Puppy preschool

Just as society expects our children to have good manners, we also need to teach our puppies how to behave in different situations, so that they grow into friendly and confident adult dogs.

Puppy Preschool helps to give puppies the necessary socialisation skills for them to learn to act in a socially acceptable manner. Classes will help teach your puppy to look to you for direction and teach owners how to influence and shape the behaviour of their growing puppy. Through this journey, owners will also receive a basic insight into the fascinating world of dog psychology.

What do Puppy Preschool classes provide?

Socialisation and puppy play
Classes are made up of up to 8 puppies and their owners so your puppy will be exposed to different people and dog breeds within a safe environment, all while not being over-crowded. Puppy play is supervised closely to ensure a fun and positive experience.

Basic training
A wide variety of basic commands are taught using positive reinforcement training techniques.

Introduction to the vet clinic
As the classes are so much fun, puppies develop good memories of the vet clinic which makes future visits more enjoyable.

Information on puppy care
You’ll receive comprehensive notes containing information about nutrition, wellness care, toilet training and much more.

Question and answer sessions
Ask away – that’s what the classes are for!

How old should my puppy be and what do I need to bring with me?

Your puppy should be between 8 and 16 weeks old at the beginning of the course and must have had his or her first vaccination. It is during this critical socialisation period that puppies can develop up to 90% of their attitudes towards people, other animals and their environment.

Your puppy should wear a collar and be on a lead (no choker chains or retractable leads please). Bring a mat or blanket for your puppy to sit on. This will be his or her safe and ‘calm’ area.

Please don’t feed your puppy before the class. Puppies like to sleep after a meal and need to be awake and hungry for the training treats we have on offer!

We suggest you bring along some of your puppies favourite special treats and perhaps a “chewy” to keep them occupied while we are talking.

When and where are classes held?

Classes are held at the Dannevirke clinic (usually on a Tuesday evening) or the Pahiatua clinic (usually on a Thursday evening).

The price of the course is available through the clinic. The course is comprised of four sessions, each lasting an hour. Please try to make sure you’ll be able to attend all four sessions – this will give your puppy and all the other puppies attending maximum benefit and will make sure everyone stays at the same level.

How do I enrol my puppy?

Simply give either the Dannevirke or Pahiatua clinic a call, or pop in to pick up an enrolment form/information brochure.

We often have a waiting list and we do have a limit as to how many puppies we can take per class – if you want your puppy to start off on the right paw let us know as soon as possible so we can secure you a spot before we fill up!

We find that our puppies just love Puppy Preschool, and are very eager to come back after their first session. Classes give owners a solid foundation upon which to build and many of our graduate puppies go on to perform in obedience and agility classes held locally.