Six weekly classes for puppies of eight to eighteen weeks, six puppies at most, £120
Puppy classes
Six weekly classes for puppies who are eight to eighteen weeks old at the start, six puppies at most with two trainers, in the pavilion on Heath Park: name and focus, sit, down and settle, the start of recall and loose-lead walking, handling for the vet and the groomer, and gentle socialisation with people, puppies and the world. £120 for the six.
The first months of a puppy's life decide more about the adult dog than anything you do afterwards. The puppy course is six evenings that set it up properly: the basics, yes, but mostly a puppy who is confident around people, other dogs, traffic and the vet, and an owner who knows what to do about the biting.
Classes are an hour on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings in the pavilion on Heath Park, which has a heated floor and a door straight onto the grass for when the course moves outside in week four. Puppies can start a week after their first vaccination; the pavilion floor is disinfected before every class and the field section waits until the vaccination course is complete. Six puppies at most, matched by size, with two trainers.
Week one is focus and the name, toilet training and the biting, which is what every owner most wants to talk about. Weeks two and three are sit, down and settle on a mat, handling the feet, ears and mouth, and the first recall games between family members. Week four goes onto the grass for the first loose-lead walking and recall on a long line. Weeks five and six are leaving things, waiting at doors, meeting people politely and a short "graduation" walk round the park lake.
Socialisation runs through every week: different floors, sounds played quietly, a pushchair, a person in a hat and a high-vis jacket, a short supervised play with a matched puppy. The aim is a puppy who notices the world and is not bothered by it, not a puppy who has been made to say hello to everyone. Shy puppies get space and a second trainer; bold ones get calm.
Every owner gets a written summary and short videos of each exercise after the class, and a WhatsApp group for the course with the trainer in it for the six weeks. Most puppies go on to the adolescent course at five or six months, which is the age the easy puppy turns into a teenager.
What is included
- Six puppies at most, matched by size, two trainers
- Heath Park pavilion, then the field from week four
- Focus, sit, down, settle, handling, the start of recall and lead walking
- Biting, toilet training and sleep: the real questions, answered
- Gentle socialisation with people, puppies, sounds and surfaces
- Videos after each class and the trainer on the course WhatsApp
What it costs
£120 for six weekly classes of an hour. A home visit before the course for a puppy with problems already, £65. No membership and nothing added. The timetable has every class with its spaces and every price side by side; the problem finder says which course or visit fits.
Questions about puppy classes
When can my puppy start?
A week after the first vaccination, if they are between eight and eighteen weeks old on the first class. The pavilion floor is disinfected before every class and we stay off the grass until the vaccination course is done.
My puppy bites everything. Is that normal?
Completely, from eight to about sixteen weeks: it is how puppies explore and play. It is also the first thing we cover, with a plan that works in a fortnight for most puppies. It is not aggression and it is not a sign of a problem dog.
Can the whole family come?
Yes, and it helps if the children learn the same cues. Children under ten need an adult with them; everyone sits on the mats with the puppy.
Tell us about your dog. We will say what fits, and what it costs.
Two minutes on the form: your dog, their age, what is going wrong. We reply the same working day with the course or visit that fits and the next date, or book a free ten-minute call if you would rather talk first. Or ring Ffion in the office.