When you get a new puppy or even adopt an older dog, the decision to train the dog is an important one and dogs need training for all sorts of reasons.Maybe your puppy is chewing through your computer cables like it's going out of style or maybe you need help housebreaking an older dog.

If you already have quite a bit of experience working with dogs then you will have already made up your mind to train the dog on your own. If you have very little dog training experience then attending an obedience class or having private dog training lessons will be the obvious option.

When I got my Jack Russell Terrier, I was in for a rude awakening. Even though I knew these little spunky dogs were balls of energy, I never expected my 2 month old puppy to be able to dig a hole the size of a tennis ball through my bathroom wall. It was that same day that I decided to invest in private dog training for him.

I chose to have private dog training lessons with him because I really wanted the trainer to be able to focus on how to target my dog’s specific behavior and so that the trainer could also work and correct me on how to handle him. If I were to attend a group class it is more likely that my dog and I would have gotten lost in the crowd and walked away feeling frustrated that the underlying behavior issues still exist. Think about it, when you attend group lessons your dog is going to have all of his senses on high alert. All the smells of the other dogs will feed his adrenaline and then of course seeing them too. Do you honestly think your puppy, which already has the attention span of a two year old child, can sit through a 45 minute lesson and focus on what you are teaching him? I didn’t think so.

By having private dog training, it is convenient. The trainer comes to your home or sometimes you can meet up at a park. If the training is done in your own home then you have the added bonus of the dog not getting stimulated by scents from outside and he can better focus on what is being taught to him and the best part is you get your personal dog issues addressed and dealt with.

To find good private dog training, you can either try looking at a message board in your local pet store or try resources online such as Craigslist. Some breeders have also held dog training jobs and may do private lessons too.