About this Class:

We encourage you to start your puppy in class early (as young as 8 weeks). You do not have to wait until your puppy’s vaccinations are complete. For more about this, please read the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s position statement on puppy socialization. Puppies should be 8 weeks – 18 weeks old when they begin our in-person Puppy Kindergarten.

Many of our Puppy Kindergarten classes listed below have rolling registration. That means that your family and puppy can join the class you choose as soon as space opens. There is a list of the first dates available for each of our classes farther down on this page. You are registering for six weeks in a row, not including class cancellations.

If a section is listed below with a start and an end date, that section is not rolling, but has been added for those six weeks only.

In Puppy Kindergarten, you will: start training your puppy in basic good manners (like sit, come, loose-leash walking, wait, leave it, attention, settle); learn how to deal with typical puppy challenges (including mouthing, house training, jumping); and practice training exercises, like “drop it” and handling, to help prevent future fear and aggression issues. You will also watch your puppy socialize with other puppies in a supervised environment.

Local friends, also look at Puppy Party, supervised play with other puppies.

We use only positive methods – no choke, prong, or electronic collars. Training is fun for both you and your dog!

Instructors:

• Sarah Stoycos (Laughing Dog Academy)
• Melissa Dilla (Metropolitan Dog)
• Kelly Burgdorf (Horses and Hounds Training)
• Robin Shepherd (Infinite Dog)
• Veronica Beman (Heart’s Content Dog Training)

Fee: $210; Six sessions, 75-minutes each

Available Starting Dates

These are the first available start dates for each rolling enrollment six-week class. Classes with an asterisk (*) are not rolling enrollment.  

• Monday 10:15 am – January 8
• Monday 6:00 pm – December 18
• Monday 7:30 pm – December 18
• Wednesday 10:15 am – January 3
• Wednesday 6:30 pm – January 3
• Sunday 4:30 pm – January 14
• Sunday 6:00 pm – December 17
• (FULL) * Sunday 9:15 am – October 22 – December 3 (no class on November 26)
• (FULL) * Sunday 9:15 am – December 10 – January 28 (no class on December 24 or 31)
• * Sunday 10:45 am – January 7 – February 11
• * Sunday 9:15 am – February 4 – March 10

Class fees help support the free programs and services provided by Your Dog’s Friend, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and supporting dog parents.