviors to offset any reactive tendencies, before
incrementally introducing your dog to other dogs under obedience. If your dog is highly friendly
and playful with other dogs, the group class format is equally unsuitable until and unless your
dog is prepared with adequate obedience training to ensure that your dog doesn't begin to learn
that the mere sight of other dogs is an invitation to unruly excitement, lunging, and associated
play engagement behaviors -- a frame of mind(lessness) that is most certainly not conducive to
learning new obedience skills. (This also applies to "puppy kindergarten," off-lead doggie park
cluster rumbles, and other unrestricted play time with unfamiliar and untrained dogs in pack mode.)
If you're unable to find a small group class that limits participation to other people and dogs that are
an equal match to you and your dog's behavioral characteristics and training status, then you may find
yourself in a group of 10 or 20 dog and owner teams with the full spectrum of behavioral issues and
training history and status. You may find that your usually quiet and calm companion is physically and
psychologically overwhelmed by the close proximity of jumping, barking, and lunging dogs and their
highly animated owners trying to contain them.
Instead of advancing your dog's learning and
developing new desired behaviors, you may find to your dismay that your dog is developing unwanted
behaviors in response to an environment that is overwhelmingly stressful for him or her. Even if
your dog has never reacted aggressively to another dog, when suddenly immersed in an environment of
strange dogs barking and pulling on lead, don't be surprised if your dog opts to defend itself
against a perceived threat and chooses to fight in the absence of an opportunity for flight.
The Slobber Factor
Related to "socializing," consider that the group class environment
can be an unwelcome opportunity to expose your dog -- and especially your puppy -- to a host of
communicable parasites, viruses, and diseases. Even if all class attendees are required
to prove full and current vaccination, remember that not every dangerous canine disease is eradicated
by a vaccine or chemical preventative, and not every vaccinated dog is immune. When your dog goes
nose-to-nose (or to other interesting body parts) with other dogs, they may be exchanging more than a
casual how-do-you-do.
On the Cheap Can Cost You
If like most dog owners you have a limited budget (yes I know, first the squeaky toys, then the mortgage payment....)
and you're considering a group class because you assume that it is the most affordable training option, there
are some considerations that may influence your thinking.
Group class tuition typically ranges from $75-100 for about six one-hour lessons, or let's say $15.00
per group class. An average group class has at least 10 owner/dog teams in the class. The class
instructor is getting $150.00 per hour (yes, group classes are big money makers; that is why you find
them offered here, there, and everywhere. Fortunately for me, I actually like Top Ramen.)
But what are you getting in return? Let's do the math. If there are 10 people in the class, then
the maximum amount of one-on-one time that a class instructor could devote to you and your dog and
your unique training challenges and behavioral issues is 6 minutes. That's assuming that nobody else
in the class demands more than their "fair share," and that the instructor has designed the class to
address each class participant one by one -- which doesn't happen. But in the best of all possible
scenarios, if everyone in the group class receives individualized attention, the most you can hope to
get would be about six minutes of one-on-one time with the class instructor. Your "private training" will
cost you $15.00 -- or $150.00 per hour.
Of course, that assumes that you would actually receive those 6 minutes of individualized, one-on-one
instruction from the instructor of a 10-student group class. In reality, this very rarely happens.
The very mechanics of the group class format prohibit the instructor from devoting an evenly distributed
amount of his or her time, if any at all, to each group class student individually. There can be quite a
lot of chaos and confusion in the typical novice group class. If yours is a reactive or fearful dog,
or if you are new to dog training, most of your time in a large group class may be spent trying to manage the
difficulties you and your dog are facing just trying to "settle in" to some semblance of a learning
mode in the midst of 10 or 20 other newbie dog owners and their noisily barking or lunging, or sadly cowering and
urinating dogs.
Here's the challenge when comparing costs of group versus private training: most group classes
have at least 10 students, and many have 15 or even 20 students and their dogs (and accompanying family members)
all in one loud, highly distracting room. When you do the math on such a group class, you're paying
about $15.00 for maybe two or three minutes of potentially available personalized instruction. In
many group class environments, the remaining 57 or 58 minutes consist of confusion, frustration, and
often downright embarrassment when you and your dog just don't seem to be "getting it." For all that
calorie-burning excitement, you just paid the equivalent of $300.00 an hour for those few fleeting moments
of "private training" to specifically address your unique team training needs and objectives.
On the other hand, if in the group class setting you got what you needed to successfully modify your
dog's behavior and continue to confidently and successfully train him to even more advanced levels of obedience,
then your group class tuition and any amount of individualized attention and training you received
was money and effort well spent indeed.
