Question for those who have more than one dog....

I would use what I already knew by putting my first through training but would ABSOLUTELY train him somehow. Happy new puppy. How fun!

DisneyMummy I'm in exactly the same situation. I put our dogs through training at a school many years ago, so I know what to do to train the new puppy, and I'm wondering if its worth doing the whole obedience school thing again? But it is good for their socialisation I think.

That's a good point about the socialization of the new puppy in public situations. The learning of commands is a bit secondary. But socialization of dogs is really important.

We have 3 dogs. We put the first through training class and didn't the second. I taught her the commands, and she responds well. I did take the 3rd since she's a big German Shepherd compared to our Yorkie & Maltese.

The class is about training the owner as much as training the dog. Once you really start understanding behavior & rewards, you can probably skip it and do it on your own. If you're not feeling comfortable, then take the 2nd dog. I would suggest going to another company if you aren't overly happy with the results of the first dog.

I took my Bull Mastiff puppy to class even though we had a 3 year old Lab at home already. It was good to get him out to socialize and see other people, dogs etc. I did realize that whatever he learned in class all but disappeared when he was around his brother. BUT I'm glad I did it anyway. 'The Art of Raising a Puppy' is the BEST book ever, I highly recommend.

I have never done puppy training classes, but I wish I had...lol My dogs are lab mix and are hyper breeds. It took years before they calmed down... Actually they are 7 years old now and still pretty high energy.... I think taking training classes would be beneficial. It can't hurt. And, I agree, it will help your dog become familiar with not just his big brother but with other dogs as well.

I have three dogs right now who are all very well trained (two of them are therapy dogs). I have taken and still do take each of them to different classes, partially for the mental stimulation for them and partially because they need one-on-one time with me. It helps them with their bond with me and it gives them some special time with me.

I also agree with meerkat70, socialization is really, really important!

When we got our third dog, we put him thorugh puppy class, even though I had successfully trained my other two adult dogs- going to class (that we had to pay for) gave us the motivation to actually do the training- sometimes people will procrastinate if left to thier own devices! I know we would have- not that our puppy (he is now 3, but acts like a puppy) absorbed any of the training- he is a Shar Pei, he KNOWS how to behave, he just CHOOSES not to most of the time! :sad:

I would definitely go back to classes. Both of mine have been to class. I got my boy first and taught him the basics myself and then took him through a click-a-trick/agility class for extra bonding. I took my girl through a beginner class because I just couldn't get her to come on command. (I could hold a treat out to her and say "come" in my happiest, friendliest voice and she'd bolt in the opposite direction like I was going to beat her.) I'd trained two family dogs before these and even worked with friends' dogs. (My friends were all amazed that their dogs all sit politely to greet me and would jump on everyone else.) One of the main benefits of the class is the pup learning that he has to listen to you no matter what. That you are the boss even if there are 6 other dogs within sniffing distance, even if there are a bunch of people that need greeting, even if there are 200 bags of food just 15 feet away. And every dog is different. The new pup might have a habit that the old dog doesn't and the trainer will have suggestions on how to help.

I've always trained my own dogs, (they are house dogs AND they love to hunt) so I can't really comment, but I will take this opportunity to post a picture of my pups, LOL.


2012_1-31 by blmarvin, on Flickr

Thanks all! I appreciate the feedback on this. I think the right choice is to take him for the puppy classes. I like the idea of him getting to be around other puppies for a while and the one on one time. Someone mentioned me feeling a bit insecure in my ability to train him, I really think that was right too. I feel I can do it but at the same time I like the idea of having a safety net (trainer) to fall back on. I think that is really my personality type. I do not want to end up with a mess of a dog like the one that lives behind us! He barks at everything and he's a mastiff mix with a very loud bark! I am almost scared of what would happen if he ever got loose. Their other dog (German Shepherd) was such a friendly dog. You can tell they never bothered to train this one when they got him. Very sad.

Bee - love the picture of your pups! They are adorable!

I've never posted pictures before so I hope this works!

Here is Gibson (2 years old) and Jackson (3 1/2 months old)

Socialization is incredibly important! New dogs, new people, new places, new animals! Even if you don't take the classes you can stand outside a grocery store and ask people to pet your dog. Bring him to a dog park. Bring him to the pet store with you (most are pet friendly haha).

I think that every dog should go through training.

My first was a lab mix rescue and I took her through training - she's an angel.

My second was a little terrier mutt, we didn't do training BUT the lab trained him!

I never had to potty train or teach him sit, come, no etc... I would say it to her, and he would do that same thing She's getting old now, so I hope if she passes and I get a new baby, the other one will be my trainer next time too!

If your puppy is up-to-date on all his vaccinations then I would say yes. Just make sure he's vaccinated.. then you'll have to be careful if he's around dogs that haven't been spayed.

Good luck!