Puppy Classes

in Manhattan

This is the most important time in your dog's life.

Puppyhood is the most crucial developmental stage in a dog's life. During the first few months puppies learn to accept and enjoy the company of other dogs and people. They need to be exposed to all kinds of stimuli inside and outside of your home. They have a willingness to please and are easily taught basic behaviors. Starting training this young sets your puppy up for a lifetime of successes by developing good habits and preventing unwanted behaviors at an early age.

Give your puppy the best possible start with MuttSchool's puppy group classes. Our age-appropriate curriculums have been designed to address your puppy's specific needs at two developmental stages: Puppy Preschool is for puppies 8-15 weeks old and Juvenile Jumpstart is for puppies 15 weeks to 6 months old. What's more, you won't have to wait long to get started in our classes—MuttSchool welcomes puppies just ten days after their first round of vaccines!

MuttSchool offers flexible, age-appropriate classes for puppies.

Our puppy group classes are not only educational but also a ton of fun! You and your pup will love learning basic obedience, leash manners and proper play behavior in a structured environment. Our classes also provide solutions to common puppy problems such as house-training, biting and jumping.

Here's how to set your puppy up for success:

We recommend enrolling in group classes as soon as you bring your puppy home! Our classes are ongoing, so you won't need to wait for a new class session to begin. As soon as you sign up, you can start training that week! Choose the puppy class based on your puppy's age.

Any puppy between 8 and 15 weeks can join Puppy PreSchool. To ensure your puppy's immunity, we ask that you wait ten days after your puppy has its first set of vaccinations (usually around 8 or 9 weeks old) to start.

At 15 weeks, your pup will transition to our Juvenile Jumpstart class where they can continue to build on their skills in a more advanced setting.

If your puppy turns 15 weeks before you use up all your Puppy Preschool credits, any remaining credits will carry over to Juvenile Jumpstart.

And, don't forget to add on our Confidence Building and Cooperative Care Workshops to boost your dog's confidence in unfamiliar situations and improve their handling and grooming skills. In this workshop, puppies climb, explore, play and learn.

Puppy Preschool

for puppies under 15 weeks of age

Puppy Preschool is a 6-week class for puppies under 15 weeks of age. In this series of classes you will work on building a lasting bond and how to communicate with your puppy. This course also addresses socialization and preventing common problem behaviors as well as building a strong training foundation for your puppy's future, developing essential skills that will last a lifetime.

Enroll | $150 for 6 weeks

Puppy Preschool meets Sunday, 5:00-5:45 pm. You and your puppy will attend through their 14th week.

Juvenile Jumpstart

for puppies over 15 weeks of age

but under 6 months old.

This class will equip you with the tools and techniques you need to jumpstart your puppy into a happy, well-behaved adult dog. Our Juvenile Jumpstart class is 6-weeks and is designed for puppies 15 weeks to 6 months of age. These classes are designed to teach early obedience skills such as sit, down, wait, walking on a loose leash, come when called and trade. Your puppy can earn its AKC Star Puppy certificate in this class.

Enroll | $150 for 6 weeks

Classes meet Sunday, 6:00-6:45pm.

Confident Care Workshops

Does your clipper-phobic dog get nervous around grooming tools or during vet visits? Are new environments scary for your dog? Don't worry, we've got you covered in our 30-minute Confident Care Workshops. These workshops will help encourage your dog to confidently face unfamiliar situations and to comfortably participate in handling, vet visits, grooming and nail trims. Our Tuesday night sessions are perfect for pups of all ages and breeds. At only $15 per visit, you can attend as often as you like and watch your dog's confidence soar.

Enroll | $15 each

Classes meet Tuesday, starting at 7:15pm

Don't miss the opportunity to train and socialize during this important time of your dog's life.

Learn canine communication

Good communication is essential for any successful relationship. This is especially true for the bond between dogs and their owners. Our classes teach you to interpret and respond to your dog's body language. Socialization with other dogs in puppy classes can improve your dog's communication and social skills

Early training is important

Puppy classes provide a structured environment for you to teach your dog basic obedience. Just like in human kindergarten, our puppy curriculum is specifically designed for young minds with short attention spans. Early training can also help establish a strong bond between you and your pup as you work to achieve specific goals. Additionally, puppy classes offer socialization opportunities with other dogs, which can help prevent fear and aggression towards other dogs in the future.

Enrichment

Our puppy classes teach a variety of engaging games and exercises you can play with your pup. These games are designed to be mentally stimulating and help your pup develop their problem-solving skills. This type of mental stimulation can help prevent boredom and destructive behavior in puppies.

Reduce bad habits

One of the primary reasons to enroll in a puppy class is to help reduce bad habits that can develop in young dogs. MuttSchool's puppy classes provide a safe environment for your pup to learn basic obedience, socialize with other dogs and develop good manners which helps to prevent bad habits from developing.

Stay on track

As new puppy parents, it is important to understand that puppies grow and develop rapidly, going through five different growth stages in their first six months of life, and by enrolling in our classes, you will gain valuable insight and practical knowledge on how to navigate and overcome the unique challenges that may arise during each stage of your puppy's development; if you want to delve deeper into the specifics of each growth stage and learn about sensitive (fear) periods, we invite you to check out our informative and helpful blog post on the topic.

Is it safe to bring a young puppy to a group class?

Read the AVSAB Puppy Socialization Statement

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."

MHK | Puppy Kindergarten