Tails-U-Win

I took my puppy to puppy kindergarten here and ended up quitting after the first three weeks. I felt that this class was more geared toward first time dog owners, and as a result, I did not find it helpful. One of the biggest things that bothered me was that the environment was not conducive to learning. Other people’s dogs were barking, lunging, and otherwise misbehaving. At all of the other facilities I have gone to, this behavior is never tolerated and handlers are encouraged to reward their dogs for being quiet and focused on them. The environment at puppy kindergarten was distracting and stressful for my puppy. It made it extremely difficult for her to focus on me. I had spent a lot of time with my puppy before coming to class, but because of that, I felt like the instructor often skipped over us and did not give us feedback. When I asked how I would keep my puppy focused on me instead of distractors at her dock diving class, the instructor told me that I shouldn’t be taking my puppy to other classes before she had finished basic obedience. I was taken aback by this, and it made me feel like I couldn’t ask questions about issues that I was having with my puppy. My puppy and I are now training at a different facility, and we are much more successful there. This class might be good for a first-time dog owner, but for an experienced handler, it was not a good fit.