Why We *Need* Our KSDT Students to Attend Group Classes (Even When Their Dogs Are in Our FastTrack Program!)
Hey everyone, Kathy and Sarah here! Welcome to another episode of Dog Sense. Yayy!
Today, we're joined by one of the trainers from our school, the amazing Nikki.
She's here this week to discuss one of the most important KATHY Santo Dog Training School-specific topics ever: Why we need FastTrack dogs (and their owners!) to attend training class!
I have sooo many feelings about this, and for a good reason: Group classes are super important for owners to learn how to communicate with and handle their dog properly to **progress** their training.
Of course, there’s a LOT of other reasons, which you'll find out about in today's episode of Dog Sense.
Let's dive in!
Why Attending Class Helps You Achieve Your Dog Training Goals FASTER!
Attending training classes teaches you how to handle and respond to your dog properly. For example, our super popular FastTrack program is AWESOME, because we train your dog FOR you.
The goal of the program is to literally “fast track” your puppy or dog’s training, which we can do much quicker than owners can.
And even though we send audio and video training reports to you, there’s only so much feedback we can give you in those formats.
But when you come to a CLASS (or even a private lesson!), we can show you how to apply what your dog knows so it works for YOU; the mechanics of working with the leash, what you should do when your dog does “x, y, or z”, etc... You won’t believe how much better your life with your dog will become when you understand these concepts.
Why group classes?
Group classes help you work through the obstacles you’re facing (and expose some you didn’t even know you had - hello barking at a student in a wheelchair).
There’s nothing we haven’t seen or can’t fix, from handling issues to communication challenges, to seeing something you or your dog is doing, and being able to show you how to fix it before it becomes a major issue.
For example, last week I saw a dog grab a treat out of his owner's hand with an intensity that was not ok! She laughed, but I knew that if this wasn’t addressed, it would become something worse. And because she was in front of me, I was able to see and fix an issue she didn’t even know she had! That’s what class (and private lessons) are for.
Typically we want to help your timing and mechanics get better so you’re more effective as a trainer. But if we don’t see you in person (or you don’t communicate with us about what’s happening at home!), we can’t help you progress and stop your dog from regressing!
"I don't wanna go to class because I'm embarrassed..."
Some people are too embarrassed to come to group classes, but we want you to know: We’ve seen it all! Bring us your barking, your shy, your bouncy, your aloof dog, because, when there’s an issue, the community can help you. Group classes are where we can work through problems together!
And remember: It’s not a dog show. So your dog doesn’t have to be perfect during class.
Nikki, Sarah, and I discuss this in more depth in the episode above, so, if you’d like to learn more, make sure to tune in now!