# Puppy School?



## travclay (Sep 6, 2009)

OK is everyone ready for a total newbie question? Sorry in advance but here it goes, my pup is almost 4 months old now and i have began some basic training with him(sit, down, up, drop) but would like to enroll him in a basic puppy school but am not sure where to go. I know that places like petsmart have puppy classes but I'm just not sure. He learns extremely fast but is a big box store like petsmart a reliable place for this or should I find a private trainer? Just a footnote but I've talked to the trainer I would be seeing at petsmart a couple of times and she has 2 germans herself both of which are very well behaved. I'm just not sure. Thanks in advance for the input, it's much appreciated.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I would check with Cassidys Mom. She is in your area and her descriptions of the puppy classes she did with Halo sounded neat.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Definitely check with CassidysMom, she might have a suggestion for a training group. Petsmart/Petco classes are only as good as the trainer. The best trainer I ever worked with trained at a Petco for a short while, after the AKC club I used to belong to fell apart. She was shepherd people too.


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## Kayla's Dad (Jul 2, 2007)

Welcome to the forum Travclay! what part of the Bay Area are you in. We have several members throughout that may be able to give you some places. Not a fan of petsmart training but they are all different depending on location. And a trainer with gsd experience (especially if you've seen them) can be a plus. Make sure you observed several of their classes. 

Several places to consider:

Sirius puppy training: They have many locations around the Bay Area but classes start up at different locations at different times. Cassidy's Mom on the forum has gone through their classes with several dogs and speaks highly of them. I would have used them but the timing and location of their classes at the time did not work out.
Sirius Puppy dog training 

I've used Rav N Dog puppy training and liked the training there. They are located in Redwood City at the Jump n Java Dog training facility. (I also do agility training at Jump N Java)

You'll get lots of info and help here. Hope we'll be able to add you guys to our Bay area meets-we try to get together several times a year.

ANd get some pictures of your companion up! We love pictures here.


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## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

You gotta start somewhere. Right?!? It is good to ask questions. That is how you learn.

I think it really depends on your goals for your dog. Are you planning to do Schutzhund, Rally, AKC obedience, tracking, herding… If so, find a club that is specific to those activities and start training with them.

If you are just looking for basic obedience then there aren’t a lot of differences. We did puppy class @ the Humane Society with a few of our dogs which was great for basic manners. From what I have seen from the PetSmart curriculum, they teach about the same at the HS, but I would feel uncomfortable being on display in the “big box”. LOL. ; We also did basic obedience at a local dog training club the only difference was that they taught flat collar corrections as well as positive. 

Some classes use clicker and some food, so you will have to determine your preference.


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## george1990 (Nov 24, 2008)

Where are you near?

Sirius puppy prep is very popular and is highly recommended. It's based on Ian Dunbar's beliefs on dog training, mainly a lot of positive reinforcement.

I went to Pacifica Pet Hospital for Miko's classes and they were good too. I'd recommend them too. very helpful, even when classes were over.

I took Miko for socials at SF Puppy Prep in San Francisco and at SmartyPUP, and would recommend them too! Fawn Pierre, from smartypup, is great!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Samuel beat me to it - yes, I've taken Sirius Puppy classes with 3 different dogs, and know several of their trainers. The classes are a lot of fun and I highly recommend them. However, puppies need to be between 10 and 18 weeks old at the start of class, so if you're interested you need to sign up fast. Fortunately, there are 19 locations around the Bay Area, so there are a lot of choices of places, days, and times. 

If you let us know what part of the Bay Area you're in, we can offer more suggestions if that doesn't work out for you.


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## travclay (Sep 6, 2009)

I'm from Oakley which is in the east bay. We just signed up for the Sirius Puppy I class out in San Ramon. Little bit of a drive but it sounds as though it'll be well worth it, not to mention there's a killer taqueria out there. Thank you everyone for the help, I really appreciate it. Class starts next Saturday, I'm stoked!


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## george1990 (Nov 24, 2008)

Good choice! Who's the instructor?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

That would be Keri Lyall. She was the instructor for Keefer's Puppy 1 class, which we took at the same location. Have fun!


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## Kayla's Dad (Jul 2, 2007)

Great choice! Good Luck and have fun.


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