Little Puppy Curriculum

Your puppies are just learning about the world! Everything is new, exciting and also a little bit scary. In little puppy class, we focus on building confidence in a novel environment, work on appropriate social skills and introduce them to novel sounds, surfaces and begin the process of building important life skills while their critical socialization window is still wide open

Polite Play

Play is fun but there’s much more to socializing puppies than just hanging out with friends! What’s important is that everyone is having fun and being a good friend. Through highly supervised, guided play, we will help shy pups feel more confident with other dogs and help bolder pups learn to interact with other puppies without overwhelming them. 

Polite Play

Polite Play

Play is fun but there’s much more to socializing puppies than just hanging out with friends! What’s important is that everyone is having fun and being a good friend. Through highly supervised, guided play, we will help shy pups feel more confident with other dogs and help bolder pups learn to interact with other puppies without overwhelming them.

Introduction to Novelty

A lot of the day to day things our pups will encounter throughout their life, while normal to us, will seem very strange to them. During the 8-16 week time frame puppies are primed to learn about their environment, it is important for puppies to learn what is normal through controlled and positive exposure to new things. We have a variety of everyday items to expose your puppies to in class including bicycles, umbrellas, as well as interactive tunnels, platforms and various items to go over, under and through. All of this will help your pup to be confident and resilient!

Novelty

Introduction to Novelty

A lot of the day to day things our pups will encounter throughout their life, while normal to us, will seem very strange to them. During the 8-16 week time frame puppies are primed to learn about their environment, it is important for puppies to learn what is normal through controlled and positive exposure to new things. We have a variety of everyday items to expose your puppies to in class including bicycles, umbrellas, as well as interactive tunnels, platforms and various items to go over, under and through. All of this will help your pup to be confident and resilient!

Puppy Handling and Hygiene

Husbandry skills, like nail trims and grooming/veterinary handling, so important for all pups but even more so for those who will need frequent regular trips to the groomer. Starting early to get them comfortable with a variety of handling and hygiene skills (being on a table, brushing, etc) means that these experiences will be less stressful for you pups and the person handling them.

Hygiene

Puppy Handling and Hygiene

Husbandry skills, like nail trims and grooming/veterinary handling, so important for all pups but even more so for those who will need frequent regular trips to the groomer. Starting early to get them comfortable with a variety of handling and hygiene skills (being on a table, brushing, etc) means that these experiences will be less stressful for you pups and the person handling them.

Puppy Patience and Impulse Control

While the focus of little puppy class is not on training skills, we do introduce a handful of important age appropriate skills such as name attention, following a treat magnet and touch. By practicing attention based skills and impulse control at a young age, we can prime our pups to be a well adjusted dog.

Impulse Control

Puppy Patience and Impulse Control

While the focus of little puppy class is not on training skills, we do introduce a handful of important age appropriate skills such as name attention, following a treat magnet and touch. By practicing attention based skills and impulse control at a young age, we can prime our pups to be a well adjusted dog.

Introduction to Positive Reinforcement

In this class we will also introduce both you and your puppy to positive reinforcement training. Positive reinforcement is a clear and effective way to help your pup learn what is expected. It’s also fun! Training is a team sport. Positive reinforcement creates a dog who is a willing partner in the training process, making this a great way to grow and bond with your pup.

Positive Reinforcement

Introduction to Positive Reinforcement

In this class we will also introduce both you and your puppy to positive reinforcement training. Positive reinforcement is a clear and effective way to help your pup learn what is expected. It’s also fun! Training is a team sport. Positive reinforcement creates a dog who is a willing partner in the training process, making this a great way to grow and bond with your pup.

Big Puppy Curriculum

As puppies begin to head into adolescence, continued socialization is important. However, what that looks like changes as they enter a different developmental stage. As they mature we want a puppy who can start to learn that focusing on their handler despite distraction pays off.

Polite Play

Big puppy class focuses more on willful disengaging from other dogs and focusing on their handler. While this does include elements of play when there are appropriate matches, our pups are now in a developmental stage where being able to disengage from other pups takes priority.

Polite Play

Polite Play

Big puppy class focuses more on willful disengaging from other dogs and focusing on their handler. While this does include elements of play when there are appropriate matches, our pups are now in a developmental stage where being able to disengage from other pups takes priority.

Novelty

We continue our novelty exposure journey to build an even stronger foundation of confidence and comfort with new experiences!

Novelty

Novelty

We continue our novelty exposure journey to build an even stronger foundation of confidence and comfort with new experiences!

Puppy Handling and Hygiene

Practice with handling and hygiene continues in big puppy class! Our pups will have life long grooming and veterinary needs, so we want to make sure we invest as much time in this as we can to make sure our pups are comfortable.

