# About how much will obedience training cost?



## thegreatescapex0

I have been considering taking my pup (4 months old) for obedience classes and I have a few questions.

Would my pup and I learn more in a <u>group session</u>? Is a <u>private lesson</u> worth it?

Can you tell me the _average_ cost?


----------



## Barb E

These prices are 4-5 years old - I'm in Portland Oregon area

Puppy @ Petsmart	8 Weeks	$99.00 
Training Basics @ Pup-a-Razzi	6 Weeks	$99.00 
Beyond Basics @ Pup-a-Razzi	6 Weeks	$75.00 
Attention @ Pup-a-Razzi	6 Weeks	$75.00 
Attention @ Pup-a-Razzi	6 Weeks	$75.00 

(Yes I took the attention class twice I liked it so much







)

Oh, and these were all group lessons


----------



## thegreatescapex0

Are the Petsmart classes actually informative and helpful, or just a mess? I don't really want to spend practically $100 on somewhere where we will only learn what we already know such as Sit or Down or Wait. Would it be better to sign him up somewhere like a actually specific Dog Training business place?





*What did your puppies benefit from and learn at these classes?*


----------



## MelissaHoyer

I pay $120 for ten weeks for group classes. $180 if I want to take two classes...usually take obedience followed by agility for that price. Overall, I have probably take at least 20 of these classes of the last 7 years. I really enjoy them









Oh and I go to a dog training club, not Petsmart or Petco.


----------



## Iannotti

Thats cheap...I'm paying 400 dollars for 3 - 1 hour sessions 1 on 1..Pup


----------



## onyx'girl

I think costs depends on your area. Around here 6 weeks run about $65 at three different training places(NOT pet stores). I would go w/ a group for a puppy. Unless there are no other options, a pet store trainer would be my last resort. If your dog has issues then the private lessons may be needed. I would be very cautious though on who I chose for private. And private is more $$. 
A CCPDT would be the one I chose if my dog had serious issues. This site is great for finding a good private trainer in your locale: http://www.ccpdt.org/


----------



## DSudd

The pet smart prices Barb listed are about the same as what they run here. We did look into 1 on 1 classes for Rocky and they were really pricey. $350 for 2 - 1 hour sessions and the e-collar and we could attend the group classes later if we chose to. Seemed really steep. We also looked into the boarding/training and that was about $1200 for 2 weeks but the opinion of that type of training on here were not very positive


----------



## GranvilleGSD

I'd only do a private if you are having problems or if you want to work on a specific issue or for competition. A group class is great for learning to behave around other dogs and people, and you are able to watch when other people are having problems with their dogs, and learn from them and their problems/mistakes as well.

I find myself learning more in my group agility classes by watching the other handlers, than when I actually run myself. I see what my mistakes look like when other people make the same ones, and also helps me figure out the best way for me to fix them.

And boy do I make a lot of mistakes!


----------



## onyx'girl

Yes, learning from others is the best thing about group training. There is always something a dog may do that we can learn from!


----------



## Barb E

Dante knew a lot of the basics before I actually took him to any classes - I would have started at Pup-A-Razzi if I had known about them when I brought Dante home (He was 4 1/2 months old when I got him) but the great thing about group classes is not only other methods but distractions up the wazoo!! I did go to PetsMart and watch some classes before I enrolled and chose the class that had the trainer I liked the best.

Training Basics was just that: sit, down, stay, leave-it etc
Beyond Basics was higher distraction for all above and more reliable plus recall
Attention was the first in their series of formal obedience classes including long down stays (all in a line along a wall and we all walked across the room) heeling with attention. I really enjoyed this class. It was high energy and taught with both treat and tug rewards. Dante could have moved on to the next level but I chose to take it again since I had decided competetive obiedence wasn't the route I wanted to go after all.


