Putting your puppy early into a group training class is a wonderful way to get started with training and socializing your puppy. You can get started early-puppies as young as 6 weeks of age are able to learn new tricks. In addition to learning basic obedience training at the best time, your puppy will get valuable benefits from socializing with the other puppies and their masters.

Once I started taking my puppies to group training classes I saw that my dogs grew up to be much better behaved than the puppies I had previously neglected training until they were much older. I had two very aggressive dogs prior to using group training classes. Before I even started their belated obedience training, they had already developed a serious behavior problem. Since taking my pups to group training classes and socializing them better, I haven’t had any more aggression problems.

When the puppy is still living with his Mama and siblings he gets constant lessons in socialization. Whenever a puppy gets too out of line-perhaps he is playing too aggressively-the litter mates will gang up on him, or Mama will put a stop to his boisterousness by grabbing him by the scruff of the neck or putting a paw over him to hold him still. A Mama dog  will hold him until he relaxes, becomes calm and submits. This is how puppies are taught their doggy manners. Just like our kids, puppies will greatly benefit from some guidelines to learn good behavior.

Now that your puppy is with you and doesn’t have his litter to help him socialize, it is up to you to make sure he interacts with enough others to not grow up isolated and aggressive. Dogs are social animals and need companionship to be happy. It is easy to see why it is that a puppy or dog that is kept confined and away from interaction with other puppies or dogs or people is much more likely to become aggressive. I think that is why my two earlier dogs had become quite aggressive-they grew up isolated in fenced yards.

Naturally, getting your puppy started early with group training classes is also a great way to begin the basic obedience training. In addition to socializing your pup you will be learning the basic commands and hand signals so you can continue your puppy’s training daily at home. My aggressive dogs learned their obedience tricks, but they hadn’t learned how to be social creatures. A dog that is well balanced both socially and with obedience training fits well in any type of social situation.It makes sense that a puppy who had the continuing socialization of group class will be more comfortable around other dogs and strangers as he gets older.

Even as young as 6 weeks your puppy is capable of learning the obedience basics. If you have you seen the cool videos on YouTube of little puppies doing tricks you know what I mean.

I think this one tip on taking your puppy to group training classes is probably the most single important step to greatly diminishing the likelihood of having an aggressive dog later on. Look up information on group puppy training courses in your area and use one that uses positive reinforcement training only. In addition to the benefits of early obedience training and socializing, my puppy and I had a lot of fun going to the classes.

Click her to read my complete review of Secrets to Dog Training to learn more about their program.

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