Group Versus Private Dog Training Lessons

If you are considering a career as a dog trainer you may be wondering if you should focus on group classes or whether you should offer private obedience classes. Actually, both classes can offer great benefits to you. They each have their advantages for you, the dog trainer, and for owners and dogs.

Traditionally, group classes have been the way to go for most trainers. They allow you to give one lesson to many people at one time. All of your clients are paying you for your training expertise at once. You are getting the maximum return for your work. If you are using a facility - perhaps renting a space - you can reduce the number of nights you have to rent it. If you are giving group lessons on the weekend you can give them all on one day. Your expenditures are kept to a minimum with group lessons. From a business standpoint group lessons offer many advantages.

With group lessons you can also offer as many or as few classes as practical for the number of students. It's up to you to determine the best working number of dogs and owners in a class. However, it's usually possible to fit in one or two more students and their dogs if necessary, so you have a great deal of flexibility. You can also set up classes to appeal to special groups, such as puppy kindergarten classes, classes for older owners, classes for new dog owners, and so on. There are good reasons why group lessons have always been popular with both trainers and owners.

Yet there are some good reasons to consider giving private lessons, too. For one thing you can give these lessons during weekdays on a day and time that is convenient for you and the owner. You will usually go to their home so you would not need to use your own facility. Private lessons can be a way to supplement your dog training income at very little expense to yourself.

Additionally, many owners are willing to pay more for private lessons. They may have dogs with a problem that can't be addressed in a group lesson - some issue that isn't resolved with simple obedience lessons yet which is well within your scope as a dog trainer. It could be housebreaking problems that wouldn't be an issue in a group obedience class. It could be a problem that is only triggered in the home environment, such as excessive barking in the backyard.

Some owners are simply more comfortable receiving one-on-one instruction and they are willing to pay extra for your time and attention. They can be inhibited in a group session and will be able to focus on learning and training their dogs much better with private instruction.

Likewise, some dogs may learn better in a private training session since there are fewer distractions offered than there are in a group lesson. It may be easier for a dog to focus on learning without being surrounded by several other dogs and people in an unfamiliar setting.

While group classes offer the trainer the advantage of having many clients in one place at one time, private lessons can be very lucrative for dog trainers since you're offering a more specialized service tailored to an owner's needs. Specialized services can almost always command higher rates. Your time and effort spent working with one dog and one owner in a private lesson can be a great supplement to your income as a dog trainer.