Simon Sez
One of your considerations when deciding group class or private lesson is matching the instructional
format with your own personal learning style. If you're most comfortable with a passive "watch and think"
style of learning, then the group class environment would be a good match for you. If you're more of a
"show me how" knowledge processor, then either format could work well for you. If, like me, you're one of
those hands-on types who only "learn by doing," then the private lesson format with one-on-one individualized
instruction and step-by-step directions tailored to your specific training and skills status would be
the best match for you.
Is it possible for you and your dog to attend a group class and learn how to achieve reliable
obedience on command? Absolutely! The key to achieving that is to first determine that (1) you and your
dog are well-suited to the group class training environment, (2) you will not require individualized
attention and training, (3) you can find a group class in which all the student teams are well-matched
to you and your dog's behavioral challenges, training status, and experience, and (4) the
group class you are considering will provide you with the maximum opportunity to optimize your
substantial investment of time, effort, and money.
If your dog is not yet capable of functioning obediently in a group environment, or if you and your dog
need special instruction and assistance tailored for your unique team needs and requirements, then consider
that you and your dog may not be well-served by the group class format, no matter how "economical" it
may appear on paper.
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If You Would Only Just Try....
I recently read a comment by a dog trainer who suggested that the "really committed dog owner"
should be able to train their dog regardless of the class format, size, or composition. My
experience proves otherwise, and I strongly disagree with the notion that anyone can train their dog
in any environment if only "they just keep trying."
I see student after student who comes to me for private training
lessons, with tales of extraordinary effort and commitment applied to prior group class training but
with little to show for the experience save frustration, escalating behavioral problems, and the memorable
sting of disparaging comments from other students and instructors who have no understanding of typical behaviors of
breeds other than their own. There are too many reports of the patently gratuitous "graduation diploma" or
the indelicate "Adios g'bye bye and there's the door!" from
the group class instructor who didn't have a clue how to address and resolve the specific behavioral issues of that
unique owner and their unique dog, and opted for public banishment rather than attentive help and support.
I've had students come to me who felt diminished, dehumanized, and just plain stupid because they
couldn't manage to learn anything in a large group class. These people are convinced that it's
somehow all their fault, that they are incompetent or slow learners or just not the "right person"
for their dog. Or worse yet, that there is something tragically wrong with their dog. Well if that
describes you and your dog, then please give your head a friendly shake and
understand that the problem is not you. And the odds are very much in favor of discovering that it's
not your dog, either.
The Flunky Redemption
I can state with conviction that it's not your fault when you and your challenging, active, high
drive, exuberant dog don't -- and never will -- master obedience fundamentals in a universal
"one size fits all" group class environment that is oriented to highly-generalized, wholesale training
of easy, laid back, quiet, non-reactive dogs. It simply can't be done. So let yourself off the hook if you're one of
the legions of "group class flunkies" because you couldn't manage to get your dog under control. Or
if each group class was an exhausting exercise in strong-arming your dog into submission. Or if you found
you and your dog relegated to "that back corner, no further back, no further, further...." because
your much-beloved companion was so ramped up and out of control with all of the overwhelming
distractions and environmental stimuli that he made a pure horse's patootie out of himself
and nobody wanted to be anywhere near you and your yodeling thrashing trout on a 6-foot line.
Are you unable to take your dog out in public for fear he'll pull one of his typical shenanigans,
and either embarrass you or worse yet, get you into some real trouble? Then don't consider a group class.
If you get the cold sweats just thinking about how you're going to manage getting your dog
from the car to the classroom door without some embarrassingly explosive behaviors, then don't even
consider trying. Who needs more stress? You and your dog certainly don't. The more stressed out you are,
the more stressed out your dog gets; and the
more stressed he is, the more outrageous his behaviors; and then that stresses you out even more --
and there you are, the two of you tripping and stumbling your way into the group class, already well into
that familiar ride down the uncontrollably slippery slope from bad behaviors to worsening still. Not an
auspicious start to learning for either of you.
You'll achieve far greater,
and faster, success if you apply all your energetic commitment to highly individualized behavioral
modification and training -- for you and your dog -- in a distraction-free training environment,
whether under the direction of a private training coach, or on your own at home as you incrementally
advance your team training to ever expanding performance outside of and away from home.
The Paradise of Privacy
If you and your dog need professional assistance to overcome specific behavioral issues, such as
reactivity, fearfulness, aggression, out of control leash manners, or the standard "You
want me to do what?" Syndrome of the 6-month old canine adolescent, then you are wasting your time and your money on a group class.
