| There are so many dog obedience schools and | | | | with all of its associated social activities |
| training centres that its often difficult to | | | | and competitions? Or are you just looking for |
| know what to look for in choosing one. | | | | somewhere to train your dog once a week? |
| | | | |
| It is essential to decide what you want to | | | | Once you have a good idea in your mind of |
| achieve out of attending dog obedience | | | | what you are looking for, then you're ready |
| training and it's a good start to ask | | | | to start contacting relevant dog obedience |
| yourself the following questions: | | | | schools and finding out whether they meet |
| | | | what you're looking for. |
| 1. Would you prefer one to one training, or | | | | |
| group lessons? | | | | It's a good idea to visit the dog obedience |
| | | | schools, attend a lesson (without your dog), |
| One to one training is significantly more | | | | and talk to the trainers. You should trust |
| expensive than group lessons, so you should | | | | your instincts when deciding whether you |
| consider the budget that you have set for the | | | | think you and your dog will fit into the |
| training. | | | | training classes and enjoy working with the |
| | | | trainers. |
| 2. What is the aim of attending dog obedience | | | | |
| training? | | | | A serious consideration in your decision |
| | | | should be the methods of training used by the |
| Is it for puppy socialisation? | | | | dog obedience schools; you should look for |
| | | | trainers who believe in kind, positive |
| Is it simply general training; walking to | | | | methods of training. Dog trainers who |
| heel, sitting etc? | | | | encourage the use of choke chains or any kind |
| | | | of rough handling, should be avoided at all |
| Do you intend to compete in obedience trials? | | | | costs. |
| | | | |
| Are you interested in any specialist | | | | There are professional associations, |
| disciplines; i.e trick training, Heelwork to | | | | regulating some dog obedience schools, so you |
| Music, agility? | | | | may prefer to choose a dog obedience class |
| | | | that is regulated by one of these |
| 3. What type of atmosphere would you like? | | | | associations. But do remember that there are |
| | | | lots of good obedience schools that may not |
| Would you like to join a proper "Dog club", | | | | be registered with the associations. |