Puppy School and Dog Training in Rose Bay

Our dog training runs in three stages and you pick the one that matches your dog's age.

• 8 to 16 weeks: puppy school, which includes four weeks of group class
• 17 to 32 weeks: puppy training, for the stage where most owners feel they are losing the dog they had. There is no group class at this age
• 32 weeks and older: behaviour training, one to one in your own home

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

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.

Usually because coming when called has not been rewarded enough, or because going toward you has sometimes led to something the dog does not want (the lead going on, play ending, going home). Never call your dog and then do something it dislikes. Vary what happens on arrival between food, affection, a toy and occasionally nothing special. If coming to you is worth it more often than not, the dog will choose to do it.

The clearest sign is what the dogs look like between greetings, not during them. Loose body posture, soft eyes, a tail at mid-height, and the ability to disengage and walk away are all good markers. A puppy that's locked on to the other dog, vocalising, or can't be called away is over threshold. A successful early session is often unremarkable. That's the goal.

Manage it carefully rather than avoid it. Adolescent dogs in heightened arousal at a busy dog park is where bad rehearsals get baked in. Go at quieter times. Stay with calm dogs. Leave before your dog hits a 7 on the energy scale.

These tools can help manage pulling while you work on training, but they are not a substitute for teaching the behaviour. A dog that only walks well on a head halter has not learned to walk on a loose lead.

Adult Labs need at least 1.5 to 2 hours of exercise per day. They love swimming, fetch, and running. Puppies need careful management. High-impact exercise on growing joints can cause problems, so stick to lower-impact play and short walks until they're 12 to 18 months old.

Start with the 5 Golden Rules, because separation anxiety comes from the dog believing it is the one meant to be leading and protecting the household. Then practise mini leaves. Step out for twenty seconds, come back and completely ignore the dog. Repeat thirty or more times when you have the time. Build up in tiny increments, staying at the edge of what your dog can manage without distress. Any session where panic occurs sets progress back.

Start the day your puppy comes home. The habits you will be trying to undo at eight months are being set in the first few weeks, so the sooner the routine at home is right, the less work there is later.

Book your one to one session early so you are set up from day one. For group puppy school your puppy needs their second vaccination first, which usually means we can take them from around 11 weeks. The online course runs week by week from eight weeks to twenty-four weeks, so there is always something to work on while you wait.