It's fruitless to seek the one-on-one help you and your dog need in the chaotic environment of a novice group
class where it's far more likely that difficult behavioral cases are relegated to the back row, or even
further, out of sight and out of mind and out of reach of much-needed training assistance and guidance.
Rather than trying to overcome the group class distractions of other untrained people and their dogs,
with a harried instructor spending valuable class time trying to rein them all in, consider instead the
calming, supportive, and personally tailored environment of private team training lessons.
The "Third Eyeball" Court Advantage
There is another, critical advantage of team training with your own personal training coach. One of the
most significant benefits of private team training is revealed when it's time for you to sprout your
new "worldly wings" and venture out and about in public with your newly obedient dog and your training
coach. When it comes time to transition all of your newly learned handler skills and your dog's
impressive obedience skills from the distraction-free environment of the private training venue to
the incrementally more distracting environments out and about, you will have the benefit of your own
personal assistant to help guide you and your dog along the way.
When you know that you're not alone,
and your personal trainer is at your side gently coaching and supporting you and your dog as you make
your first forays into navigating passerby, crowds, other dogs, and vehicular traffic out and about
in public places, you begin experiencing the confidence in your dog and his behaviors that you never
imagined you'd feel. It's just plain exhilarating to experience the happiness and joy of finding
yourself walking your obedient and calmly behaved dog through the bustling shopping mall, when only
weeks before you couldn't imagine walking with him to the mailbox at the end of your 40-foot long
driveway without risking a bruised shin or worse.
Slowly but surely your personal training coach
begins to increasingly fade into the background as you fully assume your role as the confident and
self-assured leader bringing out the best in your dog.
That Delicious Comeuppance
When you embark on your training plan in a teaching and learning environment focused entirely and
only on you and your dog, without the distractions of other people and other dogs, your team learning
and performance curve rises exponentially. Without the stressors and frustration of trying to look
good long before you've learned how to be good, you can instead devote all of your mental,
emotional, and physical energy to learning how to achieve your behavioral and training objectives
step by step, success by success, with your newly developed and increasingly competent and confident
handling skills.
And ultimately, instead of you and your dog being psychologically bowled over by the
overwhelming stressors of a noisy boisterous group of people and their untrained dogs, you and your
dog can bowl them over with your highly focused, confidently calm and reliable obedience no matter
what the untrained rabble may toss your way.
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A student came to me with his beautiful and lively young German Shepherd Dog. At the
agility group class he had previously attended, his dog would become excited and bark when
other dogs were taking their turn running the course.
The owner was commanded by the instructor to grab his dog by the
face, shake him, verbally admonish him, and spray Bitter Apple into the dog's mouth to "get control" of the dog and
stop the dog's excitement barking.
When, after many, many repetitions of this "correction" at class after class
did not work (as of course it would not), and in fact the behavior seemed to worsen (as of course it would),
the owner was ultimately ordered to take his dog out of the room and was banished to the lobby to sit out the class.
A humiliating, frustrating, and altogether discouraging experience for the owner and the dog.
Yes, the dog's behavior was disruptive.
Yes, a dog can and should be trained to contain its excitement and wait obediently for its turn on a competitive course.
But where was the training in this scenario?
There was no training. There was only punishment.
In the
chaotic environment of an overcrowded
group class, individualized training is near impossible. And in this case, the necessary foundation training -- first
teaching the reactive dog to maintain a sit on command -- could not be accomplished in an environment of highly
stimulating distractions. When done properly, sound foundation training is a step-by-step, incremental process, an approach to training
rarely undertaken by the unskilled or impatient "quick fix" trainer.
In this case, instead of undertaking to provide the foundation training the dog clearly needed, the
apparently overwhelmed and inexperienced trainer resorted to protracted punishment and compulsion long after the
perceived misbehavior occurred.
This ill-conceived tactic only further exacerbated the dog's excited reactiveness
and hectic behaviors -- and the owner's frustration, confusion, and emotional tension -- which in turn further
heightened the dog's reactiveness. And so the downward spiral accelerates.
The appropriate constructive training sequence would have been incrementally teaching, learning, and
training desired behaviors without distraction, followed by proofing with incremental distractions.
But this poor dog was
never even given the opportunity to succeed by first learning the obedient behavior (sit quietly) that would earn him
the most fabulous reward imaginable (permission to undertake the agility exercise).
A side note: With his natural drives, abundant energy,
physical exuberance, keen intelligence,
and crazy love for play and reward, this wonderful German Shepherd Dog is the classic example of the dogs most
likely to be misunderstood and poorly managed by inexperienced trainers who prematurely dispense
punishment and compulsion for what the dog IS -- not for what it does or doesn't do.
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