Puppy Training and Socialisation Classes at Puppy Plus

Our puppy classes are designed for puppies aged under five months (20 weeks) at the beginning of the course. All classes are limited to 6 puppies only.

In our classes we balance the puppies emotional wellbeing with the teaching and learning of useful behaviours. We work on teaching you, as your puppies guardian, how to understand your puppy and meet their physical and emotional needs. This leads to a relationship that holds less frustration, and more patience and care - for the both of you.

The classes are usually held at either 6.00 pm or 7.15 pm on a Monday or Tuesday evening. We add additional courses on other evenings if numbers require. We have new classes starting every four weeks, in rotation.
The puppy course includes a series of eight sessions taught over eight weeks, with advice and support, a copy of our Puppy Plus training and socialisation handbook (updated for 2024) and a puppy goody bag.

The course also includes optional online content in the form of video tutorials to watch between sessions, to keep you on track with training and offer additional support if a session is missed

Our handbook is filled with information, taken from our own comprehensive experiences, as well as a range of sources including Jane Killion's Puppy Culture, Helen Zulch's Life Skills for Puppies , and the School of Canine Science's Puppy Lab. Our handbook is revised regularly as new information becomes available.   
Our classes include the teaching of critical skills such as teaching puppies to enjoy being handled, to listen and be able to follow our instructions (cues), to cope with frustration, to have good manners, and to be calm.

We also carry out lots of activities that promote confidence and resilience, teaching puppies to bounce back from being startled or frightened.

We teach a range of behaviours including attentiveness to name, a reliable recall, loose lead walking, sit, down, stand, wait, leave it, and settle behaviour, plus good manners, including not jumping up. We also give advice on collars and harnesses, headcollars and muzzle training.

Classes are friendly, relaxed and supportive and provide vital socialisation, with puppies able to meet various adults, children and other puppies.
We now include the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dogs Scheme Puppy Foundation Award into our 8-week classes so puppies who complete the course will receive their foundation award as well as their Puppy Plus rosette.

We also incorporate the canine Fitpaws equipment and free exercise into our puppy classes to increase confidence, sensory input and body awareness.

Scentwork activities and a range of other canine activities also make them fun for your puppies and yourselves alike. Our classes provide an excellent basis for those wishing to take up dog sports also, from agility to obedience to scentwork!

Your puppy is at the centre of what we do. All puppies are treated as individuals and given the support, time and understanding that they need. All are encouraged to progress at their own rate, and all progress is valued.