Puppy Start Right Classes
Puppy Start Right
For puppies 8-16 weeks of age.
Your puppy's socialization period starts at 3-4 weeks of age and ends somewhere between 12-16 weeks of age.
Why is Puppy Start Right so important?
- The early puppyhood socialization period is a critical and finite period of time during which puppies are developmentally open to new experiences - sights, sounds, smells, dogs, critters, motion, people, environments, novelty.
- Puppies are learning about how to successfully live in modern human society.
- Positive socialization can "inoculate" your puppy against future behavioral issues.
- Positive socialization is so critical that the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour (AVSAB) has published a POSITION STATEMENT in which it states that “…it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.”
- Lack of socialization is detrimental to your puppy's ability to cope as an adult dog and can cause lifelong social deficits, which will affect not only your puppy's quality of life, but yours and your family's, too. Living with a fearful/aggressive dog may seriously affect your lifestyle (inability to have friends over, take a vacation, etc.)
Watch this Puppy Class from Cowichan Canine on Vimeo.
With our Puppy Start Right classes you will learn to:
- Manage your puppy's socialization period correctly, in a positive manner.
- Use positive reinforcement training.
- Manage and prevent undesirable behaviours.
- Understand normal canine behaviour.
- Build a life-long bond with your puppy.
- Teach your puppy to be comfortable around new stimuli, people and sounds.
- Teach your puppy to accept handling and restraint and to become a great veterinary patient and grooming client.
- Manage meetings and play sessions between your puppy and other puppies of different breeds of an appropriate age.
- Teach your puppy to be comfortable when separated from owner/caregiver.
- Guide your puppy when exploring the environment at his/her own pace.
- Teach your puppy to share or trade valuable "goodies".
We offer two Puppy Start Right options:
You can opt for one class, as well as two play groups a week. This option costs $435.00, plus taxes. Or you can attend one class and one play group a week. This option costs $335.00, plus taxes. Regardless of which option you choose, your puppy can continue to attend play groups until they are 16 weeks old. So sign up early!
With Puppy Start Right you can start immediately - no waiting around for classes to begin!
What you need to register:
- Watch our Orientation video on YouTube.
- Your completed REGISTRATION FORM.
- Your puppy's vaccination certificate for at least the first vaccination for each of Parvo and Distemper
You can also PAY ONLINE, after which we will email you your registration information so that you can reserve your spot in class.
Once you have registered and paid, you will be able to book each class attendance yourself online, taking full advantage of our flexible schedule.
CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF WHAT TO BRING TO CLASS
If you have any questions, please feel free to email Stef at [email protected] or contact the office at 250-732-5415.
Hello Cowichan Canine,
We thought you might enjoy an update on Sigrid. We went to the Port Alberni Sanction Match. We are so thankful we did Puppy Start Right and are in Foundations 1. The training really pulled together in this environment.
Sigrid experienced crating, grooming, strange people touching and examining, strange dogs, a new place with strange acoustics, angry dogs, scared dogs, new commands, and a show lead.
Her socialization has given her confidence in spades! She handled it all like a champ and she truly enjoyed herself as we were hoping she would. We could not have done this without the foundations training to settle and also to pay attention in a distracting environment. It was helpful for her to be used to coexisting next to other focused dogs without greeting.
Thank you so much for all she is learning.
Cait & Jess
Sigrid & Cait & Jess
Duncan, BC
I have taken my Pembroke Welsh Corgi through Puppy Classes, The Foundation Programme, Starters Agility and we are now in Advanced Agility. The overall results have been excellent. Reba is now competing at Agility Trials and will soon move from Starters there to Advanced. Lisbeth, Bev, and Karen helped immensely along the way, but Reba's Agility success is solely due to Jody. She is amazing in so many ways - knowledgeable, patient, able to adapt her communication to different clients at different levels beautifully, and so much more. She is encouraging and Reba runs to see her when we attend class. A big Paws Up to Jody and CC.
Brenda Burch
Duncan, BC
