Puppy Headstart
For Puppies 8 weeks to 6 months old
It’s never too early to start puppy training!
Congratulations on the arrival of your new furry family member! Your new pup has landed in your home, on Planet Earth, unfamiliar with the language and expectations of the human world. They are learning every moment - how to feel about the world around them (is it safe or scary?), and what kinds of behaviors bring forth the rewards. Our Positive Puppy Headstart program will help you and your pup build a positive foundation for a lifetime of understanding, appreciation, trust and love.
Read the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's AVSAB Position Statement on Puppy Socialization HERE.
“As first-time dog parents, I don’t think I’m overstating the fact that we wouldn’t have made it through puppyhood without The Canine Connection!!”
Group Puppy Classes
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 in our spacious, climate-controlled, training center
Parent-only orientation seminar (session 1) plus six (6) class sessions with puppies. Each class session lasts about an hour
Access to our student portal with videos, handouts, homework, quizzes to support your dog’s training.
Essential training equipment ($75 retail value): 20 ft. recall long line, gear bag, and deluxe treat bag (clickers with wrist bands provided if desired).
Graduation certificate, bandana, and photos
Opportunity to enroll in our “Continuing Ed” courses upon graduation
Access to our private client Facebook page
Tons of KNOWLEDGE, SUPPORT, and FUN!
Requirements for Puppy Kindergarten:
Puppy should be 11 to 20 weeks old at time of first session with puppies (second class since first class is parent-only orientation
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)
First bordetella vaccination (some protocols include a booster)
Documentation of clear fecal test for those also participating in Puppy Social (not required for Puppy Kindergarten)
Please note: vaccinations and procedures MUST have been administered at a veterinary office or by a licensed veterinarian. Please ask your veterinarian to email your puppy’s records to us at training@thecanineconnection.com.
Puppy Social
(For pups 11-20 weeks old at first session)
Our Puppy Social 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. 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 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).
Next Classes Start: Any Saturday (some holiday weekends excepted) once documentation of vaccinations and clear fecal test have been received at, and approved by, our office.
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. The class focuses 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
Private Puppy Coaching
Lessons and Coaching Packages
In-Person and / or Online via Zoom
Our Private 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 too! 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. Our goal is to help get your partnership with your puppy off to a positive head start! Prices are for sessions held in Chico, California and surrounding area. Additional travel fees may apply for sessions outside of Chico area.
Private Puppy Coaching Lesson - $125
60-minute lesson to help with targeted puppy problems (in-person at our center or you home or by Zoom)
4-session coaching package - $475
Four one-hour, weekly, coaching sessions (in-person at our center or you home or by Zoom). Plus… puppies are eligible to participate in our weekly Puppy Socials!
Private Puppy Kindergarten - $775
Six private puppy coaching sessions cover our Puppy Kindergarten curriculum, training equipment bundle, and access to online materials. Weekly coaching sessions are provided in-person or via Zoom. Plus… puppies are eligible to participate in our weekly Puppy Socials!
Contact us to get your puppy’s training program scheduled!
Please complete and submit this form. We’ll get back to you promptly! You may also reach our Training Coordinator at (530) 228-2822.
“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