Group Dog Training Classes
Affordable Dog CLASSES in South East Portland & Gresham
Group classes can be a great option for cost-friendly dog training. Many dog training facilities offer a wide variety of options, spanning from life-skills classes, tricks, obedience training, and even specialty classes that focus on building coping skills for reactive dogs. At our boutique dog training facility, we have put a ton of thought into our group class experience, even going as far as to the ask the general public about their preferences, critiques, and things they have loved about their own group dog training experiences just so we can better understand how to support folks in a group learning environment.
If you’re looking for a group dog training class near SE Portland or Gresham, Oregon, we recommend researching facilities to see how their classes will support you and your pup’s learning experience vs. simply signing up for a class based on how close the class is to you or how well it fits with your availability.
What to look for in a group class
Experienced Instructors. Managing a group of people and their dogs is hard work. It takes attention to detail, strong observation skills, the ability to adapt exercises to the needs of both the human and dog learners in your class. At Dog Flower, our head trainer and owner, Meaghan, has been teaching group classes for nearly a decade, with class topics ranging from Puppy Start Right Preschool to Reactivity 101.
Private Stations. Dogs and humans need minimal distractions for optimal learning. The experience you and your dog have is a priority, particularly when you’re enrolling in a foundational class such as Puppy Kindergarten or Basic Manners. Every family at Dog Flower has a completely private station with multiple padded chairs, fresh water bowls for your dog, a shelf to place your treats beyond your dog’s reach, a coat hook and a back tie anchored into the wall for hands-free training.
Homework Handouts. How are you going to write down notes while actively managing and training your dog? Not easily, that’s for sure. Every class at Dog Flower comes with an extremely detailed homework handout summarizing everything we practiced in class, typically with video examples. Missed a class? Not a big deal because the handouts are THAT detailed.
Low Trainer to Dog Ratio. A good group class will have no more than 5 families per trainer. Any more than that and it is too difficult for a trainer to observe you practicing an exercise and provide helpful feedback. At Dog Flower, we cap most of our classes at 5 dogs, and our Reactivity 101 and 201 cap at 4 dogs.
Vaccines Required. Do I need to elaborate on this one? If the training facility is not requiring proof of vaccination, especially for puppy classes, that is concerning. Unvaccinated and sick dogs should not be allowed in group classes.
Rules Enforced. Typically, dogs should not be allowed to approach one another in a group class setting. It is stressful for many dogs and can be detrimental to training goals in some classes. Your instructor should be willing to implement and enforce rules that protect all of the attendees.
Instructor Values Your Opinion. Dog trainers typically know a lot. You also probably know your dog better than your trainer. Your dog trainer should treat you with respect and value your observations and opinions.
No Dogs Left Behind. If your dog isn’t having a beneficial experience, your instructor should be willing to troubleshoot ways to improve your dog’s experience. Sometimes that means putting up extra barriers, letting your dog do an entirely different exercise, or even excusing you from the class early and finding a different training option to replace the group class. Ultimately, your dog trainer should have you and your dog’s best interest in mind, at all times.
WILDERDOG TRAINING TREAT POUCH
Be sure to snag a dog training treat pouch before your first day of class! We recommend a treat pouch with a magnetic closure to prevent you from spilling dog treats anytime you bend forward.
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FIRST CLASS
Doublecheck Policies. Be sure to check if your dog will attend the first class with you or not. Many group classes host a people only orientation for the first night.
Prepare Supplies. Treat pouch. Multiple types of small and soft dog treats. If you’re using things like string cheese, cut it up ahead of time. Travel mat, towel or blanket from home for your pup to settle on. A chew, frozen lickmat or Kong.
Don’t Starve Your Dog. If class is right around the time your dog eats dinner, I recommend feeding them at least a partial meal before class vs. skipping a meal completely. If your dog is hungry, it will be more difficult for them to focus. While hunger can “encourage food motivation”, I avoid this approach when possible.
Don’t Exhaust Your Dog. While a short, sniffy walk can be a nice way to help your dog decompress before class starts, taking your dog to the dog park, going on a long and exhausting walk, or exercising them intensely in other ways can make it so that your dog is too tired to participate in the class. For some dogs, they may get overstimulated easily.
Patience and Understanding. Going into a group with other people and dogs can be overwhelming for many pups. If your dog is not responding to their cues/skills at a level you see at home, recognize that the environment is quite distracting, and that it takes time for a dog to acclimate to a new space. If your dog is fearful around new people or in new environments, it may take your dog a couple of classes to really settle in. Prioritize helping your dog feel safe and positively about the group class environment vs. fixating on
HOW CAN DOG FLOWER HELP?
Dog Flower offers a wide variety of group dog training classes: Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners, Intermediate Manners, Loose Leash Walking & Recall, Reactivity 101, Reactivity 201, Tricks & Nose Work Enrichment, and Calm, Confident, & Focused. Our group classes are offered on weeknight evenings and on Saturdays at various times throughout the day.
Not sure where to start? Scheduled a FREE 10-minute Discovery Call with Meaghan below.
about the author
Meaghan Summerbell (KPA CTP, CSAP-BC, CTDI) is a multi-certified professional dog trainer serving East Portland, Gresham, Troutdale and Happy Valley, Oregon. Meaghan is dedicated to helping people understand the inner workings of canine behavior on a deeper, more meaningful level so you can become your dog’s best friend, too.
Meaghan’s wide range of experience spans over 13 years and includes everything from managing and living at a large scale dog boarding and training facility, co-founding a dog training app, owning and operating a dog-adventure company, and co-owning a large dog training facility in Portland for the last 4+ years, before opening Dog Flower independently.
At home, you can find Meaghan spending time with their 6 dogs and 2 cats. When Meaghan isn’t spending time with their own animals, they’re spending time in nature, tending to their dozens of house plants, or in-progress native backyard habitat.
This is an AI free blog post. All blog posts are written and published by Meaghan.
Keywords: group dog training classes, dog training class, Gresham dog training, SE Portland dog training, Happy Valley dog training, Damascus dog training
