A man crouching in a studio while holding a Dalmatian puppy. The man is wearing a dark navy polo shirt and blue jeans, and the puppy is white with black spots.

Puppy School and Dog Training in Edgecliff

Our puppy school is in Edgecliff itself, at Dogs in Town on Glenmore Road, and we train older dogs one to one in your own home across Edgecliff, Darling Point and Rushcutters Bay.

Book In To Our Next Puppy School

Puppy school and dog training in Edgecliff, the short version

Quick Facts

Where We Work: In your own home, across Edgecliff, Darling Point, Rushcutters Bay and Woollahra

What We Offer

Council Area

Woollahra

Nearest Puppy School Location

Dogs in Town, 500 Glenmore Road, Edgecliff NSW 2027

Distance

In the suburb. Our Edgecliff puppy school is on Glenmore Road itself

What We Cover

Puppies from eight weeks, teenage dogs, and adult behaviour

Who Does The Training?

Luke Buchanan. Red Cross pet first aid, AFP background checked

Puppy school and puppy preschool in Edgecliff

  • A man sitting on the floor wearing a navy polo shirt and olive green pants, holding a brown and white spaniel puppy against a plain light gray background.

    Venue Name

    Dogs in Town, Edgecliff

  • A small black and tan dachshund wearing a light pink harness, sitting on a speckled cream floor in an indoor setting with a person's legs visible in the background.

    Venue Address

    500 Glenmore Road, Edgecliff NSW 2027

  • Days & Times

    Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Four weeks, one hour a week. Rolling start, no fixed intake dates

  • About The School

    Puppy school, puppy preschool and puppy kindergarten all mean the same thing. Vets tend to say preschool, we say puppy school, and it is the same four weeks either way.

    This one is in Edgecliff itself, on Glenmore Road, so for most of the suburb it is a walk rather than a drive. It is a purpose built dog facility rather than a hired hall, fully enclosed and properly cleaned, which matters when puppies are meeting each other for the first time.

    Classes run on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, which suits people who cannot make a weeknight. They are capped at ten puppies and matched by size, so your puppy is never learning next to a dog four times their weight.

Where we work around Edgecliff

Where Edgecliff sits

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What we get called about in Edgecliff

  • Local Challenges

    • Barking in apartment blocks, and the neighbour conversation that follows
    • Lift and stairwell nerves, where there is no room to move away
    • Toilet training with no yard and a lift between you and the grass
    • Lead reactivity built on narrow footpaths along New South Head Road
    • Recall that has never been tested anywhere unfenced
    • Settling on their own when the flat is small and you are always in sight

  • Dog Areas

    • Cavoodle
    • French Bulldog
    • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
    • Miniature Dachshund
    • Groodle
    • Labrador

  • Main Roads

    • Rushcutters Bay Park, off lead area
    • Trumper Park, Paddington side

  • Nearby Areas

    • New South Head Road
    • Ocean Street
    • Glenmore Road
    • Edgecliff Road

What we work on, by age

Edgecliff questions

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A typical Edgecliff case

A composite of the cases we see in this area rather than one client.

A Cavoodle, ten months old, second floor flat off New South Head Road. Both owners work, the dog is alone from about eight until five, and a note has appeared under the door about barking.

The owners had read it as separation anxiety and were doing what the internet suggested, which was more exercise. A longer walk in the morning, a walk at lunch when they could manage it, and the barking had not shifted.

What was actually happening was simpler. The dog had never once been taught to settle while somebody was home. It followed one of them room to room all evening, was never asked to do nothing, and being alone all day was the first time it had ever had to cope by itself. That is a different problem from separation anxiety and it needs different work, though from the hallway the two sound identical.

So the work started in the evenings, in the flat, while they were there. Settling on a mat while the television was on. Doors closed between them and the dog for thirty seconds, then a minute, with no fuss on either side of it. Departures and returns made completely boring.

That is the shape of most Edgecliff cases. The fix is rarely a longer walk. It is usually the twenty three hours that are not the walk.

How we train

  • How We Train

    Force free, all of it. No shouting, no punishment, no pain, and nothing that works by hurting your dog.

    We call it Relational Leadership. It is less a set of commands than a way of behaving around your dog, so that you become the obvious thing to look at when they do not know what to do. A dog that complies because it is worried about what comes next has not calmed down, it has gone quiet, and that comes back later somewhere less convenient.

