Is puppy kindergarten worth your time and effort?

By Karen A. Soukiasian

The sacrifice of time, energy and expense spent on training and socializing a puppy, through the experience of puppy Kindergarten, BEFORE he or she develops inappropriate behaviors, is zilch, compared to the time, energy and expense of modifying inappropriate behavior, and retraining him or her.

That’s not to mention the pleasure you will receive, sharing such a wonderful experience with your puppy. The joy of watching a gloppy, uncoordinated, excited, puppy, with the attention span of a gnat, transform into a focused, well-behaved puppy is incredible.

There is also an enormous added bonus in enrolling your pup in a positive reinforcement, punishment-free Puppy Kindergarten as soon as possible. It is the remarkable bonding that occurs when owner and pup share quality time together. That alone is priceless.

Puppy kindergarten first step in a lifetime of training

Experienced dog owners know, training your dog never ends. Your dog is always “a work in progress.” Thia nk of training, as building a house. You cannot put the roof on your new house, until you have a solid foundation. That starts at the bottom! The same holds true with dog training. Puppies, like children, are anxious to learn. The world is full of new and exciting learning experiences. When you show them you are pleased with their behavior and progress, they want only to learn more, so they can please you…the boss.

A little secret, not often mentioned is; dog trainers in truth do not train your dog. They train YOU, on LEADERSHIP SKILLS and training methods, so you will be familiar with how to effectively train your dog. A first-rate trainer spends as much, if not more time, working with the owner as they do the dog. They coach you on training techniques, voice control, and body language so that you can relay what you expect, appropriately and successfully to you puppy or dog.

If you have to give a second thought about the payback of Puppy Kindergarten, DO NOT DO IT! Your puppy will sense your negativity. You have already set them up to fail. Never, set your pet up to fail…they will not disappoint you. They will feel that is what you want, and that is what you will get. Bear in mind, your dog wants only to please you.

However, if you feel positive about the benefits of Puppy Kindergarten; as soon as your puppy is at least 8 weeks old, find a trainer who applies positive reinforcement, punishment-free methods of training. Sign that puppy up! You will be glad you did. Your puppy will be well on his or her way to being the dog you will be proud of. Even more importantly, you will share their excitement of looking forward to learning and new experiences with you.

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