Originally posted by guster girl
I've not seen or heard about all obedience classes, obviously, but, the few people I've talked to said they had nothing but good experiences. Most of the ones I've looked into only use positive reinforcement. That sounds like a scary obedience class where they make you scream in the dog's ear. I don't know, I know the classes are for the owner, also, but, I don't think it's a waste of time for the puppy.
You are absolute right. Even though the classes are more to train the humans to train the dogs, the socialization value alone is worth the class. It is also necessary (IMHO) for helping to train with distractions, learning different methods for a command that you're unable to communicate with your dog, and keeping abreast of new research and methods. I have also found that a good training class is an excellent way to observe dog behavior of different types of dogs (a real interest of mine). I am a member of APDT, but I still enjoy taking other people's classes to learn different styles and methods, as well as have other people watch what I do and give me feedback on my methods.