Puppy Training Tamarama
Someone on Gaerloch Avenue messaged us last spring, their 11-week-old retriever was terrified of the ocean. They wanted a beach dog but the puppy wouldn't go near the water. Does your beach suburb puppy hate the beach?
Puppy training Tamarama means preparing your pup for beach life and coastal living. Your dog will encounter surf, sand, seagulls, clifftop walks, and plenty of beach activity. They need proper exposure and training from the start to enjoy Tamarama's beautiful coastal environment.
The families who start early end up with dogs who love beach life instead of being scared of it.
Puppy Preparation (0-8 Weeks)
Before your puppy arrives at your Tamarama home, there's essential preparation work. Most people underestimate what raising a puppy in a beach suburb involves, especially with ocean exposure and coastal conditions.
Our pre-puppy program covers everything before the puppy arrives. You'll learn how to set up your home for a puppy, what supplies you actually need, and how to create a schedule that fits beach suburb living.
We discuss breed selection carefully. Tamarama's beach lifestyle suits water-loving, active breeds perfectly. Retrievers, labradors, spaniels - usually thrive here. But not all breeds love water, and some struggle with sand and salt.
You'll also learn about:
- The socialisation window (8-16 weeks - critical period)
- Toilet training approaches
- Setting boundaries from day one
- Puppy development stages
- Beach safety and gradual water exposure
For Tamarama specifically, think about beach access and safety. Dogs have restricted hours on Tamarama Beach during summer. Your puppy needs training, recall, and water confidence before they can safely enjoy beach time.
Starting puppy training Tamarama with proper preparation means your not making avoidable mistakes during those first crucial weeks.
Puppy Program including Puppy School (8-16 Weeks)
This period is absolutely critical for puppy training in Tamarama. Between 8-16 weeks, your puppy's brain is wide open to new experiences. What they learn now about beaches, water, and coastal environments will shape whether they love or fear the beach for life.
Our puppy school runs with 8-10 puppies per class. This number provides excellent socialisation - your puppy learns to play with different breeds and sizes - while keeping things manageable for individual attention.
The program emphasises:
- Socialisation with other dogs and beach-goers
- Meeting various people
- Basic obedience (sit, drop, come, loose lead walking)
- Appropriate play behaviour
- Confidence building around water, sand, waves
- Early recall foundations (critical for beach safety)
- Learning to stay calm around seagulls and beach activity
For Tamarama puppies, we focus heavily on beach socialisation. Your pup needs positive experiences with sand, water, waves, surf sounds, seagulls, and coastal conditions. A puppy who's never experienced these will either be terrified or so over-excited they can't listen.
Last summer, a couple near Tamarama Park had a spaniel puppy who was scared of waves. They wanted a beach dog. Through gradual water exposure in our puppy training program, that pup went from avoiding puddles to swimming at Tamarama within 8 weeks.
The 8-16 week window closes fast. Proper puppy training Tamarama during this period creates a confident beach dog who'll enjoy coastal living for 10-15 years.
Post Puppy Program (16-52 Weeks)
Around 16 weeks, adolescence hits. Your well-behaved puppy might suddenly become stubborn, easily distracted, and challenging. This is when many behavioural issues develop, especially in stimulating beach environments.
Our post puppy program includes 2 group training sessions with behavioural deep dives, plus months of online support. We teach you to identify potential issues before they escalate and provide training for everything that might crop up.
The program covers:
- Reactivity and aggressive behaviour towards dogs/people
- Off lead walking and better walking practise (essential for beaches)
- Stopping jumping up on beach-goers
- Dealing with separation anxiety
- Biting and chewing problems
- Poor or no recall (dangerous at beaches and cliffs)
- Reducing unnecessary barking
- Managing hyperactive or fearful dogs
- Potty training issues
Someone near Bronte-Tamarama clifftop walk had a kelpie who started chasing every dog at the beach around 9 months old. Made off-lead time impossible. They followed our post puppy program modules on recall and impulse control. Within a month, that dog could be off-lead without chasing other dogs.
Adolescence in a beach suburb like Tamarama requires proper management and training. Our post puppy program gives you the tools to navigate this challenging phase, so you end up with a well-trained beach dog who safely enjoys everything Tamarama offers.
