FAQ’s

Please inform me if your hound is unwell prior to class – Please do not bring your sick hound to class as it can be very stressful for an unwell hound, also he/she may have a contagious illness which may affect the other dogs… and you don’t want to be the one who started it! You are invited to attend WITHOUT your dog if this unfortunate situation arises, to ensure full attendance for the course, the course will still be on offer for you to attend without your dog.  Don’t worry it happens, it won’t be as weird as it sounds; and you’ll be able to take notes and probably learn more

If your place in the class can be filled 7 days BEFORE the course begins then a refund may be offered.  If notification you cannot attend is at short notice; within 7 days a refund may not be provided due to not being able to allocate that space to another pet owner/guardian in time, if the space can be filled then a partial refund (minus administration fees) may be offered.

Each Puppy or Dog  is allowed to bring along with them 1 or 2 human guardians (+/- a dependent over the age of 7 years of age).

Unfortunately children under the age of 7 years can find it challenging to sit still during the classes and this may lead to parents having to manage both child and puppy simultaneously whilst trying to learn and interact in the class.

IF there is a space in another class available at the right time then I will 100% get you into that class to do a makeup class, but it is not often that there is a spare space in the classes being held (especially from October to April).  If a makeup class did become available it may be at a different location, time and with a different trainer.

There is street/highway parking directly outside the shop!  There are also lots of little side streets and if you know the area then you might be able to grab a spot.  Beware of the clearway with south bound traffic between 3-7pm on weekdays.  Northbound side of the highway (heading towards the city) is free to park at anytime.

Please carry little new puppies – Sometimes it’s scary on the busy highway, sometimes in the dark, sometimes with rain and wind, going through big smelly (deliscious treat filled) doors, into a highly disinfected area etc… Puppies need your support.

There is street parking available outside the clinic on the surrounding streets. Please allow time to do a lap of the block sometimes, waiting for a park to become available!
We have always found a park on Wyndham, Wellington, Buckland or Cope Street.
There is now a new ‘Pay and Display’ parking station within a 1 minute walk from the clinic at 158 Botany Road, Alexandria.
Please carry little new puppies – Sometimes it’s scary on the busy road with a bus stop just outside, sometimes in the dark, sometimes with rain and wind, going through big smelly vet doors, into a stinky and highly disinfected area etc… Puppies need your support.

You can have paid parking on and around some of the surrounding streets –  After 7pm it is a lot easier as the clearway finishes outside the daycare at 7pm.  You can park on the opposite side of Oxford Street or directly right outside the daycare from 7pm! There is also a public carpark within a 5 minute walk to Dogs In Town called ‘The Gordon Car Park’ on Newcombe Street  – It’s not ideal but it’s an option – please allow time to find a park and get to the classes on time.  Please carry little new puppies – it’s scary on the busy road, right by the bus stops, sometimes in the dark, sometimes with rain and wind, going through big smelly new shop doors, into a stinky and highly disinfected area etc… Puppies need your support.

Most puppies should not be adopted before 8 weeks of age due to the weaning process (there can be rare occasions where some puppies need adopting from 7 weeks of age). Puppy classes are usually designed for pups under 16 weeks of age, tackling very young puppy behaviours and expectations, so if you delay your enrolment for your puppy the classes until they are older, you may find the classes are not as relevant to you or your puppies developmental stage to suit your current needs. Should you adopt your puppy between 16-26 weeks of age please contact us directly at [email protected] to chat about your situation as you shouldn’t have to miss out on early development training or classes.

Why do you have to wait until my puppy is older than 6 months to enrol into the next course? This is because Puppyhood is a wild ride! There is so much to take in and help them develop whilst they are so young. So much that if you rush them from course to course you may find that you are simply ticking boxes and not dedicating the level of time and nurturing they need to develop a stronger bond and relationship with them early on.

