What is Puppy Class?
A good puppy class concentrates on socialization and puppy biting.
You want to make sure that your puppy class includes a portion of
time for puppy play time but also socialization to other people.
Additionally, a puppy class should address any “puppy”
issues, including, housetraining, puppy biting, crate training,
anti-jumping, handling and “strange” experiences.
There are a number of goals that Puppy class sets out to accomplish:
- Teach your puppy bite inhibition (to bite nicely!)
- Socialize your puppy with new dogs (ones they don’t play
with on a regular basis)
- Socialize your puppy with new people
- Teach your puppy to be handled and love it!
- Assist with housetraining, jumping up and chewing and any other
puppy problems you would like to discuss
- Basic training of Sit and Down
How old should my puppy be to start class?
Ideally, puppies can start class at 8 weeks old; however we do require
the second set of vaccinations (DHPP), which typically places the
dog anywhere from 12-16 weeks old at the start of class. The oldest
your puppy can be is 18 weeks at the start of class.
Why is there an age limit on puppy class?
Since we do so much puppy play time, we like to make sure that all
dogs have their puppy teeth when they start class. This will allow
them to learn to play nicely and use their puppy jaws during play
in lieu of their power jaws as adults!
We have another dog at home – so our puppy gets lots
of play time!
Great! But it would be so much better if your puppy were exposed
to other dogs as well. This will allow your puppy to learn how to
play with different dogs and possibly learn to read dog language
better. Additionally, you also get exposure to strangers in a classroom
setting as well as weekly socialization activities that we perform
in class.
What’s next?
When your puppy completes six sessions of Puppy Kindergarten, he/she
is eligible to enroll in Puppy 2 class. Puppy 2 class covers all
basic obedience training, including stay, come when called, leave
it, wait at the door etc. Because all of the dogs have been through
puppy class previously, our Puppy 2 class advances much more quickly
than a regular obedience class.
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