Review of Puppy Kindergarten

Scout recently finished puppy kindergarten class! It was a 6 week class to learn obedience basics through the positive training method. Scout, of course, passed with flying colors. If you're curious as to training classes for your dog here's what I've learned:

Scout knew a lot of the basics before we started class (because he's a genius)! But teaching the positive training method moves VERY slowly. In order to "shape the behavior" we couldn't use any commands or hand signals - we just had to wait for them to offer the behavior.  Some dogs moved very quickly  (like Scout) and others moved very slowly. In fact, still by the end of 6 weeks we weren't using any commands, mostly waiting for them to understand the pattern.

What I got most out of puppy class was the puppy play time.  First of all, it's completely adorable to watch. But secondly, I learned a lot about dog behavior.  I had little experience with how dogs interact and this is where I learned the most. Although Scout was typically the bigger, dominate dog all of his play buddies continued to initiate play with him.  So although he acts like the playground bully other dogs don't seem to mind his actions. Most importantly, we made a new friend and Scout has been on a few play dates with Lucky!

Scout & Lucky

My only frustration was that Scout learned things in record time. We weren't provided a lot of guidance on how to move forward with specific commands or how to better challenge Scout. We spent a lot of time feeding him treats for behaviors he had already grasped. I've continued training at home and I'm mostly making it up as I go :)

Scout's next adventure is Puppy Agility Class!  We had week 1 a few days ago and I can already tell he's going to LOVE it! Stay tuned!