If you’re like most people, while growing up, your pets were a combination of your best friend and wild beast. Now that you’re a little older and are looking to get your own kids their first pet you want to make sure you have a more civilized creature. The couch getting chewed up isn’t quite as funny anymore, now that you know how much it cost. To help protect both your sanity and your home you should look into a good dog training course. There are all kinds of courses availabe, but how do you know you will get your money’s worth?

Some people, especially older relatives will tell you not to waste your time and money. That a firm voice is all that is necessary. For some rare animals, that may be true, but most will benefit from training. A trained dog is much less likely to bite a rambunctious child than an untrained one. You can also have a much happier relationship with your dog, if you are confident that they will not run away, or attack other animals at the dog park.

You should first examine how you learn best. Are you submissive to authority figures (i.e. teachers) or do you prefer to ask why something is done a specific way. This will be important when you are reviewing possible courses, because dogs are highly attuned to emotions and if you’re uneasy, Poochie will be too.

Now that you know your personal learning style, speak to the breeder or someone from the pet store where you got your dog (are thinking of getting him/her) and see if they can help you select an appropriate obedience regimen. Breeders are particularly good sources of information on this topic, since many of them have built their reputations on dog show performance.

An often overlooked den of information is the humane society, but the staff and volunteers who care for the animals there do so for genuine love of animals. They spend day after day working to turn the meanest animals into docile pets deserving of a good home. It stands to reason then, that they may have learned more than a few tricks in their tenure. Another reason to visit the shelter is that they often offer discounted training courses.

Still not sure? By all means go to any dog parks that are in your area. This will let you see which dogs are well-mannered and socialized. Then just go up and ask the owner to tell you about how they trained their animal.

For the over-worked, or just for the sake of comfort you might want to forego a dog school all together in favor of books or videos. The options there are almost endless, so be careful and read reviews. Make sure you take your time with this method and you’ll do fine.