Puppy Start Right

The Puppy Start Right Preschool class caters to puppies up to 20 weeks old who are not fully vaccinated. With our open enrollment format, you can begin the class when it best suits your puppy. This in-person class includes an online classroom.

Why should you start your puppy in a group class at this young age?

Puppy Preschool is tailored for young puppies to ensure they’re not overwhelmed. Puppy Preschool class teaches puppies confidence around their peers, with potential off-leash interaction among compatible puppies to encourage learning from positive social interactions. Parallel play and enrichment activities are offered for puppies less inclined towards physical interaction with their peers.

What is the difference between an under-vaccinated puppy and a fully vaccinated puppy?

The difference lies in their level of immunity: an under-vaccinated puppy hasn’t completed the DHPP vaccination series, which is essential for protection against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Vaccinations start between 6-8 weeks and are given every 2-4 weeks until the puppy reaches at least 16 weeks. A puppy is deemed fully vaccinated after receiving the final DHPP shot, usually between 16-18 weeks, with the initial rabies vaccine typically administered at three months.

The health and vaccination requirements for this class are listed below in the “Requirements” section. Click here for a printable checklist of requirements you can give your veterinarian.

Class Instructor: Kim Silver or Michele Almeida

Class Length: Four 45-60 minute classroom sessions

You and Your Dog Will Learn:

• Guidance on key early puppyhood issues, including biting, potty training, coping with separation, and socializing with humans and other animals
• Encourage curiosity and resiliency through the exploration of unfamiliar objects, sounds, and surfaces
• Kickstart the journey to leash walking
• Enhancing engagement through dynamic focus-based games
• Gain insights into interpreting your puppy's body language for better communication

Requirements:

• Documentation of a negative fecal test result from your veterinarian indicating that your puppy is free from giardia and other parasites MUST be uploaded in order to register for this class. This test is often called an antigen and ova screening for parasites, including giardia. Your vet will send a sample to the lab for testing. Alternatively, you can order a fecal test kit and have the results within days. Many vets have long appointment wait times, so this may be a good option. You can order your kit here.
• Documentation that a veterinary clinic has administered at least one DHPP vaccine, and that 10 days have passed by the start of class if it was the initial DHPP vaccine. We may ask for documentation that you are keeping up-to-date with your puppy's DHPP vaccinations. You may upload this documentation to the registration form or email it to us.
• Documentation of a bordetella (kennel cough) immunization administered by a veterinary clinic. This can be administered as an injection, oral drops, or nasal spray. You may upload this documentation to the registration form or email it to us.
• We ask that you please give your new puppy 14 days to settle in before coming to a group class. Many illnesses will present themselves in the first 14 days.

Classes

Puppy Start Right Kindergarten is for fully vaccinated puppies 20 weeks – 12 months of age who have graduated from preschool OR are just starting with training. This in-person class includes an online classroom.

With our open enrollment format, you can begin the class on the next Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday that has availability.

Class Instructor: Kim Silver or Michele Almeida

Class Length: Six 45-60 minute classroom sessions

You and Your Dog Will Learn:

• Discover the four foundational pillars of puppy upbringing: L.E.G.S. - Learning, Environment, Genetics, and Self
• Master the art of incorporating treats effectively in your training sessions
• Unleash the power of play to enhance your puppy's training experience
• Guide your puppy through their social journey, including interactions with humans and fellow canines
• Establish consistent routines to foster an optimal learning environment
• Gain insights into interpreting your puppy's body language for better communication
• Delve into the significance of your dog's breed on their behavior to tailor your approach
• Equip yourself with training techniques that ensure lifelong skills for your dog

Requirements:

• Your puppy must be between 20 weeks - 12 months old at the start of class.
• Documentation from a veterinary clinic that your puppy is fully vaccinated for rabies, DHPP, and bordetella (kennel cough). You may upload this documentation to the registration form or email it to us.
• We ask that you please give your new puppy 14 days to settle in before coming to a group class. Many illnesses will present themselves in the first 14 days.
• Your puppy must be comfortable and able to work around other dogs. If your puppy has a history of barking at dogs or people, growling, or has bitten another dog or person, please contact us to discuss if this class is right for your puppy. Private lessons are also available and may be recommended.

Classes

Please put your name on the waitlist and you will be notified when we get enough interest to put this class on the schedule. Puppy Start Right Kindergarten Level Two is generally held on a Saturday or Sunday.

This class strengthens what you learned in Kindergarten Level One — and raises the bar. You’ll work on leash fluency, longer stays, calm behavior around distractions, and engagement games that teach your pup to focus with you, not despite the world.

To enroll, handlers must know how to:

• Use a marker signal and reward promptly
• Lure behaviors with food
• Use basic leash handling techniques
• Apply a release cue
  

These are skills taught in Kindergarten Level One and are expected at the start of this class.

