The importance of puppy training classes
It is quite common to attend a puppy course when you have expanded your family with a little four-legged friend. Such a course is often seen as the foundation for good puppy training. However, there are different opinions about whether or not to attend a puppy course with a new pup. In this blog, we explain why a puppy course is actually very valuable for both your pup and yourself as a dog owner.

Better socialization
Besides covering basic commands during the puppy course, such as sit, lie down, stay, come to the owner, and walking nicely on a leash, a puppy also sees many other dogs at the dog school. This helps the pup learn how to behave around other dogs and reduces the chance that it will become afraid of other dogs. At the end of the lesson, there is often time to let the puppies play together in groups under supervision. These groups are usually divided by the age and size of the pups. Letting puppies play together is not only fun for your dog, but it also prevents your pup from accidentally being knocked over during play. By letting puppies play together in a controlled way, they learn the right social skills.
Bond of trust
By working intensively together on practicing and learning, you build a bond with your pup. You learn to understand each other better under the guidance of an instructor who provides explanations and feedback about the basics of dog behavior. Additionally, a puppy course encourages you to be actively involved in your pup’s training. Puppies gain confidence from the rewards given by their owner. By giving a pup a lot of trust and attention in the early stages of its life, its confidence grows and it will stay motivated to obey its owner.
Did you know that Riverwood’s reward snacks are also suitable for dogs of all breeds aged at least 10 weeks? With the semi-moist snacks and crunchy snacks, you can responsibly reward your puppy, even during the puppy course! View the full range of reward snacks here.
You never stop learning
You often hear that people with years of experience with dogs don’t find a puppy course necessary. However, we recommend everyone to take a puppy course with a new pup. Every dog is different and requires a different way of training. Also, bad habits are quickly learned but unfortunately often harder to unlearn. During a course, you can ask all the questions you encounter in the first weeks with a puppy at home. You can also share tips and experiences with other dog owners. This way, you can recognize and solve behavior early on that might have led to problems without guidance.
Did you enjoy training together during the basic course and complete it successfully? Then you can choose to take follow-up training(s). In these lessons, you will go deeper into obedience training and refine the basics. Besides basic commands, you will also learn commands at a distance, walking with or without a leash, and retrieving.
For the real enthusiasts, there are also plenty of specialized dog training courses offered at dog schools. Think of agility, flyball, dog frisbee, or tracking, for example. Some of these specialized trainings require the dog to be a certain minimum age. It is also important to check if the type of training suits your dog’s character and breed when choosing a suitable course. So, check in advance whether you and your dog qualify for a particular training.
Tips for choosing a dog school
It is important to choose a dog school that fits you and your pup. But what should you look for when selecting a dog school? Below we give you some tips:
- Do your research and start your search early
Dive into the internet to look for reviews and ask for experiences from other dog owners or family and friends. Also, make sure to start your search for a suitable dog school early to avoid disappointments. It can happen that the dog school you choose is also popular with other dog owners and therefore has a waiting list.
- Find a dog training school that matches your vision of training methods
There are many different opinions on the best way to train a dog. When choosing a dog training school, check if their training approach aligns with your vision.
- Ask about group sizes
The more dogs there are, the less time and attention you and your puppy will get. So, ask in advance how large the groups are.
- Ask about qualifications
As mentioned earlier in this blog, you never stop learning. The same applies to instructors. Find out if the instructor has any qualifications and ask how they keep their knowledge up to date.
- Visit the dog training school
Have you found a dog training school that gives you a good first impression? Then visit to get acquainted. This way, you can see if you connect with the school, the instructor, and the training method. Still feeling good about it? Great! Then you can start the course with confidence. If you still have doubts or didn’t get a good feeling from the visit, keep looking for another dog training school that better fits your wishes and needs.
Although attending a puppy course is not mandatory, based on the information in this blog, we recommend that you at least take a basic course with a new puppy. Going to a dog training school with a puppy provides good guidance in raising your new four-legged friend, and at the same time, the puppy experiences many new impressions. In short: by taking your puppy to a puppy course at a good dog training school, you give them a great start!
Many dogs already enjoy Riverwood every day. Do you want your dog to enjoy our delicious food too and are you curious which variant suits your dog best? Then answer here a few questions about your dog and order an affordable trial package right away.
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Adult dogIn stockDog snacks with fish | reward snacks | Fisherman's Catch - Salmon & Whitefish | 200 grams
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Adult dogIn stockDog snacks with meat | reward snacks | Farmer's Pride - Duck & Turkey | 200 grams
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Adult dogIn stockDog snacks with meat | reward snacks | Butcher's Best - Venison & Wild Boar | 200 grams
Regular price €4,49Regular pricePromotional price €4,49Hypoallergenic Natural ingredients Grain-free Gluten-free No artificial additives -
PuppyAdult dogSenior dogIn stockDog snacks with meat | reward snacks | Shepherd's Friend - Lamb & Rabbit | 200 grams
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