professional training for our 10 m/o boy

[DogueOwner]

We are considering some sort of obedience training for Duke. For the most part, he is pretty chill, like most DDBs. I taught him all the basics, sit, stay, leave it, no, etc. He rarely, if ever, jumps up on people and we are pretty happy, but would like to work on leash walking and some other fun stuff. He has only run off a few times when chasing a squirrel, other than this he is a strong 6 out of 10 when it comes to listening.

A few options we considered were group training by an reputable school in the area or private visits to our house by someone well known in our part of the state. An option I was not keen on was leaving your dog somewhere for two weeks and someone else trains him. My take on training is that dog needs to trust and respect me, not someone else who trains him.

Curious to hear people's thoughts/experiences on training Dogues. I know cost of living is different everywhere, but what would you consider to be a fair price to pay to have your dog trained?

Thanks!

 

[Kujo]

Personally, I would want to be involved in the training. Like you said, it's about building trust and respect, hard to do that when you are not the one doing the training.

HOWEVER, if the dog in question was in need of professional training due to some behavior issues that the owner couldn't deal with themselves, then I would consider sending the dog to doggy boot camp.

Sounds like this is not the case with your boy (who is incredible cute by the way), I would opt for a hands on trainer who wants you there for the whole process. Group training is good because there's lots of distractions. I didn't do professional training, so I have no idea what a fair price is.

Good luck!

 

[DennasMom]

The group classes I normally take are ~$100-120 for 4-6 hour long sessions.
Private sessions can be $40-80/hour, sometimes with a minimum of 4 sessions or more.

I normally opt for the group classes - cheaper, and the interactions with the other dogs in the room provide good distractions and sometimes a little socialization.

After the normal puppy obedience, I try and mix things up - Denna and I went through getting her CGC last year. This year, if/when she gets bored and/or decides to stop listening and test the limits again... I'd probably opt for agility or nose-work.

I think anytime you get out and work on something in a structured environment, that will help re-tune your bond and open up the lines of communication again. So, if you find another obedience class boring, find something new to try out - and the obedience work will probably get better along the way, too.

The private lessons are good for tougher cases, or if you have some very specific items you want to work on and want one-on-one attention.

 

[musicdeb]

Ok, you live in NJ and any pricing we quote, triple that for NJ.

Here in the Dallas area, for private training lessons, they charge $80-$150 for an hour of training. For group training, you pay a class fee which varies. For boot camp training, it starts at around $3K for 6 weeks of training.

 

[mcarrel]

Pricewise what i know about the rates ae what Musicdeb said. As for training itself I'm not sure sending a ddb away from owners to boot camp would be good. Most are exceptionally bonded to their owners Mine randomly listens to other people in the house but listens well to me, much to the disappointment of my son who's dog he's supposed to be lol

 

[DogueOwner]

Much appreciated all.