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Puppy Classes at Trainers Academy, LLC
A class for puppies between the ages of 9 weeks and 5-1/2 months.

This class focuses on socialization exercises that will help your pup grow into a confident and calm dog! We will have behavioral discussions and begin laying the foundation for obedience as well.

The Importance of Early Socialization
The first months of a pup's life is referred to as the Socialization Period, and is the most important phase of the dogs entire life, particularly in the development of social bonds. Much of what is learned about the environment during this period is lasting, and provides the foundation for many adult behavior patterns - and problems.

It is vital that dogs experience positive interactions with a wide range of other dogs and people. It is also important to do this without compromising the health and safety of your dog, Class is the perfect option. You can rest assured that all of the other dogs in class have been vet checked, and play will be supervised by our training staff. (Read the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's position on puppy socialization here.)

In addition to socialization with the other dogs in class, your dog will be exposed to different types of people. We also use tools like tunnels (pictured above) to help build environmental confidence.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
In class, we will also help reduce the chance of future behavioral issues from popping up by showing you preventive exercises. We can help you nip common issues in the bud. When done correctly we can help you dog cope with being a canine living by human rules.

Topics Addressed:

Puppy mouthing/biting
Housetraining
Chewing
Coming when called
Sit & release
Walking nicely on lead
Preventing Resource Guarding
Accepting Restraint

Visit these tips, which illustrate the importance of  early socialization:

Fear: The Effects of Inadequate Socialization

My Puppy is Already Scared!

Proper Socialization

We asked graduates what they liked most about the class:

"It has been one of the best things that ever happened for our family in terms of owning a dog; I truly believe that so much heartache in the past could possibly have been avoided had we gotten involved w/ Trainer's Academy years ago.  Thank You So much!!!!!"

~ Ruth Tilton with Sophie

"That it was small and I felt like they really understood the behaviors of each dog, not just my own, and that kind of attention was awesome.  I've been to a class that had around 40 people and their puppies- that was complete mayhem and not much fun.  I really enjoyed coming to class each night.  The handouts teach you so much more than you think you know and they have good readings that help you actually understand exactly where your dog is coming from.  It makes the training process a lot smoother."                                                                                                               
 ~ Andrew Cherney with Bernie

"Emphasis on learning to communicate/understand with my dog.  Puppy play interaction to communicate proper bite inhibition."                                                                        

~ Kimberly Kirkland with Chauncey

"I liked having specific goals to work towards each week with Mo.  Even though we had already started to work on some items before starting your classes, it was really beneficial to have a progressive program which set specific goals on a weekly basis.  It helps to keep both Mo and myself focused."

~ Marlea Kobylarek with Molson

"Everything that was taught was very "User friendly"  and important information was always shared each evening.  Also, being with other puppy owners and interacting and sharing common "Puppy issues".  It made us feel like we were not the only ones with a problem."                       

~ Marilynn Roche with Duggan

"I really loved the positive spirit of the trainer and the volunteers as well as the time to allow the puppies to play. Additionally, everyone was so willing to help answer questions- even those that didn't apply to the whole class (like how to stop constant barking!)"                                        

~ Kaitlin O'Riordan with Sophie

"I liked the small class size and that the instructors had a tip or strategy for any situation that was presented. All the suggestions were sensible and easy to implement but are not things I would have thought of on my own. You sure know your dogs! I loved the rewards-based focus and the use of words only once the dog had mastered the behavior—much better than the dog having to learn by trial and error what all of our dog commands mean!"                                                                           

~ Amy Smalley with Atticus

"The instructors did a great job explaining all of the behavioral principles without making them too complicated for others to understand.  I also like how we each got a chance to ask questions. The emails were great and I plan to keep those for future reference!"

~ Veronica McAtee with Huntly

"This was a wonderful experience for us! While we both grew up in families with dogs, neither of us has ever had the responsibility of raising a puppy on our own. So, the class definitely helped us to get over our "new-parent-jitters"! The trainers were so very helpful and patient with us. We thought that training would be a lot of work, and didn't expect it to be so much fun for us and our puppy. As a result, we are really looking forward to taking our next class."

~ Philip and Katie Newman with Wellington

 

Thank You From a Future Puppy Student

Dear Lisa,

I recently signed up my puppy, Libby, for the puppy training class. We start  next week, but we''ve been having some issues with mouthing during playtime and pulling on the leash when I take her for walks.

I've read numerous books and magazines, but today I was browsing the Trainers  Academy's website and found the Tips link. I read a lot of the tips, but the two that made a HUGE impact on me were about walking on a leash and your philosophy about mouthing.

I've decided to stop our long walks until after puppy training classes.

Every article I've read about mouthing has said that I should stop her. That canine teeth should never touch human skin.  These people must have never actually owned a dog because it's almost impossible to keep an 11 week old puppy from mouthing.  Your philosophy about jaw pressure made total and complete sense
to me and struck such a cord of relief. I know now that this is normal and natural puppy behavior and that my job is to teach Libby how much is too much.  THAT I can do!

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom.  I was looking forward to starting our classes next week, but now I'm genuinely excited! 

Your Future Student and Libby's Mom,
Teri Woolley