Is Puppy Preschool Worth The Effort?

Puppy preschool seems like a big investment in time and money and you could be forgiven for asking if it’s worth it. To help you understand why we think puppy preschool is a vital part of puppy development, read the information below and visit these pages:

Now read more about our puppy instructor, the costs & inclusions, and a nurse’s view.

Choosing A Good Puppy Trainer

Look for these attributes and skills in a good puppy preschool trainer:

  1. Extensive puppy training experience
  2. A professional qualification in dog behaviour
  3. Commitment to ongoing education
  4. A practical (not dogmatic) approach to problems
  5. Patience!

Here’s a genuine testimonial that one of our clients posted on their dog’s breed site. 

Just a quick plug guys – we’ve been taking (name withheld) to Walkerville Vet for puppy preschool and couldn’t be more stoked. It’s run by Suzanne, a delta accredited trainer who is very knowledgable and couldn’t be more helpful. It’s excellent value and each week we get a goody bag. Some of the inclusions: a puppy Kong, pigs ears, liverwurst, rope toy, as well as an incredibly detailed training “manual.” And this is only week 3 – can’t wait to see what will be in the pack next week! A great recommendation for any puppy owners

How Much Does Puppy Preschool Cost?

The price of puppy preschool varies a lot from venue to venue. We know that you can find cheaper puppy preschools, but we are confident our classes provide outstanding value. All classes include:

See the current puppy class price here.

Importance of Puppy Preschool: Diandra’s View

YOU are responsible for what your dog learns.

Socialising Puppies

puppy training
puppy at school

Socialisation is one of the main reasons why we recommend puppy preschool. It starts from about 8 to 16 weeks of age and is a sensitive period, which is inconveniently before puppies are fully vaccinated against many deadly diseases. 

Without appropriate SAFE socialisation your dog can become fearful, aggressive or not learn appropriate doggy manners. As new puppy owners you will have to allow your dog to experience everything our human world has to offer. Dogs are wired to be fearful of new things, so when introducing your puppies to new, and evidently scary, people, place, dogs, smells and sounds you will need to make it a positive experience. Using a high value reward to the dog such as food, toys, physical contact or verbal praise, you can turn a scary vet visit into a fun and exciting 

Having Fun At The Vet

puppy school
puppy play school

Puppy preschool is not only about your puppy learning but having fun. We aim to help create a bond between you and your puppy. We want to help you build a foundation where they trust and respect you and look to you for guidance. The bond which we share with our dogs should not be created with physical punishment or forcing them to do what we want. We have to teach them to want to do what we ask, and the most effective method is positive reinforcement training.

Basic Puppy Training

Basic training is another great reason to attend puppy preschool. We only use positive reinforcement training which is reward based. We use treats, physical and verbal praise or toys, to mark desirable behaviours. For example if your puppy associates sitting with you coming outside to greet them they are then more likely to repeat that action next time, whereas if you open the door when they are jumping up they are more likely to continue to jump.

puppy class student

The training we undertake in puppy preschool will help to create a start which you can build on as they get older, we recommend continuing training into adolescence and adulthood.

Looking After Puppies

puppy preschool classes

Our puppy preschool classes also aim to help you as a new puppy owner. Getting a new puppy is exciting but can also be daunting. Even if you have owned dogs before there are always challenges that we face with each individual. Some new puppies will be toilet trained in 2 weeks, while others can take 3 months! That is where we are here to help. There are new and more effective ways developed every day to help with puppy problems. Our nurses endeavour to keep up to date with all the new products and techniques. We also aim to answer any health care questions you may have to help keep your puppy healthy and happy, we discuss topics such as parasite control, grooming, desexing, harmful food/objects, behaviour problems and more. We are here to help and most of the problems you may be having others are also experiencing.