----------



## Sahria

We did the basic obedience one on one for $250. Unfortunately, we had taught her most of the commands already ourselves so she didn't learn too much more. We have taken her to two group classes now at $20 each and I wish we would have done group training from the beginning. They learn how to behave around the other dogs and what behaviour is acceptable from watching the other dogs.


----------



## astig

My wife and I had some bad luck with our group “kindergarten class”; it was $100 or so for 8 weeks. He already knew the commands we were to learn but I wanted him to be around other pups and learn better manners with other handlers. Weeell, he was a good bit bigger than the other dogs in his class and the owners were very nervous with him, because they had only seen GSD’s as working police dogs on episodes of “Cops”. Long story short we dropped the class after 4 weeks because my wife and I had to stay in a corner with our lil troublemaker, away from the rest of the class for the peace of mind of all the Chihuahua and Shih Tzu owners.







Well we love our little delinquent and have a great time training him at home; he still has some kinks to work on, but he is trying very hard to become a model citizen.


----------



## 3K9Mom

> Originally Posted By: Barb E.These prices are 4-5 years old - I'm in Portland Oregon area
> 
> Puppy @ Petsmart	8 Weeks	$99.00
> Training Basics @ Pup-a-Razzi	6 Weeks	$99.00
> Beyond Basics @ Pup-a-Razzi	6 Weeks	$75.00
> Attention @ Pup-a-Razzi	6 Weeks	$75.00
> Attention @ Pup-a-Razzi	6 Weeks	$75.00
> 
> (Yes I took the attention class twice I liked it so much
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )
> 
> Oh, and these were all group lessons


I'm not so far away from Barb in WA. I go to a couple training facilities (depending on specific needs. Some do certain things better than others.):

School 1: 
Pup Kindergarten $155 5 wks
Basic $165 6 wks

School 2:
Basic Obedience 6 wks $150
Intermediate I 5 wks $150
Intermediate II 5 wks $150
Advanced 6 wks $150


School 3
Puppy Kindergarten 7 wks $175
Puppy II 6 wks 175
Basic Obedience 6 wks $175


School #4 (I've never used before, but I'm going to try out this summer) 
All classes 6 wks $169

All of these prices are current.

So even within the Pacific Northwest, there's quite a variety of pricing (I paid $150 for 5 wks of puppy classes 3 yrs ago, when Barb was paying $99), and the most expensive school isn't the one I consider the best by far.


----------



## Jacobysma

We are having the same issues with Jacoby, keeping him separated distance wise from all the other smaller dogs. We are taking a 5 week course with a trainer who also does SCH(and has been a gsd breeder for over 25yrs) training it cost $125 for basic. The up side is he(trainer) has said to ignore the others and to continue bringing him. My concern is the effect their being afraid of him has on him (and me). He will continue next with intermediate and advanced to keep him on the right track....


----------



## meisha98

Puppy Kindergarten $120 at one facility and Basic Manners $160 at MSPCA (well worth it). I tend to stay away from PetSmart/PetCo for classes as I've heard the people who run them are not certified and may end up doing more harm than good if something happens in a class. Both classes eight weeks. Puppy 45 minutes- 1 hour and Basic 1.5 hours per class.


----------



## Blacryan

My pup is at a obedience trainer where he says from anywhere 6-8 weeks. It was $575 per month. My mom had her GSD do the obedience and her dog is the best behaved and amazing dog I have seen in person. I went and watched a demo and did a 1on1 with him and his demo dog was amazing. He has multiple champ/titles dogs he owns/trains/handles and then worked with rocky for about 40mins and after even 40mins the difference in him was amazing.


----------



## onyx'girl

So you sent him out for training, and are not training _with_ your pup to build a good bond?


----------



## Blacryan

> Originally Posted By: onyx'girlSo you sent him out for training, and are not training _with_ your pup to build a good bond?


Maybe I should have gave more detail. For the first 3 weeks I dont. Then after the 3 weeks I go 3-4 times a week and train with him









My bad!


----------

