Dog training class recommendations for 1 year old rescue
Hello,
We just adopted a ~1 year old Siberian husky. We are looking for recommendations for training classes the whole family can attend (we have 2 kids, ages 8 and 10). The rescue recommends Sirius Puppy and Dog training, but looking around they get some negative reviews. Someone at the SF SPCA also recommended Train the Bay out of the Berkeley Humane Society, but I can't find any review for that at all. Does anyone have an recent experience with a basic dog manners class (preferably not with a puppy because that is a whole different ball of wax than an teen-aged dog!)? I prefer a class where she can be around other dogs, and one in the Berkeley/Oakland area. Thanks in advance!
Oct 2, 2019
Parent Replies
Bravo! Pup has separate puppy and dog classes. Dog 1 would probably be the right one for you guys (but they’d be able to tell you). We did Puppy 1, Puppy 2, and Extreme Recall, plus puppy socials when our dog was young. I recommend them highly. The only thing they didn’t focus on that I wish they had was loose leash walking.
Bravo Pup is great. They have classes at various locations in the East Bay. My whole family (w/ 2 kids) came to the classes and it made a huge difference in our relationship with our now sweet, well-mannered, rescue pup who came to us as a young, crazy street dog.
We love Bravo Pup (https://www.bravopup.com/). Great classes, lots of different ones to choose from. Kids (and whole family) welcome. Our dog went through about 4 of their different classes. Once they have their basic manners it's really fun to enroll in some of the specialized classes if you have a dog that likes to work. All the teachers were excellent.
We've been going to BravoPup Dog 1 classes with our 2 yo rescue who joined our family in August. Usually it's the whole family (myself, partner and 8 year old kid) and there are other families who participate with younger kids as well. We've been going for 3 weeks and it has been great so far!
Congrats on your husky - you will never be bored! I would encourage you to go with Sirius. I have had huskies for 20 years and always go to Sirius for basic manners both when I have gotten a puppy or crazy (!) teen huskies. What I like about Sirius is that it is something the family can -- and should -- do together and the philosophy of what works and doesn't work is explained so that the dog isn't set up to fail and the whole family understands how to help the training be effective. Ian Dunbar, who started Sirius, has had a lot of experience with northern breeds and integrates strategies that I have found to be very effective with this breed that is not necessarily food motivated (unless possibly if its a neighbor's chicken) and who will routinely remind you that they think for themselves. I have found that some huskies need some stepped up strategies ;) Since Sirius offers classes throughout the East Bay, if you find that the class/trainer isn't a good fit, you can find another. When I had a particularly difficult rescue husky and needed some one-on-one training, I used Sandra Mannion and she was amazing. www.sandramannion.com
I'm not sure if this is your first husky but if it is, be prepared to put in the time to follow through with the training outside of class and set/maintain clear rules and routines (and rest assured that your pup won't be an adolescent forever...although will always be a husky - a fantastic companion with a love for adventure and mischief). Feel free to contact me directly - I'd be happy to share my many lessons learned and support you in your new journey.