  • Luke's Credentials

    Luke Buchanan is the owner of The Toe Beans Co and Sydney's Puppy Trainer. He works as a dog trainer and a dog behaviourist, which in practice means the puppy obedience side and the behaviourism side are handled by the same person rather than referred on. He is Red Cross certified in pet first aid and AFP background checked. Every session is run by Luke.

  • Force Free & Ethical. Always.

    No pain. No fear. No force. No aggression. That is the whole philosophy in plain terms, and it does not bend for a difficult week or a stubborn dog.

What are the main services you offer?

Our training comes in five forms.

Puppy School: four weeks of small group class for puppies up to 16 weeks, with home sessions and the online course from Silver up.

Private Puppy Training: the same levels, run in your home with no group class, and an extra home session at every level instead.

Puppy Orientation Session: one 90 minute session in your home for a new puppy, at $375.

Adult Dog Training and Behaviourism: one to one sessions in your home for dogs 32 weeks and older, at $465 per 90 minute session.

Never Guess Again: our online course on its own, with a live Zoom Q&A every week.

Puppy school runs at six venues: Paddington, Edgecliff, Neutral Bay, Zetland, Alexandria and Marrickville. Start dates vary by venue, so check the puppy school dates page. Everything else happens in your own home, across Sydney.

Which areas of Sydney do you work in?

One to one training happens in your home, anywhere in Sydney within roughly a forty five minute drive of the Harbour Bridge. That covers the:

  • Inner City and City Centre
  • Eastern Suburbs
  • Inner West
  • Lower North Shore
  • Upper North Shore
  • Northern Beaches
  • Hills District
  • Western Sydney
  • South Sydney and St George

Group puppy school runs at six fixed venues within about eight kilometres of the Harbour Bridge: Paddington, Edgecliff, Neutral Bay, Zetland, Alexandria and Marrickville. All six are taking bookings. See the puppy school dates page for current dates.

My dog destroyed things while I was out. Should I punish them when I get home?

No. We never punish, and in this case it would not work either. A dog that has destroyed something in distress does not connect a consequence on your return to what it did while you were out. It only adds fear to a dog that is already frightened, and it usually makes separation anxiety worse. Address the cause through the relational protocol, not the symptom.

Are Poodles easy to train?

Very. Poodles are widely considered one of the most intelligent dog breeds. They learn quickly, remember commands well, and enjoy training. They were originally working dogs, and that drive to engage and problem-solve is still very much there. The challenge is usually keeping them stimulated, not getting them to learn.

How long does it take to toilet train a puppy?

Most puppies reach reliable daytime control between 14 and 16 weeks when the schedule runs consistently from week eight. Full night-time reliability typically arrives by five to six months. Consistency in the first few weeks compresses the timeline significantly.

How long does reactivity training take?

It depends on how long the dog has been reactive and how intense the triggers are. Most people see clear progress within 8 to 12 weeks of regular work. Some dogs take longer, and that is normal.

Can sighthounds be let off the lead?

Only in fully enclosed areas. Sighthounds have a strong chase instinct and can reach speeds that make recall impossible once something has their attention. A rabbit, a bird, or a moving car will trigger that instinct instantly. Off-lead parks are not safe unless the area is fully fenced. Secure dog parks or sports ovals with high fencing work well.

When should I book puppy school in Sydney?

Book the at-home session early and the group class from around 11 to 12 weeks, once the second vaccination is done. The Toe Beans Co takes bookings for puppy school at six venues, Paddington, Edgecliff, Neutral Bay, Zetland, Alexandria and Marrickville, and anyone in Sydney can attend any of them. Start dates vary by venue, so check the puppy school dates page for what is running next. The first fortnight at home is for settling in.

What are your puppy school locations?

Group puppy school runs at six venues, and all six take bookings: Dogs in Town at 308 Oxford Street, Paddington; Dogs in Town at 44 Epsom Road, Zetland; Dogs in Town at 500 Glenmore Road, Edgecliff; Dogs in Town at 266 Mitchell Road, Alexandria; Dogs in Town at 55 Addison Road, Marrickville; and DoggieLove at 71 Military Road, Neutral Bay.

Anyone in Sydney can attend any of them. Start dates vary by venue, so check the booking page for what is running next or ask us and we will tell you.

Your one to one sessions happen at your own address wherever you are in Sydney, so only the group class brings you to a venue.

Puppy School And Dog Training Nearby

Your nearest puppy school: Puppy School Edgecliff