Hygiene

Puppy Handling and Hygiene

Practice with handling and hygiene continues in big puppy class! Our pups will have life long grooming and veterinary needs, so we want to make sure we invest as much time in this as we can to make sure our pups are comfortable.

Impulse Control and Skill Work

Now that our puppies are a little bit older, we start to work on skills that will continue to build engagement with and focus on their handler, skills that will build solid foundations for continued training such as foundations of recall, loose leash walking, and more.

Impulse Control

Impulse Control and Skill Work

Now that our puppies are a little bit older, we start to work on skills that will continue to build engagement with and focus on their handler, skills that will build solid foundations for continued training such as foundations of recall, loose leash walking, and more.

Positive Reinforcement:

In this class we will also introduce both you and your puppy to positive reinforcement training. Positive reinforcement is a clear and effective way to help your pup learn what is expected. It’s also fun! Training is a team sport. Positive reinforcement creates a dog who is a willing partner in the training process, making this a great way to grow and bond with your pup.

Positive Reinforcement

Positive Reinforcement:

In this class we will also introduce both you and your puppy to positive reinforcement training. Positive reinforcement is a clear and effective way to help your pup learn what is expected. It’s also fun! Training is a team sport. Positive reinforcement creates a dog who is a willing partner in the training process, making this a great way to grow and bond with your pup.

Take a look at our frequently asked questions for more information about our puppy preschool.

What is a Puppy Preschool Class?

The goal of puppy preschool is to socialize your pup and build character. People often equate socialization with introducing dogs to other puppies and people, but a well rounded socialization protocol is much more comprehensive than that. In class, your pup will interact with other puppies through guided play to foster appropriate interactions with other dogs, as well as novel objects (skateboards, holiday decorations), sounds (thunder, construction) and sensations (wearing winter coats.) They are introduced to the clicker, positive reinforcement and age appropriate obedience skills. We also work on grooming and veterinary handling for all puppies. The puppy package ($160) includes 4 sessions which may be taken during any of the offered times.

What is the right age for puppies to attend puppy class?

Puppies are allowed to start puppy preschool if they are between 8 to 20 weeks. We have split the class into older/more confident/bigger puppies and younger/smaller/shy puppies, and further divide them within each class based on play style and size.

My puppy is older than 20 weeks but really small/shy/under-socialized, any chance I can still attend preschool?

Possibly! If they are under 24 weeks, feel free to send us an email so we can chat.

My puppy is too scared to play with other dogs!

Don’t worry – this is one of the BEST uses of preschool! If your pup is very shy, we can set up a separate area for your pup so they can get used to the presence of other dogs while feeling safe and unpressured to interact. Even just being around other dogs will help with your puppy’s socialization. We find that most shy puppies gain confidence very quickly. Please send us an email at office@powertothepet.com if you have any questions about class suitability.

What kind of training do you do in puppy class?

We introduce puppies to clicker-training and teach easy behaviors such as ‘sit’ and ‘down.’ We also focus on attention based skills like name response and the foundations for recall. Training sessions in puppy class are kept short to make it easier for the puppies to focus and to give them more time to play, though we do actively integrate training time into play time as well.

What does my puppy need to bring to preschool?

  • An appetite! If class is around breakfast/dinner time, feed a half portion.
  • An emptied bladder/bowel. There are potty breaks, but pottying before class limits accidents during playtime.
  • A 4 to 6 foot leash – no retractable or bungee leashes.
  • A flat buckle collar or harness.
  • Your pup’s vaccination records (to their first class)

What vaccinations will my puppy need?

In order to attend puppy class, your pup needs to have the first round of puppy vaccinations, also known as the DHPP vaccine. Your pup must also be free from all contagious illnesses. Common puppy illnesses include Giardia, Coccidia, Parvovirus, Bordetella, as well as worms and other parasites. If your pup has recently been ill with one of these diseases, please bring a note from your vet stating that your pup is now healthy and non-contagious before attending class.

What happens if I miss one or more classes?

You only sign up for the classes you plan to attend so missing is difficult. If you’re signed up for a class and fail to show up, or attempt to withdraw less than 12 hours before the start, you will lose the class. In this case, please contact the office and we can add you to the waitlist. Addition to the waitlist does not guarantee a makeup class, but we will contact you if one becomes available. Cancellations made at least 12 hours before the class start can be rescheduled without penalty.

Can my puppy attend class on multiple days?

Yes! Once you have purchased your package you will be prompted to select your schedule. You are free to pick any of the available days. However, we do request that you do not schedule your pup for back-to-back days. Puppy class is tiring and pups in back-to-back classes tend to get grouchy and naughty.

The Pet Republic | 2400 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140 | 617-520-4922 | office@powertothepet.com