Puppy classes — Brilliant Family Dog

There’s so much out there, but when it comes down to it, you need the best tuition for your particular circumstance, area, dog, and budget.

I get lots of pleas for help from readers, and after answering their questions I always suggest one of my programs for them - to help them get the best results implementing force-free Choice Training with their particular dog.

It’s a bit of a mystery to many people, so guidance is really helpful for them.

But lest you think that I’m trying to make money out of everyone who crosses my path, I may say that I passionately want to improve the lives of all dogs, and this can only happen if their owners are up for it.

I know that for some, enrolling in a paid program is not an option, for reasons of time or money.

That’s why I give so many alternatives!

Free articles

There are over 320 articles here at Brilliant Family Dog. All of them are free to read and learn from! Some have step-by-step lessons, and some are more to do with mindset shifts.

And many have free Guides or Cheatsheets that you can download. All free.

Free videos

Prefer to watch? You’ll also find plenty of instructional videos to watch here: www.youtube.com/@BrilliantFamilyDog

Free books

You’ll find free books available here too, in some of those articles. Whole, unabridged, free books!

Free courses

Then there are the hugely valuable free courses. There are email courses, with lessons sent to you over a period, giving you time to put the lessons into practice and be ready for the next.

And there are free videos. You’ll find a free Workshop on getting your dog to LISTEN! and a free Masterclass for Growly Dogs here. These contain important lessons to effect immediate change for you and your dog.

Books to buy

Gus demonstrates the efficacy of this particular book!

These are minimal cost! When I think what books used to cost when I was a child, when a hardback book was an important Christmas present … I remember 12s/6d (about 65p in new money) being a common price for a book. A few sums with the help of Google reveals that that would be around £16 today. Now that would be an ok price for a present-day hardback. But look! We can get ebooks and audiobooks for a fraction of that price. What riches!

And you don’t need a special gadget to read or listen to these. Your phone or your laptop are quite sufficient.

Want to check out these silly prices? They’re even sillier if you buy direct from the author!

Paid programs

And at last we come to paid programs. And even here you can get some for silly money!

Tasters

These taster mini-courses are great starting-points to see if what I teach and the way I teach it will actually suit you and your dog, in your particular circumstance.

There’s one for puppies From Wild Puppy to Brilliant Family Dog, and one for older dogs From Challenging dog to Brilliant Family Dog

Premium programs

And these are the jewel in the crown! The premium courses are where you get permanent access, personal tuition, you can submit video of your work, you have the wisdom and input of several trainers … and all for a remarkably low entry cost - equivalent to maybe 2 or 3 hours with a trainer locally.

I can tell you that all those features normally come with a large price ticket. In fact - with most programs you only have access for a few months, then you’re outta there. Or you have to cough up again.

I’m not trying to suck blood from you. I truly want to see dogs’ lives changed for the better. So I’m happy to have students returning years later - perhaps with a new puppy they want to take through the program as it worked so well with their previous dog. Or sometimes they’re back because their lovely dog has thrown up a new problem they need help with.

We’re there for them.

For good. (Well, technically, we’re there for the lifetime of the program.)

Where can you find these super-duper programs? Here you go:

Learning remotely

“But can I still learn without being in front of the tutor?”

Yes! You can!

I’ll let you into a secret … you see, most “dog training” is really “people training”. A realisation my students come to as the scales fall from their eyes and they see the truth.

Even at a face-to-face class, it’s the owner that the tutor is training. It’s then for the dog-owner to work directly with his dog to get the results they want in their life.

No-one can train your dog for you!

You absolutely have to do it yourself. After all you’re the person the dog lives with 24/7 - makes sense, doesn’t it?

Personally I have benefitted hugely from remote learning programs, in many areas. You have to put in the work, of course - but they really work!

So I’m hoping that you can find something in this list that suits you, and that will bring you the results you’re looking for.

I and my trainer team are ready for you!

You’ve chosen your dog to be your companion, right?

So when you look for a dog training class, whether for your puppy or an older dog, you want one which will enrich your relationship and make you better friends.

You may think that if only your dog could be taught to sit, to stay, to come when called . . . everything would be right as rain. But there’s an awful lot more to it than that!

Mothers understand that their child will not learn if he’s not happy in his school. The ambience and approach must be right.

So it is with dogs.

If your dog - your chosen companion! - Is to learn, she must be in a happy environment which is conducive to learning.

This specifically excludes

Being stuffed in a strange room with a huge number of noisy, anxious, over-excited dogs 😱
A “trainer” who grabs your dog and manhandles her 😱 😱
You, her owner, getting shouted at and abused 😱 😱 😱
The use of any aversive equipment (choke chains, prong collars, electronic torture devices) 😱 😱 😱 😱
The use of aversive methods (yanking the lead, pushing, prodding, shouting, rolling, intimidating) 😱 😱 😱 😱 😱

Imagine you’re that mother looking for a school for her child. If you visited the classroom and saw any of the above - not only would you be out of there in an instant, but you would be reporting the school to the authorities!

So why on earth do civilised people accept this kind of thing for their dog’s learning?

My guess is that they believe hundred-year-old old wives’ tales about how dogs should be treated, and they have watched television programmes starring brash tv personalities who have no dog-training qualifications whatever. Those programmes are made with the sole intent of shocking, and boosting the ratings for the tv channel.

Or maybe the trainer is authoritarian and bossy and makes them distrust their own better judgment?

So to avoid these horror-classes, what can you do?

1. Research diligently. Ask specific questions about the methods used, the numbers in the class, any equipment you may need. You are looking for the words “force-free”. (Beware: “Reward-based training” is not enough, as there are plenty of ‘trainers’ who give a treat with one hand and administer an electric shock with the other. They like to style themselves “balanced trainers”.)

Check on the trainer’s credentials and check their memberships out carefully. Here you are looking for APDT(UK) (Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK), CBATI (Certified Behaviour Adjustment Training Instructor), IMDT (Institute of Modern Dog Training), KPA-CTP (Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner), APBC (Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors), VSPDT (Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training), PPG (Pet Professional Guild), ABTC Registered Animal Instructor (Animal Behaviour and Training Council) - any of these indicate that the trainer is entirely force-free.

2. Visit the class (without your dog) and spend a full hour watching and observing closely. If a visit is not allowed, discard that class entirely and look elsewhere.

You are looking for relaxed, happy, owners and their families with relaxed, happy, and engaged dogs.
Individual tuition with adaptation of the exercises to accommodate shy dogs, boisterous dogs, barky dogs, etc
A calm and attentive atmosphere with NO shouting
Small numbers (6 to 8 is good) with plenty of space between them
An indoor location (particularly important for puppies)
A structured class with variety
Reference to the class resources
A welcoming atmosphere with questions freely answered
If it’s a good class, you should come away having learnt a lot!

3. If your dog is already anxious or reactive you need to double down on all your research. The wrong ‘trainer’ can make everything so much worse!

4. Follow your gut feeling. Can you see yourself enjoying six of these sessions? Can you see your dog enjoying six of these sessions?

Yes - that is a lot to consider.

But there’s a lot at stake.

You are going to live with your companion dog for 12-15 years. Do you really want someone to mess up your relationship permanently in a matter of weeks?

How best can you help your dog learn?