Upcoming Puppy School Dates Across Sydney

You are not alone

Most people come to us a few weeks in. They've tried a few things, watched some videos, maybe bought a book. Some of it's worked, most of it hasn't stuck. That's not on them, it's just that nobody really tells you what order to do things in, or why.

Why it runs to eight months

This program runs from day one at home with your puppy all the way through to 8 months old. The reason it goes that long is because the hard bit isn't usually the first few weeks. It's month four. Month five. When the cute puppy phase has worn off and you've got a dog who's testing every boundary they can find and you're not quite sure what went wrong.

How Puppy School works

The group Puppy School is four weeks, once a week, sessions up to an hour. Classes cap at around 10 puppies. Your pup needs to be 12-16 weeks old and have had their second vaccination. Larger breeds need to start at 12-13 weeks specifically, just because of the size gap between dogs at that age. Every program includes at least one at-home 1:1 as well. We come to you, look at what's actually happening in your house, and work from there. We have Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers depending on how much one-to-one time and support you want.

The online course

There's also a 26-module online course that runs alongside everything. It's structured around your puppy's actual age rather than just dumping everything on you at once. Early modules cover the stuff you need before they even come home. Then it moves through the first weeks, Puppy School, adolescence, recall, breed behaviour, common problems, health and first aid. It's a lot, but you work through it as it becomes relevant. Six months of phone and community support is included throughout.

Too old for Puppy School?

If your puppy is over 15 weeks when you join, Puppy School isn't going to be possible. We run an Adolescent Program that replaces the group classes with more 1:1 sessions instead. Same support, just structured differently. Some owners skip group classes altogether for their own reasons and we can accommodate that too, within reason.

How to enrol

To enrol you pick your support level, choose your Puppy School dates, book your 1:1 sessions. Done. Everything goes to your calendar.

Where we run classes

We're based in Sydney and work across pretty much all of it. Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, North Shore, Northern Beaches, Hills District, Western Sydney, South Sydney.

Force-free, always

Everything we do is force-free. That's not a marketing line, it's just how we work. We're not interested in getting your dog to comply out of anxiety. We want them to actually choose to work with you, which sounds simple but it changes everything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

Common questions we get about our services

Common Questions

What is included in the Complete Puppy Program?

The Toe Beans Co offers our Complete Puppy Program which includes: a 4 week group puppy school, 1:1 sessions, access to our online training course covering every element of puppy development, from Day 1 routines through to adolescent workshops, with breed specific support up to 8 months old and 6 months community and phone support. We offer 3 levels of service: silver, gold and platinum that help you tailor the amount of one-to-one sessions and support to your needs. For puppies too old to attend puppy school (>15 weeks) at enrolment we offer a dedicated adolescent program that provides more 1:1 training in lieu of the puppy school.

How do I sign up for the program?

Getting enrolled in the program is simple. Go to our puppy page and decide your level of support. Once you have decided this choose your puppy school date, and then you will be asked to book in for your 1:1 sessions (the number based on your level of support). Everything will be sent automatically to your calendar

What are your puppy school locations?

Our puppy schools are run across multiple different venues to ensure that you have a convenient place location to attend during the puppy program. We currently offer: Paddington, Marrickville, Neutral Bay, Zetland and Alexandria.

How long do puppy training classes last?

The group class element of our puppy programs are 4 weeks long. They are 45 - 60 minutes once per week. This gives a good balance of learning before your puppy runs out of energy (which happens quickly.). Your puppy needs to have had their second vaccination to join — most puppies start group school between 11 and 13 weeks old, though this can shift depending on your puppy's breed and size for the current class. The overall course lasts 6 months.

Are there age limits for puppy school?

You can start our puppy program at any age. We recommend starting as early as possible and have online and one to one support to help you through the early weeks at home. Your puppy needs to have had their second vaccination to join group Puppy School — we're able to take puppies from around 11 weeks once this has happened.

My Puppy is Already 12/14/16 etc weeks old. Can I Still Join?

Absolutely. You can join the course at any time. There may be elements that you are unable to do but plenty of owners join later on and really value having us there to help.

Our course is divided up in to different age brackets to help you get the most out of what you are looking for

There are a few ages where certain things happen but other than that there are no limitations:

Puppy School: Your puppy needs to have had their second vaccination to join — we're able to take puppies from around 11 weeks once this has happened. This is for safety

You can still view the online puppy school videos if you would like to see what we do.

What are the different levels of support you offer for puppy school?

We offer 3 levels of support for our puppy program:

Silver: Our most popular program, this comes as standard with all programs and includes a one to one home sessions and support
Gold: Comes with everything in Silver plus 2 additional home training sessions to support with any other behavioural issues you are facing
Platinum: Only 5 clients accepted at any time. This is are most extensive program and is built for owners looking to take full control of their puppy's development. We provide additional one to one sessions, dedicated phone support and lifetime access to our programs.

Why don't you offer puppy school only?

This was based on feedback from our clients in both our puppy school and adult dog behavioural programs. We would work with plenty of clients who had received a "gold star" during puppy school but 4 months later couldn't walk their dog without barking. That isn't right. Helping your puppy to develop is far more than puppy school. Is it important for helping with commands and socialisation, absolutely but it is just a piece of the puzzle.

Are there any dog breeds you do not work with?

No. Whether you have: a Chihuahua or a Mastiff, an unhinged lunatic of a Spaniel or a goofball of a Rottie. Big, small, angry, lazy, cute, ugly, cuddly or just straight up weird, we love them all.

Many dogs are stereotyped against because some idiot decided to treat them badly and make them into something they are not.

I have worked with Groodles that were dangerous to the point I couldn't enter the room and a 90kg Rottweiler who had to have his cuddly "Lilo and Stitch" toy whenever we went for a walk.

Do you offer fully private puppy training?

All of our puppy programs come with at least 1 x at home one to one session included. You can choose to increase this to how every many sessions you need. Some clients do not want to participate in group classes for several reasons. Socialisation is a critical point of puppy development. We are able to offer a full one to one experience for clients that are able to prove they can fully socialise their dog outside of our training.