Puppy Preschool in Adelaide

Veterinary Nurse-Led Puppy Preschool Program

The Pet Universe Puppy Preschool Program is a nurse-led course that provides you and your family with all the tools you need to help you through all aspects of puppyhood. During the five week course, we go through key topics, such as nutrition, preventative care, positive training techniques, toilet training, socialisation, puppy emergencies and much, much more! Our aim is to ensure that your puppy graduates with the socialisation skills to feel confident exploring the big, exciting world.

The Positive Training Technique

We teach with a positive training approach, this means we teach fear and force-free techniques. We use rewards and positive reinforcement to teach the puppies right from wrong. Using these techniques can help you understand why your puppy may be behaving a certain way, therefore you will have the tools to guide them on the right path. We understand firsthand that puppies can be a lot of work, your new family member is a big commitment and we want to support you through this journey.

We know all too well that it can be frustrating to discover a toileting accident inside, or finding your brand new pair of socks with a few extra holes in them – this is where the fear and force free approach is super important. Positive reinforcement rewards the good behaviour and ignores or redirects the not so good behaviour. By the end of the course, you will be a pro at implementing these techniques, and will hopefully have far less socks with holes in them!

Course Structure

Our Puppy Preschool course runs over five weeks on Wednesday nights at our Northgate clinic. For the first week, owners attend without their puppies, which allows us to speak about the detail heavy topics, such as nutrition, vaccinations and toilet training. One of our veterinarians will also attend this first week to present on the more medical-related subjects. We hold the class in our rehabilitation centre, ensuring there are no un-vaccinated or ill pets using the area.

We ask for a maximum of two people per puppy are in attendance each week due to the room size. Graduation is celebrated in the fifth week of the course, which includes a client quiz, photos with graduation caps and a clinic tour. Upon graduating, your puppy will receive their graduation certificate and a goody bag to take home!

The Socialisation Period

The puppies that attend our course must be between 7 to 12 weeks when the class commences. This is due to their specific developmental socialisation period. During this socialisation period, the puppies will learn all there is to know about being a puppy, become more independent and gain confidence. This period in time is super important for your puppy’s development, and is arguably the most important aspect of attending puppy preschool.

Puppies are like people, some of their classmates may not be your pup’s cup of tea (and that’s okay!). Not every puppy is going to want to play or socialise with others, though just being in attendance helps your pup’s development exponentially. After this socialisation period, they move into a different developmental stage, which is not beneficial in a puppy preschool environment. There is some variation between breeds, so please give us a call to see if your puppy is eligible for our next class intake.

The Pet Universe Difference

Our puppy preschool course is run by members of our amazing nursing team, who have vast amounts of knowledge in not only veterinary medicine, but all things puppy development. They continue to further their education in behaviour, nutrition, development and training and strive to give the best possible advice and care to you your new family member. We cap our classes at six puppies to dedicate the time to help the pups and parents at an individual level. We understand that each puppy is different, which means we cannot have a ‘one size fits all’ approach to education and training. Our small class sizes allow for this individualised support.

Lastly, the biggest point of difference we provide at Pet Universe is the continuing support, even after the first stages of puppyhood. When bringing your pup in for future visits, whether it’s for vaccinations, desexing, consultations or procedures, you will be greeted by the team that helped you through puppy preschool. From puppyhood to senior years, we will be there to support you through it all.

Secure Your Spot

To enquire about joining our next puppy preschool intake or for more information on the course, please call Pet Universe on 08 8369 3111 or email us at petuniversevet@gmail.com.