Best way to find a training class?

first78

I'm moving to Stoke-on-Trent in a few weeks and am desperate to find a good training class for my 18month old chocolate Lab.

He's a very bright dog but also very stubborn, I've really tried hard with his training but really need a good class to go to. What's the best way to go about finding one?

sarabe

There is no such thing as a stubborn dog just an unmotivated one. Best way to find a class is by personal recommendation from other dog owners, ones that you meet out and about that look as if they have a trusting relationship with their dog.

Then go and visit them before you take your dog. If you find someone who agrees with you that your dog is stubborn then the training methods will probably not be that great. If on the other hand you find someone who can help you to motivate your dog then the training will be fun as well as effective.

Kittendreich

Look out for agility and flyball clubs - many of them run puppy and training classes too (gumtree, agilitynet etc, plus vets often know what is in their area). Going to a class will be a good way to meet people in a new area as well as helping training your dog - double benefit!

first78

Kittendreich wrote: »

Look out for agility and flyball clubs - many of them run puppy and training classes too (gumtree, agilitynet etc, plus vets often know what is in their area). Going to a class will be a good way to meet people in a new area as well as helping training your dog - double benefit!

Meeting people would definitely be a bonus

Are there many obedience classes out there for dogs who are no longer puppy's?

bethie

you can also try

http://www.apdt.com/

They have a list of registered dog trainers.


The Kennel Club also has a list of trainers/clubs which do the Good Citizens Scheme. http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/2543


A good trainer will let you observe class before committing, and many times often will let you have the first class free to see if you like it.

Kittendreich

We didn't get our dog until he was roughly 2 and a half and the club I found had puppy class for those up to a year, a novice class for those over a year or moving on from puppy class (that I started in) and an advanced class. All did the Kennel club tests so you had something to work towards - puppy in the puppy class (obviously!), bronze in the novice class and silver/gold in the advanced and then there were people who kept coming after they had their gold just for fun. There were lots of people who started with older dogs - either rescue dogs or people who hadn't bothered when their pup was little, but were now seeing the consequences of not training them enough when they were small!