Why group training is not suitable as an introduction.

Most of my clients have already been to a dog training school before they come to me for coaching. There it is usually the case that you train in a group with other dog owners. Most of the time you just stand around and wait for your turn. As a rule, not much knowledge is imparted. And the groups are put together randomly, regardless of the level of knowledge of the person or the developmental stage of the dog. 

Group training quickly overwhelms people and dogs

For most people and/or dogs, group training as an introduction is usually too demanding. Learning should always take place from easy to difficult. And group training with other dogs, which are a distraction for most dogs, is difficult. And therefore not suitable as a first step, as the dog has difficulty concentrating at the beginning in the presence of other dogs in order to learn fundamental things. 

First the theory and then the practice

Before you throw yourself into practice and start practicing, you should first acquire a certain amount of basic knowledge. It will be obvious to everyone that this theoretical knowledge should be learned in peace and quiet. This is precisely why you first have to pass a theory test and only then can you start practicing driving. And this theory is not taught during the first overtaking maneuver in a driving lesson. In the same way, it makes no sense to hear the elementary and more in-depth knowledge during a group lesson.

Start training with a rucksack full of knowledge

Once you have acquired a solid basic knowledge of dog training, you should start training in everyday life. This allows you to start the exercises in an environment that your dog is used to. You can set the pace and exercises yourself and adapt them to your dog. And of course in a suitable environment without major disruptive factors.

Check whether everything fits in a private lesson

So once you have the basic knowledge together and have already done the corresponding exercises, you should still have the whole thing checked in a private lesson without the distraction of other dogs. In this way, any missing theoretical and practical gaps can be filled efficiently. In this way, the dog and of course the dog owner are carefully prepared and introduced to group training. The human-dog team is then ready for further learning progress in the challenging group training sessions.

Group training as the final and effective piece of the puzzle

For this reason, group training is used as the final learning stage in my concept and plays a very important role for most human-dog teams on the road to success. 

Group training is a tool for socializing your dog with other dogs. To implement what you have already learned in a more difficult situation than alone in everyday life and to stay on the subject through repetition and thus get even more out of yourself and your dog.

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