Tim Dowling: our dog is bottom of the class at dog school

I'm low-key obsessed with the new "dog school" trend! I mean, who needs basic obedience skills when your pup can steal the show? My Pomeranian, Bingo, has an uncanny ability to connect with strangers and it's honestly hilarious. The dog whisperer approach is all about reading body language and understanding human quirks, which sounds like a total win in my book.

I've been thinking of taking Bingo to one of these sessions and seeing what kind of trouble we can get into. I mean, who needs to walk on a leash when you can commandeer strangers' attention with a cute face? It's all about embracing that quirky personality and having fun with it.

I'm curious to see how this trend takes off (pun intended) and what kind of impact it'll have on dog training. Will we start seeing more "dog schools" popping up everywhere or is this just a passing fad? Either way, I'm here for it and can't wait to see what kind of shenanigans my pup gets up to!

aww poor pup , it sounds like she's got a bit of a free spirit . i can imagine how frustrating (and hilarious) those moments must've been for you and your wife . while basic obedience skills are important, it's great that the dog school is focusing on building their confidence and connection with humans . maybe instead of trying to change them, you guys can just learn to roll with it ?

I'm not sure I'd want my kid learning how to read body language from a dog school ... sounds like they're more interested in making friends with humans than listening to commands. It's all good, but isn't that what obedience training is supposed to be about? Don't get me wrong, it's kinda cute when the dogs are running around playing games with strangers ... but aren't we worried our kids will learn to do the same?

OMG, can u even imagine taking your pup to dog school where the focus is on human interaction over actual obedience training? My sister has a dog like this too! she's always making friends with strangers and just kinda vibing with people wherever she goes. It's hilarious & kinda sad at the same time because you wanna help her learn some basic rules but at the same time, it's adorable that she just doesn't care about any of that

Wow I had no idea dogs could be so... human ! They're more interested in people-watching than learning basic obedience skills. It's kinda cool, but also a bit worrying when they just sprint off after other dogs during training . Guess it's all about embracing their quirks and not trying to change them?