One to One puppy training VS group puppy training.

So, you’ve made the decision to invest in puppy training. Good for you! However, now you face the problem of deciding whether one to one puppy training or group training would be better for your puppy, or just generally understanding what you’ll need. Here at Puppy Perfect, we provide all of these – which means we have no real bias either way – so we’ve formulated this short guide to help you decide what type of training is best for you and your puppy.

One to One Puppy Training Classes

One to one training is often thought of as the ‘premium product’ and the best of the best. It’s true, one to one training does have its benefits in the way that you can tailor your training sessions to meet your exact needs and requirements.

What’s more, you can also opt for one to one training to take place in your own home. Not only is this great for anxious puppies and may mean they take better to training, it also allows your trainer to identify the everyday at-home problems your family faces, providing realistic training techniques and solutions. Given that you are in your ‘normal’ environment means the trainer is also more likely to notice problems that you had not even considered yourself and might not have been apparent or addressed at a group class.

Group Puppy Training Classes

As a result of the many benefits of one to one training, group training is considered the ‘second best’ option that cannot achieve the same results. However, this is not necessarily the case. In fact, having only one to one classes may actually hinder the results of your puppy training. Dogs are naturally sociable animals, living in packs in the wild, and starting life in a litter, which means it is important to keep them around other dogs as much as possible- especially when they are younger. It is important that you provide your dog with as much quality (and safe) interaction with other dogs, people and environments as possible- and a group puppy training class is the perfect environment to do this. We call it socialisation training: teaching your puppy how to behave outside of the family home, and it’s absolutely vital for any puppy.

But there are even more benefits to group puppy training classes. Whilst it is important that your dog obeys you in your own home, you need to be sure that they will demonstrate the same levels of obedience in the ‘real world’. For example, it is important that your puppy will ignore other distractions and return to you when you are out in the park. Likewise, you might be sure that your dog will wait until you say they can eat, but can you be sure that they will sit and wait before crossing the road when they are excited by other dogs and other people in that environment? It’s rather like learning how to speak a language, yet never having the opportunity to practise it for real: why invest time in learning these skills if you don’t get to put them to the test? The easiest way to train your puppy to do such things is at a group training class.

This means that, in reality, neither one to one puppy training nor group training is necessarily ‘better’ when considered separately but, in order to achieve the best results, you should ideally invest in a combination of the two. If you feel you need help with your dog at home, one to one classes may be beneficial, but they should not be prioritised over, or chosen instead of, group training classes. Particularly given the higher cost of one to one training, keep it to a minimum and only use it when necessary. Ideally, you should choose a puppy trainer that is able to offer you both options. This will ensure continuity and consistency in puppy training techniques, and is likely to yield better results as the more time you spend with your trainer, the more they can understand you and your puppy.