Focus Dog Training | Helping Dogs and Humans Thrive Together

How to find the right puppy class for you

Written by Lauren | 19-Jan-2026 12:25:17

If you search for puppy classes in your area you'll probably find yourself swamped with options. We definitely are in Leeds! So how do you know which puppy class is right for you?

To help you out, here are a list of questions we'd ask before booking a puppy class:

How many puppies will be in the room?
This is super important! The more puppies in the room, the more stimulating the environment is going to be for your puppy. If it's too busy, it's going to be hard for your puppy to learn. We keep class sizes at 4-5 puppies to help keep things calm, and allow for plenty of individual help.

What training methods do you use?
Ensure the class you book uses training methods that are fun for your puppy. Our training should set puppies up to succeed and focus on managing the environment to prevent unwanted behaviours, and rewarding behaviours we'd like to see more of with food, toys, and play. Keywords to look for are, rewards-based, force free, games based, fear free, and positive reinforcement based. 

What do you teach in class?
There is no right or wrong here and every trainers syllabus for class will look different. What's important is that you're interested in learning what they're teaching!

What happens if the class isn't right for my puppy?
Not every class is suitable for every puppy and sometimes you might turn up and find class isn't suitable. Trainers will have different approaches here but make sure their answer feels right for you. We do our best to help all puppies settle into class but if a puppy is finding class challenging, we always offer to switch them to 1-2-1 sessions instead.

Hopefully these questions should give you a pretty good idea about whether that puppy class is right for you. There are also a few things that suggest that a puppy class is best avoided:

  • Large groups, six is the maximum class size we'd consider joining with a puppy.

  • Classes that primarily focus on the puppies playing together. Carefully managed play and interactions can be helpful but this should be a small portion of the class.

  • Mention of physical 'corrections' or punishments

  • The use of tools such as slip leads, prong collars, electric collars or anything designed to cause physical pain or discomfort. 

If you'd like to learn more about the puppy classes we offer in Leeds, book a call or drop us a message, we're always happy to talk about puppies!