Can you adequately obedience train a dog on your own?

[Camilla and Darwin]

We were going to sign Darwin up for intermediate obedience classes this January but two things got in the way.
1- We have college classes during the time they hold obedience. We could change the schedule, but the classes we really need are during that time.
2- I am not altogether happy with the obedience class we previously took. I was already familiar with every "tip" or way to teach that they taught. They were very vague and gave comments like "try this and if it doesn't work, try something else". I don't feel that it was very beneficial beyond socializing him to other dogs.

Certainly it's good to take your dog to class and teach them to behave around other dogs and people but I do this on a regular basis around other dogs where I live. Is there online obedience classes that can be effective, or is this wishfully thinking?

Should we try and do an obedience schedule on our own, or is there no substitute for the actual class?

[Julie B.]

The only reason I continue to take puppy and early obedience classes is because they motivate me to practice more... I know what I am doing because I have done this 5 times already but I just like the social part of it for me and my pup. I also am competitive enough that I want to practice more so my dog is the best at the next class! You certainly can do all of it from home on your own. Just make sure you find good training information and I would highly recommend trying the clicker. You don't have to use it all the time but it sure helps to teach certain skills quickly.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I did formal training because I found a trainer whose philosophy was in tune with the way I felt. I did get great tips and it motivated me to really work on it at home. Peri hasn't done "formal" training in over 3 months, but I just finished a 20 minute training session with her...just now. So find some tips online or a type of training you like. The key is to commit to it and do it on a daily basis. Good luck!
I also recommend the clicker. Very, very useful for us.

[Kyoko]

I take Charlie to formal obedient classes. She had done puppy K ~ CGC, and is about to start Rally O class.
One of the reasons why I take her to the formal classes is that, I really like this trainer and her philosophy, and it seems to work well with Charlie. Also some of the tips the trainer had given me were really amazing, decreased the undesired behaviors such as mouthing really quickly without punishment type negative consequences. I think it is also different dog to dog... Charlie has fear/ behavioral issues, so I feel that it is important for her to address the behavioral issue with professional....

[Adina P]

Rosco is my first dog and I didn't take him to a single class and was able to train him myself through getting his Canine Good Citizen certificate AND we passed the Delta Society therapy dog registration evaluation. So it IS possible. We followed a video training program (and related book) and I corresponded (telephone and email) with an out-of-town trainer. The reason we did it on our own was because I found a training method I liked and nobody locally used this. And, really, there was only one local trainer that held classes on a day I could go but their method didn't impress me. She is a good trainer, just not my 'style.'

So yes it is entirely possible...but you need to 1) know what you're doing OR be following a very good system, 2) be very committed to practicing even though you don't have a weekly class to hold you accountable.

However, if I had a really great class locally I would go because unless you are quite talented, it's hard to spot those mistakes you might make. And it's great to learn from a very skilled trainer.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think this may vary by dog and by owner. Before we got Guinness I read extensively on different training methods and looked at all the old posts here on DK to better understand different approaches. This provided me with a great base to begin training my puppy. I took him to Puppy Kindergarten which was primarily about socialization, and you are doing that with your neighbors. Later though, I did start him with a trainer, and she has helped me tremendously. She is able to spot things in my body language or tone that I was simply unaware of. For example, I had a tendency to vocalize way too much during our training sessions. She was able to point out that Guinness was getting "lost" in all the noise. Another example was that I was slightly bending over from the waist (probably to relate since he is a small dog). She was also able to stand back and really focus on Guinness's body language during training which helped me by providing a better sense of what he was understanding (or not). There were times when Guinness was distracted during training, and my internal frustration was being conveyed in my tone of voice. Until she pointed that out to me I was totally unaware that I was doing that. I was actually making him more "excited" because I was not presenting a calm leadership. These are just a few things....there have been many others. I do think it's possible to train on your own if you are really "self aware". I just wasn't. Perhaps your husband can provide this objective feedback for you. Good Luck!