What comes after puppy classes? Bronze, Silver and Gold explained - Dog Training Classes After Puppy Training
- Rachael Henson
- Apr 22
- 6 min read
You've Finished Puppy Class — Now What?
Puppy Life Skills is just the beginning when it comes to training your new addition. Many people think that completing a puppy class means they can tick that off their list and enjoy life with their fully trained dog, however Puppy Life Skills sets the foundations and gets you and your pup on the right path. All of these skills need continued reinforcement to ensure they remain in place long into adulthood.
Dogs are always learning and adolescence (6 to 18 months) is a key developmental stage where many behaviours solidify and really take root, which is why ongoing dog training in Southampton is so important to continue beyond puppyhood. Puppies can often lull us into a false sense of security by learning so many things so quickly! We are often very impressed with ourselves and our wonderful puppy. However as adolescence occurs many behaviours can be forgotten and new problem areas arise as your puppy experiences hormone surges and biological changes (just like teenagers!).
Many guardians become confused and frustrated when their dog hits adolescence and suddenly acts like they have never been trained a day in their life. This is often the period where many guardians give up, however training through adolescence is the single most important thing puppy guardians can do to ensure good behaviour long term.
Take my dog Isla for example. During adolescence she was incredibly hard work out on walks. During puppyhood she was delightful, walking along on a loose lead, coming back when called and generally being a pleasure to walk. However once those terrible teens hit I was left dreading every walk and feeling like we were constantly at odds. We stuck with it though, trained every day, found compromises and things that helped us both enjoy ourselves, and now I am pleased to say she is a well rounded, lovely adult dog! This experience helped me understand exactly what my clients go through and is what much of the content in the Bronze, Silver and Gold Life Skills courses is based on.
At Goodall Dog Training we have our All Stars, dogs who have been through all of the Life Skills courses and completed them. These are dogs I have seen develop all the way from puppy to well rounded and amazing adult dogs, a credit to their humans' dedication to their training and to showing up for them even when things got difficult!
What comes after puppy class?
If you are wondering what comes after puppy class, the answer is our Life Skills
series which is a structured pathway of dog training levels in Southampton designed to take you and your dog all the way through to adulthood together.
What is Bronze class?
Our Bronze dog training class in Southampton is the first in our Life Skills series after Puppy Life Skills. If you have not completed Puppy Life Skills with us then fear not! Bronze is a perfect starting point if your dog is over 5 months old and you have not yet trained with us.
During the course we work heavily on loose lead walking, recall, coping with tempting distractions, preventing jumping up, some quick win tools to get your dog's attention and a fancy trick to make you and your dog look super impressive in the local park!
The class is held at our outdoor venue within the beautiful River Hamble Country Park where we have loads of space to set you and your dog up for success. We take a maximum of 8 dogs per class and have a minimum of two accredited trainers at every session to ensure you receive all the support you need. Having a safe space to practise working around other dogs is so valuable when dealing with your adolescent dog, and the group environment helps you train around the kind of distractions that would typically throw them off. If your dog is nervous around other dogs you can help build their confidence by practising fun activities in a controlled environment where you will never be surprised by an off lead dog suddenly appearing!
The course runs over 6 weeks with each class lasting 45 minutes. We typically
cover 5 to 6 exercises per session with each exercise progressing week on week to keep you moving forwards. We explain each exercise, why it is beneficial, provide step by step guidance on how to train it and even some demos so you can see the training in action. After each session you will receive our email notes with reminders on the exercises and how to practise them at home alongside a homework schedule to keep you on track. During our final class we complete THE CHALLENGES where we set some targets to see how your skills have developed and run a fun competition!
You can find out more information on our Bronze Life Skills course here.
What is Silver class?
Our Silver dog training class in Southampton is the next step after completing Bronze Life Skills, so you will need to have completed Bronze before signing up. As part of our dog training progression in Southampton, Silver Life Skills introduces more complex exercises, increasing challenges, greater distractions and longer durations to keep you and your dog moving forwards.
In Silver we work on distance cues, solid recalls, walking calmly past other dogs, resisting the urge to chase moving items, moving away from tempting things and greeting humans without jumping up. The course runs over 6 weeks with each session lasting 45 minutes. We have another fun challenge week at the end to put you and your dog to the test. Spoiler alert... no one ever fails!
During Silver is where you really start to see the training fall into place. You begin to feel like you and your dog are one team and start to truly understand and communicate with each other during your sessions. Past attendees have commented on how nicely Silver flows from Bronze and it is all designed to keep you heading towards your goals.
If you have completed Bronze and want to keep up the momentum you can secure your spot on our next course here.
What is Gold class?
Gold Life Skills is the highest level of group class training we offer at Goodall Dog Training and upon completion you will be crowned a Goodall Dog Training All Star! You must have completed Bronze and Silver Life Skills to sign up as we really do take things to the final level here.
Gold is the ultimate step in our adult dog training classes in Hampshire, covering off lead time around other dogs, extremely tempting distraction scenarios on a loose lead, recalls off moving targets, advanced training techniques and of course teaching your dog how to behave at the most important place… the pub!
Our Gold Life Skills clients have become regular members of our community and we all thoroughly enjoy the sessions, working at each dog's ability and pace, laughing off any mistakes and having a great time together. We enjoy a fun social at the end of the course where we chat, have some refreshments and celebrate our wonderful dogs. Our Gold Life Skills graduates leave with all the skills they need to head out into the real world, enjoy relaxing walks, handle a loose lead with confidence, cope with everyday distractions and most importantly know how to chill out when necessary!
If you have completed Bronze and Silver Life Skills and are ready to complete the trilogy you can book your spot here.
Do I need to do them in order?
Yes! A prerequisite of each course is completing the previous level, with the exception of Bronze Life Skills which is our entry level course. Our dog training levels in Southampton are carefully structured so that each level builds on the skills learned in the previous course, ensuring you are never left behind. Each exercise has building blocks involved to proof it in the real world and ensure the behaviour solidifies for your dog. We carefully design each plan to ensure we continue working on those key skills such as recall and loose lead walking to make your walks as enjoyable as possible. At the end of every course we have a challenge week but do not worry, it is not an exam and no one passes or fails!
What about scent work alongside classes?
Alongside our Bronze, Silver and Gold Life Skills classes we also run our UK Sniffer Dog group classes, which are great for dogs who need mental enrichment and a job to concentrate on whilst in the presence of other dogs. Scent work is not about asking your dog to perform perfect behaviours, it is about letting them use their nose and do what they do best. Introducing scent work to your dog's enrichment routine can be life changing for busy adolescent dogs with surplus energy as it is a brilliant way to tire them out when walking alone is not enough. It also gives that busy adolescent brain a calm, focused activity to take part in, ensuring you get a lovely relaxing Saturday afternoon too!
You can find out more about our UK Sniffer Dog classes here. If you are interested in scent work and want to learn more check out this blog!
Comments