Meet Miko! I’ll be bringing him home in a week, and I’m trying to get ready. I had a dog when I was younger, but I can’t really remember much about how the training went. I’ve heard about Baxter and Bella—anyone here have experience with them? I’ve also seen the Woofz app—how do you feel about that one?
Pay for a trainer to help train both you and your dog. If you’re planning to have your dog for its whole life, a couple hundred bucks and a few Saturdays is worth it.
Channel said:
Pay for a trainer to help train both you and your dog. If you’re planning to have your dog for its whole life, a couple hundred bucks and a few Saturdays is worth it.
Couldn’t agree more. Consistency is key! We interviewed 10 trainers for our dog. Ours was a few sessions over months, but it taught us how to train the dog. Once you get the basics, you can teach your dog pretty much anything.
I’ve been watching McCann Dogs and Zak George on YouTube to prep for my pup. I’m feeling more confident after watching their videos.
Benaiah said:
I’ve been watching McCann Dogs and Zak George on YouTube to prep for my pup. I’m feeling more confident after watching their videos.
We watched a lot of his videos too when our dog was a puppy. We learned a lot. When he was older, we started going to in-person training classes at our local AKC kennel club.
Benaiah said:
I’ve been watching McCann Dogs and Zak George on YouTube to prep for my pup. I’m feeling more confident after watching their videos.
I LOVE Zak George! I’d never had a puppy before, but I trained my dog really well using his YouTube videos. My dog is 3 now and super well-behaved!
Benaiah said:
I’ve been watching McCann Dogs and Zak George on YouTube to prep for my pup. I’m feeling more confident after watching their videos.
Zak George and Kikopup helped us through the puppy stages. A trainer helped us when our dog hit adolescence!
Benaiah said:
I’ve been watching McCann Dogs and Zak George on YouTube to prep for my pup. I’m feeling more confident after watching their videos.
Heads up—some people don’t consider McCann to always be about positive reinforcement.
@Dalcy
Wonder why? I’ve only ever seen positive reinforcement in their videos. I’ve learned so much and felt more confident after watching them.
My wife did Baxter and Bella when we got our doodle during Covid. We couldn’t do regular puppy classes where we live. We’ve always gone to in-person classes and a few additional ones before 6 months. She likes Baxter and Bella, but I think you need to be a confident owner who has done some training to get the most out of it. Since we did the virtual classes, we’ve done some in-person training and one-on-one sessions with a trainer. Our dog has always been loving but was reactive, so a trainer helped us get back on track.
@Gia
I agree with Baxter and Bella. But I’d mix it up with in-person training around other dogs. Baxter and Bella’s videos are great, with printouts to help track progress. You also get lifetime access with a one-time payment, no monthly subscriptions. So you can always ask trainers questions or even have 1-on-1 calls or Zoom chats.
If you don’t have experience, the best thing you can do for your dog and family is hire a trainer/behaviorist. You won’t know what you missed until it’s too late, and there’s a lot you don’t know! My dog Moose is Canine Good Citizen certified and also a therapy dog, but even then, he’s still scared of yard decorations like inflatables!
I watched a bunch of TikTok and YouTube videos to get the basics like crate training and commands. I also did a puppy socialization program that helped a ton. My dog is 7 months now, and I’m looking into working with a professional for more structured obedience training. She still pulls on the leash, jumps on us inside, and gets distracted outside!
I don’t have a Goldendoodle, but I’ve had poodles and poodle mixes. I recommend the book The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller. It’s considered a foundational book in dog training. It even includes a training schedule and log templates. I haven’t used YouTubers or apps, but there’s also the puppy101 and dogtraining subreddits, which have useful wikis. Good luck with your dog!
@PupProGuide4
I agree with your point but can’t stress enough how important it is to train in groups to socialize your dog with others.
Donna said:
@PupProGuide4
I agree with your point but can’t stress enough how important it is to train in groups to socialize your dog with others.
Especially for puppies! But I can’t speak from experience on that side, as I’ve never had a puppy young enough for classes. I just wanted to share some helpful resources. Learning about training also helps me make informed decisions about trainers’ methods.
Go to puppy training classes yourself. Look for a group training class with a maximum of 8 dogs. Personally, I prefer a trainer who focuses on building a bond between the dog and owner and teaching them to work together as a pack. Understanding dog behavior is really important. I always try to let my dogs keep their distance from others and explain that dogs usually don’t like strangers petting them right away. I don’t like the punishment/reward method.
The internet! Also, my cousin has a dog, and she gave me tons of tips! YouTube was really helpful too. Patience and persistence are key.
Take your dog to a training class.
I hired a dog trainer. It was expensive, but I’ll always pay for training for any future dogs. It really deepened our bond, and now we can go out without stress!