Positive Puppy Headstart
For Puppies 8 weeks to 6 months old
It’s never too early to start puppy training!
"Veterinarians specializing in behavior recommend that owners take advantage of every safe opportunity to expose young puppies to the great variety of stimuli that they will experience in their lives. Enrolling in puppy classes prior to three months of age can be an excellent means of improving training, strengthening the human-animal bond, and socializing puppies in an environment where risk of illness can be minimized." (AVSAB).
Read the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's AVSAB Position Statement on Puppy Socialization HERE.
Read the American Veterinary Medical Association's literature review on the implications of puppy socialization HERE.
Our approach to training and behavior management and modification adheres to the recommendations of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. Read about our approach to training and behavior modification and management HERE.
Our small group classes provide opportunities for your puppy to learn in the presence of other puppies and for parents of puppies to come together and share the experiences of puppyhood. From “Puppy Socials,” through “Puppy Kindergarten,”and on to “Acing Adolescence,” our group classes help you help your puppy lay the foundation for a life-long positive partnership!
From your puppy’s first day with you, they are learning! Private puppy coaching is perfect for puppies who are too young to enroll in group classes (I.e. under 11 weeks old) and for puppy parents whose schedules, family situations, and/or training challenges and goals benefit from private lessons. Early training can prevent later problems and it’s never too early to start training your pup so don’t wait to get your puppy’s private coaching program scheduled!
Puppy Group Classes
Puppy Social Class
(For pups 10-16 weeks old at first class)
Our Puppy Social Class is a 4-week program that takes advantage of a developmental “window of opportunity” when puppies are learning to feel safe with novelty in their new world. It’s like NURSERY SCHOOL for your puppy! The focus of this class is positive interaction with other puppies and exposure to a variety surfaces and obstacles. The end result is that puppies gain experience and confidence that can help prevent future behavior issues.
Puppy Social Class can be taken prior to or concurrent with Puppy Kindergarten or our Private Puppy Coaching Program; puppies must be enrolled in one of these programs to be eligible for Puppy Social Class.
Time: Saturdays at 10:30 -11:30 am.
Cost: $100 for 4 sessions. You and your pup can begin your 4-session Puppy Social Class any Saturday.
Requirements for Puppy Socials: Pups must be enrolled in a current or future Puppy Kindergarten class or in our Private Puppy Coaching program and have 2 parvo-distemper (DHPP) vaccinations, bordetella vaccination, and a clear fecal test (note, we require that vaccinations are administered by a veterinarian).
Puppy Kindergarten
(For pups 11-20 weeks old at first class)
This flagship class employs the latest knowledge about puppy development and behavior to help you and your pup get off to a positive head start. In this class, you will learn how to manage puppy energy and teach him or her effectively, and your pup will learn how to learn! With gentle guidance and tons of rewards, your pup will learn to be attentive to you, greet people politely, sit, lie down, and wait, come back to you enthusiastically, and learn to walk nicely on a leash. Tricks and other fun activities are introduced to build learning and confidence in pups and to add challenge and fun!
Tuition: $375
- Includes:
Small-group class setting
Six (6) class sessions PLUS online orientation videos
Access to our student portal with videos, handouts, training plans, and peer support
Essential training equipment ($55 retail value): 20 ft. recall long line, gear bag, deluxe treat bag, clicker and wrist band (you are not required to use a clicker but many people like to)
Graduation certificate, bandana, and photos
Opportunity to progress through our “Continuing Ed” courses upon graduation
Tons of KNOWLEDGE, SUPPORT, and FUN!
Requirements for In-Person Classes:
Puppies must be 11 to 20 weeks old at time of first class
Puppy must have been in your home for a minimum of two weeks prior to coming to our center
Minimum two parvo-distemper vaccinations (often called DHPP)
Minimum first bordetella vaccination (some protocols include a booster)
Documentation of clear fecal test for those also participating in Puppy Social
Please note: vaccinations and procedures MUST have been administered at a veterinary office or by a licensed veterinarian. Please ask your veterinarian to FAX your pup’s vaccination and fecal test records to us at 530-345-1939 OR email them to us at training@thecanineconnection.com
Acing Adolescence
(For Grads of Puppy Kindergarten or Private Puppy Coaching)
This "Continuing Ed" class is for puppies who have graduated from Puppy Kindergarten or Life Skills & Manners. Since adolescence (the time between 5 months and 12 months, even older for some dogs) is its own unique developmental period, this class helps parents of older puppies strengthen their dogs' core behaviors. Specifically, the class will focus on building attention, impulse control, and responsiveness to cues with all core behaviors, even with increasing levels of challenge and distraction.
4 sessions (meet weekly) - $160
Puppy Private Coaching
Lessons and Coaching Packages
In-Person and / or Online via Zoom
Our Personal Puppy Coaching Program allows you to get the support you need during the first weeks and months of your new puppy’s life with you. This is a time of enormous change for your puppy, and it can be a time of enormous challenge for puppy parents. Puppy energy, antics, and behaviors, along with early training and socialization needs, can be overwhelming. We can help you and your puppy learn and grow together through a combination of face-to-face learning sessions (in-person or via Zoom) and weekly check-ins (by phone or Zoom), providing early puppy training and socialization and addressing immediate questions and concerns. Our goal is to help get your partnership with your puppy off to a positive head start! Contact our Training Coordinator to discuss your needs (530-228-2822 or training@thecanineconnection.com), choose the coaching package that best suits your needs, and start making the most of your puppy’s critical window of opportunity to become the best he or she can be.
Prices are for sessions held in Chico, California and surrounding area. Additional travel fees may apply for sessions outside of Chico area.
Individual Private Puppy Lesson - $150
60-minute lesson to help with targeted puppy problems.
Puppy Primer - $225
1.5 hour session to help you integrate your new puppy into your home and handle common puppy problems such as housetraining, chewing, and biting.
Bronze Coaching Package - $475
Three one-hour coaching sessions
Three weekly parent phone/zoom check-ins (approx. 15 min. each)
Silver Coaching Package - $775
Initial Consultation (approx. 1.5 hours)
Two weekly parent-puppy learning sessions (approx. 1 hour each)
Three weekly parent phone/zoom check-ins (approx. 15 min. each)
Deluxe treat bag, clicker & wrist band, long line
Puppy gear bag filled with two of our favorite puppy toys
Gold Coaching Package - $1375
Initial Consultation (approx. 1.5 hours)
Three weekly parent-puppy learning sessions (approx. 1 hour each)
Four weekly socialization field trips (approx. 1 hour each)
Four weekly parent phone/zoom check-ins (approx. 15 min. each)
Deluxe treat bag, clicker & wrist band, long line
Puppy gear bag filled with four of our favorite puppy toys
Platinum Coaching Package - $1975*
Initial Consultation (approx. 1.5 hours)
Five weekly parent-puppy learning sessions (approx. 1 hour each)
Six weekly socialization field trips (approx. 1 hour each)
Six weekly parent phone/zoom check-ins (approx. 15 min. each)
Deluxe treat bag, clicker & wrist band, long line
Puppy gear bag filled with five of our favorite puppy toys
“I can't say enough good things about the training programs at The Canine Connection.
I get compliments all of the time on what an awesome dog I have. Starting with the puppy classes sets you up for success. Then moving on to the "teen" and "adult" dog classes reinforces the training. You learn how to teach your dog. You do have to put in the effort to reap the reward. Abbie goes once a week to play and keep up her socialization. Canine Connection is the ONLY place I feel comfortable leaving her when I go away. I highly recommend Sarah and her staff. Abbie loves them!”
-Jessica Wood Cummings, Chico, CA