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Los Angeles Puppy
If you would like private training for your puppy or a combination of one private lesson and the Puppy Training Classes, please go to the Dog Training Services page for more information.
Click here for a schedule of the Puppy Kindergarten Training Classes. You may join any week! There are four one-hour classes covering
Classes are held at Westwood Park, which is the park next to the Federal Building in West Los Angeles, one block east of the Wilshire exit on the 405. The fee is $169. We have a large training area for the classes, and there is ample free parking. Please call 1-877-7-DOGGIE for more information. What are the objectives of Los Angeles Puppy Training Classes? What does my enrollment cover? Why does my puppy need to do this now? But I want my puppy to learn obedience now (such as Stay) – why does this class cover other things? Why does my vet say to wait until he's had all his shots?
What are the objectives of Los Angeles Puppy Training Classes? Los Angeles Puppy Training Classes are geared to familiarize your puppy with his environment and help to acclimate him to the myriads of situations he will encounter throughout the rest of his life so he learns social behavior and other skills in a controlled class setting under the watchful eyes of both you and an experienced trainer. The classes are geared to "puppy issues" such as housetraining, chewing and biting, socialization and handling, and confidence and relationship building and are for puppies 10 to 16 weeks old at the beginning of classes. If your puppy is older than 16 weeks, then please take our Los Angeles Dog Training Classes which are a basic obedience/manners class. Or perhaps you would like to have private training in the comfort of your home. We can accommodate you there, too. Just give us a call for a personalized program. Los Angeles Puppy Training classes help to accustom your puppy to being handled, begins the process of appropriate learning, and helps to prevent problem behaviors from developing.
What does my enrollment cover?
Why does my puppy need to do this now? This is the period in the puppy’s life when he learns the most. He’s only going to be a puppy once, and the lessons he learns now carry through for the rest of his life. The results may not be evident right away, but later in his life, he will be well adjusted and confident – and a pleasure to be around. That means that you will have a better relationship with him, and he will be a happier dog.
But I want my puppy to learn obedience now (such as Stay) – why does this class cover other things? "Puppy issues” are different than adolescent or adult dog issues. The two things that most puppy owners are concerned with are with both ends of his body – the Front End dealing with chewing and mouthing as well as the Back End dealing with peeing and pooping. But think about what’s going on *inside* his body – his developing brain – that needs to be addressed while he is still young. The fallout of not addressing in during "puppyhood" may not become apparent until he is an adult. When puppies are given positive experiences in a controlled setting, they become better adjusted in later life. His brain is developing, and the connections between the brain cells are increasing. The more connections (which translates to the more experiences) he has, the better his emotional and behavioral foundation will be in later life. Would you rather have your house built on chicken wire or concrete? That’s why this class has such a positive impact on his developing brain – because new experiences are introduced gradually in a controlled manner. In each class, you can see the behavioral development and progress your puppy makes -- it's a lot of fun to watch! We also introduce obedience that's geared to your puppy's attention span -- which is very short!!! So he does learn some obedience in class. But even more important than obedience is self control, and that's what we work on.
Why does my vet say to wait until he has had all his shots? It's becoming more widely accepted by veterinarians that early socialization and learning in a controlled environment far outweighs the small risk of disease. Many veterinary colleges are educating their students in this aspect of dog behavior. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has realized the importance of early socialization and issued a new position statement, "The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing overstimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated." (emphasis added). Your veterinarian may not be aware of this change, so please let him know. Here's a staggering statistic: 50% of dogs are not alive by their second birthday. Why? The majority of them wind up in shelters and are euthanized because of behavior problems, and many of these behavior problems develop because the dogs do not come into contact with other dogs during puppyhood to learn from each other how dogs communicate Please decide for yourself about the benefits in his social development vs. the medical aspect. Is there a risk in letting your puppy be with other puppies? There is some risk -- but think about it a minute. His classmates will be other puppies who have the same care and attention that yours has -- they're up to date on their vaccines and are in good health. Here's a parallel for humans. If you had a child, would you keep him inside until he is 15 years old so he would not be at risk for childhood diseases? That's about the only way to be 100% certain he wouldn't catch them. Let's say, hypothetically, that you do keep your child inside. How does that impact him? Wouldn't it lessen his learning how to communicate? Wouldn't it lessen his learning to share? Wouldn't it lessen his ability to interact with people? Wouldn't it make him *more* stressed because he doesn't know the acceptable way to act? You give your puppy inoculations against all sorts of diseases. How about thinking of Los Angeles Puppy Training Classes as an inoculation *against* stress? What happens when he wants to do a perfectly natural "puppy behavior" that conflicts with what you want? You both get stressed and frustrated. If your puppy learns to deal with stress and frustrating situations early in his life, he is less apt to be afraid of them later on, and he will become a well-balanced dog. And you're there to guide him every step of the way -- and we're there to help both of you. The Los Angeles Puppy Training classes are for puppies who
Owners need to show proof of vaccination(s) and a recent fecal exam. Here is a list of equipment for you to bring to class
There are four classes, approximately one hour each. You may start any week! And – best of all – the fee is only $169 for the series. What a bargain!!! Los Angeles Puppy Training classes are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. at the park next to the Federal Building which is located just off the Wilshire exit to the 405 in West Los Angeles. (We do add additional classes as needed, generally during January and the summer.) We have a large training area for the classes, and there is ample free parking. The format each week is approximately the same, but the topics rotate weekly.
Articles You will receive articles relating to the topics covered so that you can refer to them for future reference. Summary of Los Angeles Puppy Training Classes Curriculum Relationship Building Exercises
Confidence Building Exercises
Pass the Puppy
Socialization and Handling
Biting and Chewing
Housetraining or potty training
Obedience training
Photos courtesy of Little Friends Photo Let's talk! Call 1-877-7-DOGGIE now to find out more about the program. Return To Services
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Caryl Wolff is the *only* International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors
Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers
Certified
Certified
She also is a professional member of these dog training organizations. Association of
International Association of Canine Professionals
Association of
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