Best obedience school for dogs in the us & how to pick one

Whether you’ve just recently decided add another family member to you home or have had your puppy for a little while now, a smart next step would be to bring your pet to best obedience school for dogs. Dog owners know that puppies, like children, need training and discipline for their own benefit.

Enrolling a young pooch into a good obedience class that will gently but firmly train your new family member to be a good listener and follow directions is vital.

But no one dog is the same. Some canines are easily trained and with persistence from their owner can promptly learn the basic commands such as sit, stay, roll over, lay down, and shake.

However, even with the most intelligent dogs, not every owner has the time or the patience to teach a new puppy (or an older one) new tricks and that is where best obedience school for dogs comes in handy.

Does your puppy actually needs to go to best obedience school for dogs?

Most likely the answer to this question is yes. However, if you’re positive you can train your dog yourself at home, here’s some help for you:

• Video Guide: How To Train A Dog Basic Commands 101
• Step-by-Step: How To Train A Dog To Stop Chewing
• Training Basics: How To Train A Dog To Walk On A Leash
• List: 5 Best Dog Training Treats to Quick Train Puppies

Ultimately, if you have a new puppy, to avoid them developing bad habits which you’ll regret later, it’s recommended to start training the young dog around the age of 8 to 12 weeks. However, even if your pooch is older, it’s still never too late to look for training them obedience and, if necessary already, correcting their already poor behavior patterns.

“It’s important to remember that puppies are like little kids. And like little kids, they’re uncoordinated, easily distracted, and gentle,” says Steven Applebaum, president and director of Animal Behavioral College.

Dog Obedience Training for Puppies in the US
Providers and Most Popular Schools

1. Best Obedience School for Dogs Among Pet Stores

Most of the big pet stores will offer obedience classes at their stores. Those are considered a decent way to go but very few would label name as the best obedience school for dogs. Nevertheless, it’s still a great place to enroll your pooch for training. Here are two examples:

Petco obedience classes for dogs

Petco is a good option to consider because they have licensed trainers available to answer any questions and have a wide range of obedience classes available at all times. Normally, you’ll be offered anything from Puppy Training 101 classes to Senior Citizen Dog classes. Petco specifically offers both group lessons and private lessons.

Depending on how your dog interacts with others, a private lesson may be more effective. Not only will they train your dog in obedience, but they will also offer potty training classes and leash training classes, which are some of the most basic and essential things a young dog should learn.

“You want a trainer who is open to whatever breed you walk in with. Your trainer should be creative and innovative and encouraged to succeed no matter what,” says Pamela Reid, PhD, CAAB, vice president of the Animal Behavior Center at ASPCA Animal Health Services in Urbana, Ill.

• Petco’s classes

PetSmart obedience classes for dogs

Another pet store that offers obedience classes in their stores is PetSmart. They provide a wide array of teaching ranging from puppy training to advanced training with each class lasting 6 weeks. PetSmart also offers private lessons if those would be better suited for your dog.

One thing you will notice when comparing PetSmart vs Petco in terms of obedience training is that Petsmart does not offer a complete package of training classes. You would need to purchase each basic training class separately. Then if you wish for your Fido to learn a variety of different tricks, that is another separate class as well.

Big pet stores like Petco and PetSmart are in this for making big money, so their somewhat expensive classes broken down into multiple training sessions so as to charge owners more shouldn’t surprise you. Nevertheless, while definitely not the best obedience training school for dogs in the US, PetSmart or Petco are still a good choice if you can afford them and ensure that those particular stores have dog experts and trainers with solid credentials.

• PetSmart’s classes

2. Explore Doggie Day Cares and Boarders

Even though opting for obedience training offered by pet stores is definitely an option to consider, it can get expensive. Therefore, dog owners should remember not to overlook their local Doggie Daycare Centers and Boarders as an option for best obedience training school for dogs.

Most dog daycare centers offer decent dog training and a chance for your puppy to interact with other canines. It’s a great way for your young and inexperienced puppy to learn to socialize with animals around them while you are at work.

These local dog daycare center will be cheaper, have great staff and can definitely be a contender for the best obedience training school for dogs title. But most importantly, your puppy will be receiving a lot of caring attention and training there because the owners of those centers are more involved in the process due to the small size of the business.

• Find reputable dog trainers through APDT

3. Best Obedience School for Dogs Among Animal Shelters

Reviews & Comments