Who wouldn’t love to be a world class dog trainer? It would be wonderful to know that you could bring home a puppy and have him fully obedient in a matter of weeks. But this just isn’t practical for most of us. This modern world offers few of us the chance to learn something so intricate on that sort of level. We don’t have enough time to turn our puppies into obedient and secure family members without some help.

For those of us who aren’t superman, a group training class is the next best thing. These classes are fast and practical way to teach our pets the basics to weave them into our home lives. Plus, it can be tons of fun to watch your puppy interact with his new “friends” and the trainer.

Of course, it’s important that you find the right class for your dog. Therefore, we’ve included a number of tips to help you choose wisely.

Before you begin, ask the instructor what your dog will learn in the class. For a very young pup you’re going to want to be sure that the basic commands are going to be stressed before anything fancy is attempted. Such examples are classics like Sit, Stay, Come, Heel, and Down. Similarly, be sure ask the dog trainer if he or she will also take time to go over these commands with you – after all, the trainer won’t be there in your house when it’s time to see how much your puppy learned.

Keep class size in mind. Group training classes should not be too large. Avoid getting involved in a class that has too many dogs by asking the instructor his maximum class size beforehand. A good rule of thumb is anything between 5 and 12. Any number higher than 15 is probably unworkable; you may be paying for classes but not paying for any actual learning.

Remember that all dogs misbehave from time to time. It's the nature of the beast, so don’t get discouraged. Ask the instructor if behavioral problems are discussed during the class. It is not typical for a group class to go into this area because it is a bit more individualized, so it may be worthwhile to pay for some individualized attention or ask around within the group of “parents” to see how they’ve solved the type of problems that you’re experiencing.