Puppy Class Vancouver

This is for you if…

Your larger-breed dog finishes by 17 weeks, and your smaller-breed dog can finish by 21 weeks. That means you’re on the ball and you’ve applied for admission as soon as you get your 8 week old puppy, or even before they’ve left the breeder.
DO  NOT WAIT until your puppy has all their vaccinations or you will be too late.

The Program – Puppy Classes

Five classes – Start in any order (you don’t have to start on Module 1)

Classes are organized around basic clicker training exercises, best-practice advice and exercises to raise your puppy, and structured on and off-leash socialization and free time with your puppy’s classmates.

Module 1

  • Socialization Exercise: Resource Guarding/Food Bowl Safety
  • Training: Walk with Me
  • Focus and Attention

Module 2

  • Puppy Topic: Visiting the Vet and the Groomers
  • Socialization Exercise: Accepting Handling, Restraint, Grooming
  • Training: Lay Down

Module 3

  • Puppy Topic: Body Language, Preventing Fear, Anxiety, and Aggression
  • Training: Greetings with Consent

Module 4

  • Puppy Topic: Alone-Time Training / Housetraining
  • Socialization Exercise: Practice being left alone
  • Training: Hand Targeting (Touch)

Module 5

  • Puppy Topic:  Nipping and Biting / Appropriate Play
  • Training: Recall Games (Come)
  • Training: Tug of War / Drop It

Why It’s Important

To reduce the likelihood of a puppy growing up and developing fear, anxiety, or aggression problems, it is important that prior to complete vaccinations, the puppy must have a rich socialization history. A well-run puppy socialization class is a key component of that. 

Puppies without complete vaccination should not be taken to dog parks or dog daycares mixed with adult dogs. Therefore, a puppy socialization class with strict age limitations in a sanitized environment is a crucial component to early socialization towards a variety of breeds of dogs.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour believes it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated. 

In 2008, the AVSAB released a position statement urging veterinarians to encourage clients to enroll in Puppy Start Right classes prior to 3 months of age. Download their position statement here.

Do not wait until your puppy has received all of their boosters, or else they will likely be too old to participate in our program. 

“Given the fact that behaviour problems are the No. 1 cause of relinquishment to shelters, along with the fact that 56% of dogs that enter shelters in the United States are euthanized, and that puppy classes help present behaviour problems and increase the likelihood of retention in the home, there must be evidence of phenomenal risk of infectious disease transmission associated with early socialization classes to warrant holding puppies back. And there is no such evidence to date. In fact, renowned behaviorist Dr. R. K. Anderson, longtime advocate for early sociation, has more than a decade of experience and date supporting the relatively safety and lack of disease transmission in puppy socialization classes in many parts of the United States.”

 

My husband and I took the Puppy Start Right classes with our pup when we first got him. Two years later, I still think it’s the best thing we’ve done so far as pet parents.

In addition to teaching him the basics and teaching US how to properly teach our pup, I think the early socialization made a huge difference in how he interacts with other dogs.

Every time we pick him up from doggy daycare, the staff comments on  how good he is with other dogs – even the ones that typically don’t play well with others. 

The classes at When Hounds Fly were fun, informative, and taught us how to teach our dog instead of just focusing on obedience and tricks. If you have a new puppy, I highly recommend Puppy Start Right.

– Lauren K.

 

Puppy Class Program Tuition

Prices do not include tax.

For details regarding class/training policies, please see our Policy page:

Tuition grants you flexible access to all locations!

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