Dozens of dog-training books and videos are published every year. With those resources available at your nearest bookstore or library, why should you spend money to attend a dog-training class? Books and videos can certainly assist you in the training process, but with a mind-of-his-own breed such as a pug, the personalized help a trainer can provide will help you and your pug learn more quickly.

Besides the basic behaviors a pug should know — sit, down, come, stay, walk nice — a trainer can help you understand what's normal and what's not, and what behavior to expect at different stages of your pug's puppyhood and adolescence. She can also help you learn to teach tricks and advise you on getting involved in animal-assisted therapy or activities such as freestyle or agility. A good trainer will help you elicit your pug's positives, using training techniques that make learning fun. You'll gain the following advantages from attending a class:

• Trainers have experience with large numbers of dogs, so they can call upon a variety of tricks and strategies to see what works best with your pug.

• Training class provides socialization opportunities so your pug can become accustomed to meeting and interacting with other dogs and people.

• Training class helps your pug learn to pay attention to you even in the face of distractions.