Obedience clubs / training

mel.b

I'm starting to look into the various clubs etc for socialisation and training when i bring my new pup home. Am i crazy in thinking that the classes here are really expensive? Average from what i have seen are €15-€20 per session and the courses are generally 4-6wks long. I know training is an ongoing thing you have to doing all the time and just bringing your dog to the class isn't going to cut it, but I guess i'm contrasting it to my experience in Australia, where it was $75 to join for the first year (and cheaper after that) and they offered classes every weekend between Feb and Dec and you could go as often as you wanted, even all year round. They had classes for different levels of ability and then also offered agility. It was all non-profit, with the classes being run by volunteers and the money being put back into the club for things like agility equipment, improving fencing etc. is there anything like this in Ireland or is it more of a 'business' Also my vet ran puppy classes / socialisation...do any vets run that here?

muddypaws

Whereabouts in the country are you?

I go to an agility club in Sligo, thats €20 membership and then €5 per session, which is put back into the club, they offer basic obedience as well as agility.

DBB

Where are you?
There are a good few private training businesses that charge a fair bit alright, but cheaper alternatives are available, but there are some trade-offs for this. For example, such classes tend to be very busy, with a lot of dogs in attendance. Whilst this doesn't bother some dogs, it can overwhelm others, so take it slowly with your new pup.
Some vets do offer really good puppy parties too, which are an ideal way to start the process off, rather than going straight to classes. But beware: some are better than others... you'd want to be making sure that the people (often vet nurses) running them know what they're doing, that they've received some sort of training in how to conduct good puppy parties. There's a lot more to it than just throwing a group of pups into a room!
Good luck with your new pup, it's great to see owners putting in a lot of planning before pup arrives. A bit more of what you're doing would mean fewer dogs being ditched due to being untrained and out of control when they become adult. Well done!:)

TooManyDogs

If you're in Dublin I can give you a couple of names of clubs. Like DBB said there are disadvantages of getting puppy socialising through a club. The 'teachers' are normally volunteers, some with a lot of experience but some have little experience and can mishandle a situation out of that inexperience. Clubs don't always operate all year round, they're often closed during holiday periods, or if there's a show on etc so again it depends on how serious you are about doing training or if it's just for a once off set of puppy socialising classes.

Pluses and minuses on both sides

mel.b

Thanks, good to see there are some other options out there - muddypaws, your sligo group sounds great, except i am in Clare

toadfly

Is there anything like what muddypaws describes in Galway does anyone know? Or even Mayo or Athlone?

tk123

my 2 cents... When my guy was a puppy we went to puppy classes in the vets. From day one it was obvious he was shy around other dogs and it became a bit of a running joke in the class but no guidance was given except "he'll grow out of it". For that reason I'll be taking the new pup to the classes (that are almost 3 times the price as the vets!) in the same place as we use for daycare because they're more experienced. Puppy socialisation and training are not the same thing imo - my dog was always good with his commands from the beginning but lacked confidence around other dogs. He got it from playing at daycare and in the park - not in a training class where he might be able to say hello for 5 mins before and after the class.

gregers85

PM sent

muddypaws

TillyGirl, theres a new trainer started agility etc between Ballina and Foxford in Mayo if thats any good? I don't know anything about them, just saw their card in the vets today. http://www.ireland-west-dogs.com/

toadfly

Thank you! That's 5minutes from my mams house so will check it out.