Puppy Training

Get Started on the right Track

Puppy Classes are a fantastic opportunity for both you and your puppy to learn the basics in a clean, controlled, fun environment.

Our aim is to help people grow their puppies up to become confident, happy puppies that can fit into as many situations as possible.  This all starts from the day you first bring your puppy home.  Yes that teeny little bundle will have you all wrapped around their wee paw!!.. Given half (or maybe just a teeny weeny little bit) of opportunity, it will soon think YOU are going to run around doting after it.   That is definitely NOT what we would suggest.  Laying down the ground rules from - YES that very first night- will hopefully prevent dog anxiety creeping in.  Dog anxiety is an absolute nightmare to deal with.  We see it on a very regular basis. Often people find they can't leave the house, go on holiday or do things they really want to do.  Just by talking to owners we can usually work out very quickly that it really didn't need to be the case.  

We want your puppy to fit into your life NOT you fit into your puppys' life.  If you'd like help to get started and on the right track then give us a call on 06-7590190 OR send a Private Message with a contact number on facebook, preferably BEFORE you bring your puppy home.  Even just a week can make things very difficult to change.  It's an understanding of 'Why' and 'How' you're doing what you're doing and having the confidence to follow through, that makes the difference. Doing what we've been doing for so long, we've fine tuned our suggested systems and we know (sometimes with a little tweeking to suit) they really do work. 

Puppies should stay with their mums until at least 8 weeks of age. Yes they will be eating and drinking fine at 6 weeks BUT in the last 2 weeks it is the mother that teaches them the discipline. If they bite her, she will bite them back. Many problems can occur if they are taken away before this time.

From 8-12 weeks is when they next do their most learning and this is the best time to start puppy classes. They must have had their first vaccination at least 7 days before their first class, therefore the earlier they are given that first vaccination the better.  DOn't leave it until you have your puppy to find a puppy class.  Puppy classes are often fully booked and you may find you're unable to get into a class.

A large part of any puppy class is socialisation. In a controlled environment your puppy will (hopefully) learn their sits, downs, stays, heal work, play some fun games and get to ‘puppy play’ with other puppies. 

The other part of 'puppy classes' is 'People Learning'.  If we have the skills to understand what a puppy needs and 'why' they are doing what they are doing then we have a better chance of growing our puppies up to be well grounded, obedient and less anxious puppies & dogs.  Every situation can be different and what works for one puppy may not work for another.  Having someone to bounce these ideas off can work wonders.

Our puppy class area is large with vinyl flooring away from where the general public and other dogs have been. To limit any contamination the floors are disinfected before and after every class. Parvovirus is the main concern here.  The recovery from this can be long and very expensive with many puppies/dogs also not surviving.  For this reason we want everyone to take this seriously and people are required to carry puppies to the puppy class area and not walked into or through the store.

As at 14 March 2024 the classes are $70 for 4 lessons.

At present we are running puppy classes only as we have instore puppies requiring them.  We will normally have space for others to join these classes so please if you are interested in knowing more about Puppy Classes at Pet Essentials please phone 06 759 0190