Focusing on their young developmental stages, early foundation training and important aspects like slowly introducing them to the stimulation of the world (socialisation) and generally settling into their new forever homes is more important than getting as fast as you can into the next obedience class. Trust me – focus on connection and engagement here and when you do get into the next course you and your dog will find it so much easier and enjoyable.

If your puppy won’t be home before the course starts – not a problem, come along to the first lesson WITHOUT your puppy! Heaps of families do it, and some prefer it, as there is no cute distraction for the first lesson AND you can hit the ground running for when your puppy comes home on day one.

Puppies who have had their 2nd Vaccination are ALLOWED to go out and about and into the big scary world – as long as you keep them to the footpaths (aka concrete or disinfected flooring – the things we vaccinate against don’t live in concrete, they generally live in the soil) and keep them away from stagnant puddles of still water (Leptospirosis) and unpicked up dog poo and shared dog park water bowls (all the bad things an unvaccinated dog will share are in their poo or even their saliva) – You can walk around Parks – just stick to the footpath!

The puppy class size is strictly limited to 4-8 puppies Maximum in each class (depending on which location the class is being held at) so spaces are filled on a first in first served basis.

All of the puppy classes are approximately 60-90 mins in duration and run each week for 4 or 5 lessons (eg. 1 lesson a week), depending on the size of the training location.

ALL LOCATION DETAILS ARE READILY AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE BOOKING SYSTEM.

Some locations are smaller in size and we enrol 4 puppies maximum into these classes (3 puppies minimum). These smaller classes can easily get through the full programme (designed to be a 5 week course) in 4 lessons. Locations that can accommodate up to 6-8 puppies maximum require the full 5 weeks to get through the course content as it takes longer to work with each student. So please do not worry, you are not missing out on anything no matter what class you enrol into!

Every Puppy course is structured around the same full 5 lesson programme.  Depending on which location you join and attend the classes determines the length that the course runs; this is because some locations due to the size of the location can only cater to 4 puppies and 4 or 8 people, attending so it is achievable to cover the full course in 4 lessons purely due to the smaller sized classes.

Some locations can host up to 8 puppies and 16 people… These classes need extra time to go through the designed 5 week programme as there are simply more people to assist, more puppies to wrangle and more questions to answer. Each class is run to ensure that everyone gets personalised training during the course.

All courses (regardless of length of the course) cover the exact same content and skills:

• Name recognition – teaching your puppy to respond to their name.
• Sit – teaching your pup to sit on their backside without adding ANY physical pressure.
• Look – teaching your puppy to make eye contact with you on cue.
• Down – teaching your puppy to lie down on their belly without adding ANY physical pressure.
• Leave it – teaching your puppy to turn away from something they want.
• Playing tug – teaching impulse control, good manners, take hold of a toy and releasing a toy on cue.
• On your mat/bed – teaching puppies to go to a place, a location, their beds.
• Following hand motions and body movements to move and engage with your puppy.
• Stay – how to teach your puppy to stay for a duration of time.
• Recall – teaching your puppy to come towards you when you call them.
• Understanding how to communicate with your dog through verbal and visual communication.
• Understanding what makes a behaviour ‘reliable’ and why do our dogs do the things they do?
• Survival techniques to help with toilet training and teething/mouthing/biting.
• Teaching your puppy to accept you holding on to their collars and why that is important.
• Nose targeting – teaching your puppy about targeting objects and learning all about the magic of ‘touch!’.
• Socialisation – what it is, and how to do it properly.
• Calm and settling – learning about techniques on how to teach your puppy to settle down when on lead.

During the course, every puppy household receives a folder of helpful notes to work through during the course.  Each week you are handed a homework sheet to reflect on and recap on what was covered in each class.  At Graduation you will also receive a puppy graduation pack to take home with you.

The first lesson in puppy classes is compulsory as it is the big main theory lesson. This lesson sets you up for the remainder of the course.  You learn some good foundation skills and understanding of working with and alongside your puppy in your training journey together.