Why Start Classes Before 12 Weeks ?

When you bring your puppy home at around 8 weeks of age, they are in the middle of one of the most important developmental stages of their life. This is known as the critical socialisation period, when puppies are learning how to respond to the people, animals, environments, sounds, and experiences they will encounter throughout their lives.

The window to help prevent fear-based behaviours begins to close at around 12–14 weeks of age. This means that the weeks between bringing your puppy home and 12 weeks are incredibly valuable for introducing them to new experiences in a safe, positive, and controlled way.

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Why Choose Our Puppy Programme?

Our structured programme is divided into three progressive stages to support puppy parents from 9 weeks of age through to approximately 4 months.

 

🐾 TINY TAILS – Stage 1

Puppies must be between 9–12 weeks of age at the start of the first class. The first set of vaccinations must have been given before the class starts. Proof will be requested.

Tiny Tails focuses on puppies' critical developmental needs before this important developmental window starts to close at around 12–14 weeks.

 

Puppy parents are guided in:

• Bite inhibition

• Calm body handling to help make veterinary visits and grooming less stressful

• Confidence building and socialisation with dogs, people, sounds, and everyday household items to help prevent fear-based behaviours

• Plus some foundation training skills

 

You'll also receive training handouts to support your learning at home before the classes begin.

Topics include:

• Crate training

• Toilet training

• How to create food enrichment

• Hand feeding

 

🐾 BRAVE PAWS – Stage 2

For puppies that have graduated from Tiny Tails.

Brave Paws is for puppy parents who want to continue developing their puppy's confidence and start foundation life skills training.

 

Puppy parents are guided in:

• Engagement

• Loose lead walking

• Recall

• Settle

• Leave it, Take it, Thank you cues

• Positions – Sit/Down/Stand

• Place cue

You'll also receive training handouts to support your learning at home.

 

🐾 TOP PUP – Stage 3

For puppies that have graduated from Brave Paws.

Top Pup builds on and strengthens the skills developed in Stages 1 and 2.

 

Puppy parents are guided in:

• Engagement

• Loose lead walking

• Recall

• Settle

• Leave it, Take it, Thank you cues

• Positions – Sit/Down/Stand

• Place cue

You'll also receive training handouts to support your learning at home.