Class Instructor: Kim Silver or Michele Almeida

Class Length: Six 45-60 minute classroom sessions

You and Your Dog Will Learn:

• Build reliable stays with real-life distractions
• Improve loose leash walking with better focus and rhythm
• Practice check-ins, pattern games, and leash games
• Handle mild real-world distractions with confidence
• Strengthen your use of marker cues, reward timing, and release cues
• Read and respond to your dog’s body language and arousal levels

Requirements:

• Prerequisite: Puppy Kindergarten Level One, an equivalent class taken elsewhere, or instructor approval.
• Your puppy must be between 6 - 12 months old at the start of class.
• Documentation from a veterinary clinic that your puppy is fully vaccinated for rabies, DHPP, and bordetella (kennel cough). You may upload this documentation to the registration form or email it to us.
• We ask that you please give your new puppy 14 days to settle in before coming to a group class. Many illnesses will present themselves in the first 14 days.
• Your puppy must be comfortable and able to work around other dogs. If your puppy has a history of barking at dogs or people, growling, or has bitten another dog or person, please contact us to discuss if this class is right for your puppy. Private lessons are also available and may be recommended.

Waitlist

Triumphant Teen Membership

Ongoing Guidance for Puppy Kindergarten Graduates Through Adolescence

Adolescence can make even the most prepared puppy parents feel like they’re back at square one.

• Skills feel wobbly.
• Focus disappears.
• Big feelings show up out of nowhere.

You are not failing your dog. Your dog isn’t bad — their brain is developing.

The Triumphant Teen Online Membership is a 12-month, open-enrollment program designed to support Puppy Kindergarten graduates through adolescence with education, coaching, and realistic expectations — without weekly commitments for in-person classes.

Who This Is For

• Puppy Kindergarten graduates

• Dogs who are roughly 6–18 months old

• Guardians who want:

  • Consistent support

  • Help navigating the turbulence of adolescence

  • To raise your best dog ever

How the Program Works

This is not a linear course.

You can join at any time and attend what’s most relevant right now — because, like life, adolescence doesn’t follow a straight line.

Membership is billed quarterly. The Triumphant Teen Membership is intentionally designed as a year-long program to support dogs through adolescence—because you only get one chance to raise a great dog. However, cancellation before the end of 12 months is permitted. See the registration form for details.

Each month includes:

• Human Superskills training

• Dog skills education

• A combined webinar connecting the two

• Weekly office hours for real-time support

Everything is designed, so you’re never behind and always on track.

The Five Adolescent Success Domains

All  topics rotate through these core areas:

• Focus – Attention and engagement in real life

• Confidence – Coping with novelty, change, and challenge

• Resilience – Emotional regulation, settling, and recovery

• Relationship – Understanding your dog and building connection

• Human Superskills – Observation, training chops, decision-making, and expectations

You’ll revisit these themes again and again — on purpose.

Monthly Live Support (Recorded)

Human Superskills Lab (1× / month)

Second Thursday each month @7 PM

Focused entirely on you:

• Reading canine body language

• Marker timing & reinforcement placement

• Choosing criteria that prevent frustration

• When to train, manage, or pause

• Understanding arousal vs stress

• Handling guardian expectations and emotions

Dogs are not required on camera.

Teen Dog Skills Lab (1× / month)

Third Thursday each month @ 7 PM

Rotates between:

• Focus

• Confidence

• Resilience

• Relationship

Each session stands alone and applies to any stage of adolescence.
Dogs recommended on camera but you do you.

Monthly Webinar (1× / month) (Recorded)

Live with Q & A to follow, Rotating Days/Times

Brings human skills and dog behavior together, exploring topics like:

• Why “regression” is often environmental

• How stress affects dogs

• Training plans that adapt

• Why management is a must, not a failure

Weekly Office Hours

Every Monday @ 6:30 PM (Zoom)

Drop-in, support for:

• Questions from the week

• Sanity-checking expectations

• Getting unstuck before frustration builds

Video Libraries

Members have access to video libraries organized by topic:

• Focus & Engagement

• Confidence & Resilience

• Calmness & Recovery

• Relationship & Play

• Human Superskills

Watch what helps. Skip what doesn’t.

Membership Options

Core Membership – $297 / quarter

Includes:

• Weekly Office Hours

• Monthly Human Superskills Lab

• Monthly Teen Dog Skills Lab

• Monthly webinar

• Full video library access

• Written resources to help construct tailored training plans

12-month program • Billed quarterly

Plus Membership – $497 / quarter

Everything in Core, plus choose from one of the options below:

• One 90-minute private session per quarter (in-person or virtual)

• One in-person supported practice experience per month. Options include:

  • Paired practice walk (your dog and one other dog), or

  • Small group experience (3–4 dogs)

Limited availability.

This membership helps you to raise your adolescent dog with steady guidance, education, and support — so you and your dog can grow through this stage together.

Class Instructor: Kim Silver

Class Length: Quarterly for up to 12 months

You and Your Dog Will Learn:

• Regulate excitement and manage impulses
• Focus and respond to cues with greater consistency
• Settle and stay calm around distractions
• Make better choices through enrichment and clear communication
• Reinforce focus and calm behavior using marker-based training
• Identify common adolescent challenges and address them with confidence
• Use enrichment and mental stimulation to reduce frustration and channel energy
• Create realistic training goals for a teenage dog’s developmental needs

Requirements:

• Your dog must be between 6 -18 months of age

Register