Puppy School Sessions

Our puppy classes are the perfect start for new dogs and their owners.

At Puppy school, we focus training for both you and your pup some essential concepts including:

• Calmness - teaching a dog to be calm is an important foundational skill, as dogs make better choices and are more easily able to learn.

• Focus - A puppy who can pay attention to their handler is able to respond to their handler rather than the environment

• Self control - no chasing after cats, cars, kids on bikes. Staying on their bed happily until asked to move. No counter surfing or stealing food.

• Confidence - Being happy and relaxed exploring new or novel environments.

• Optimism - Seeing new things and situations as no big deal, rather than a threat (healthy socialisation).

I also incorporate basic obedience and cooperative care to make grooming and visits to the vets easier for everyone.

Why Puppy school?

To set our dogs up for a life lived well with humans, we should provide our dogs with the best training we can while they are between 8-16 weeks old and are establishing behaviours they will carry with them for life. 

Will my puppy be safe, they haven’t had all of their vaccinations?

Puppy School venues are sterilised before class. This ensures your puppy is as safe as possible while its immune system is still developing and before it has finished its vaccination schedule.

Where do you run puppy school?

Puppy school classes are currently running in Kyneton.

What to bring?

To prepare, we ask that you:

• Have a hungry (not starving) pup that hasn't eaten in a few hours (we will be using food and we don’t want them feeling sick from overeating)

• Have a well fitting flat collar for your pup (and/or harness if using)

• Have a light leash

• A small bed, towel or mat

• Have an ample supply of soft, easily palatable treats (poached chicken, Prime 100 or a little cheese works really well)

• Have your pups favourite toy handy

Above all we ask that you are optimistic about your dog and have an open mind to try new ways of training your dog.

Take home materials

You will receive notes from your class so that you can review and practice your skills between classes.

What to expect

Puppy School is about teaching your puppy to interact with you and giving you the skills to build a lasting relationship with your pup. Puppy School is not playgroup for your pup, your pup will have a chance to play with the other pups in week four (if there is a suitable playmate in the class). If your pup is not coping with class (excessive barking etc) we will do what we can to help your pup succeed, this may include putting a visual barrier up between your pup and the others in the class. You may also attend class without your pup so that you can learn and implement that learning with your pup at home.

My pup is showing serious behavioural issues, should I book them in?

If your puppy is displaying excessive levels of barking, dog-dog aggression, biting etc they are highly likely to find puppy school overwhelming, which is not beneficial for building a foundation for great, calm behaviours. If you are unsure if puppy school is the right option for your pup please get in touch to discuss your options.

What if the class instructor is ill?

If your instructor needs to isolate due to a positive covid result or too unwell to teach in person, your class will move online (Zoom) at the same time as your regular class (assuming no serious illness). We will move back to face to face classes as soon as possible. For online classes you will need:

• Access to zoom via a smart phone/tablet/computer with the camera angled so that I can see your pup.

• Lots of treats (including some of your pups normal food).

• Your pups bed and lead

• Enough space for you pup to move away from you and come back