Is Group Class Right For You? (Trainers Thoughts)

I won’t hide my true feelings about group class; it’s not my favorite. I would give you a million other things to do with your dog that are, in my opinion, way better training. Now, for a lot of owners, they are on their 5th golden retriever and love going to the local training facility’s group class that they did with their last dog. For others, they tend to think, “Petco group class? For $70? Sign me up!” Now, group isn’t inherently bad, but it may not be right for you. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:

• You get to save money.

Nowadays, everything is getting crazy expensive, and trainers are taking full advantage of that fact. You can throw a stone and you will hit a trainer offering a 6-week board and train that costs $7,000. In return, you get a shock collar and a dog that is going to perform place at home.

• You work around distractions in a controlled environment.

Not often can you replicate a room of 7-10 other dogs around you, which are all having to ignore one another. When you get to the point in training where you have a dog stable enough to share that close of space with other dogs and not react, group class works. Being able to spend a longer duration around that stress and working through it with solidly your dog’s fundamentals and your working relationship.

• It is a fun and social activity.

It’s good to get out of the house, be around people, and communicate with other human beings. We used to be a society of social creatures; now I can get all my groceries delivered and work from home, and occasionally I might say hi to a neighbor. It’s good to get out of the house.

Cons:

• The training is crap.

If it isn't the trainer doing a horrible job giving everyone 1/10th of their attention as you stand around with your dog, it’s what you’re working on. I have had the pleasure of teaching countless numbers of group classes, and I would always have to come up with games and activities to keep everyone involved and spice things up. From what I know and hear of other trainers, it’s a lot of standing around because the trainer can’t multitask. They are focusing on a dog who can’t lay down while yours has done it 7 times.

• Your dog is not ready for that level of distraction.

This is something I hear all the time from clients: I went to a group class and my dog couldn’t focus. Well, your 5-month-old puppy is barely grasping what life is. If your dog is reacting, too friendly or not friendly at all, they are over a threshold of stress where no learning is happening. Group class is not good for shaping behavior because shaping behavior needs to be done without distractions around. Only when your dog can show you that they can perform and engage with you at home and at the park should you try it in a group class setting.

• The training is CRAP!

There isn’t anything real life about group class. And most people have real-life issues in real-life situations. Yes, it is good for you to build up your dog’s engagement around distractions and ask them to do more for longer, but that won’t stop them from jumping on the countertop. The best training comes from structure and routine incorporated into your day-to-day lifestyle. Most of the time, you just get a bored or frustrated dog that isn’t getting as much out of group as they would training with you at the park. Use the world as your training facility because it is free and real life.

The image is AI generated, yea I know, im horrible, and it isnt real, and I didnt pay a photographer.