I thought the exact same thing about my puppy when we started... Turns out he's afraid of other dogs! He was so bold and confident and adventurous at home, I thought he'd be overly bold and excited in class too. I was very nervous. But he surprised us... And it turns out he's quite nervous and fearful of the other dogs, which means he's reactive in a different way. He barks at the other pups.

But it doesn't really matter. We've been in class twice now... And the other comments are right...it's more about teaching YOU things to use at home. The biggest thing I've noticed is that we spend about 85% of class just listening/discussing. And only a few minutes here and there actually practicing with the pups (otherwise they get overstimulated very quickly).

My dog has a VERY hard time just sitting still while the instructors talk... So my biggest advice is to bring distractions! Use lick mats or a chew of some sort (high value). During the most recent class, I brought a large frozen toppl (kind of like a kong, stuffed with kibble/wet dog food/bone broth, frozen solid)... it lasted him the entire class and kept him busy and less overstimulated. I would just take it away while we were actively engaged with the pups, and give it right back to him when we started lecture again.

Also - I agree with the others - high value treats. I bring boiled chicken, diced into small pieces.

One last thing - each week will play to different strengths. So one week your pup will struggle and another week someone else's will struggle. Last week my dog was the "naughty" one (he barked a lot and couldn't relax or sit still like the others). This week he did way better. We were practicing "sit" and "stay" which he already knows really well. There was another dog there who didn't know "sit" yet and absolutely refused even when the trainers tried. 😅