Puppy Classes Melbourne
confidence & resilience
(pups must start before 16 weeks of age)
Puppies are one of the most adorable, energetic and curious things on the planet. However, without proper care, puppies can turn your world upside down, creating a lifetime of bad habits.
Puppy Preschool classes are delivered by our certified trainers and designed to help guide you through the first few weeks and months that are so critical to your puppy’s development and future.
You and your family will learn how to prevent bad behaviours, strengthen good manners and prepare both you and your dog for a long life of mutual understanding.
A maximum of six puppies are hosted in the only licensed and registered dog training facility in the inner southeastern suburbs of Melbourne.
The course consists of six sessions, the first of which is a compulsory theory lesson and then five themed, practical classes which introduce your puppy to an array of real-life situations.
Puppy School Locations:
Ormond @ Woofers World
Moorabbin @ Woofers Dog Lounge
Albert Park @ Port Phillip Animal Hospital
Hampton @ Hampton Vet Clinic
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Our Puppy Training Schools
Class Content
The Puppy Preschool course consists of 6 sessions which include the following;
Session 1 – Theory Class
- Compulsory Theory Night
Sessions 2 to 6 – Topics covered
- Equipment & Leash Manners
- Body Language & Behaviour
- Cafe Canines & Capturing Calm
- Visiting the Vet & Groomer
- Exposure and Socialisation
These themed classes will help you to teach your puppy new real-life skills to put in to practice when out and about. The lessons are aimed to impart a sound understanding of dog behaviour, training techniques, to build confidence, resilience and useful practical handling skills.
Time
Theory Class
Every Tuesday evening
6pm – 7:30pm held online via Zoom
Practical Class Times Available
(attended once a week)
Monday 7:10 – 8:00 pm @ Albert Park
Monday 8:10 – 9:00 pm @ Albert Park
Tuesday 6:40 – 7:30 pm – Moorabbin
Wednesday 6:40 – 7:30 pm @ Hampton
Thursday 6:00 – 6:50 pm @ Ormond
Thursday 7:00 – 7:50 pm @ Ormond
Saturday 9:00 – 9:50 am @ Ormond
Saturday 10:00 – 10:50 am @ Ormond
Cost
Puppy Plus+ Program – $395
Standard Program – $260
Private Puppy Program – $440
Saturday Social
Perfect for extra socialisation time for your puppy. Held at our outdoor training grounds at Caulfield North.
Every Saturday 1:00 – 1:30pm & 1:30pm – 2:00pm
Only available to Puppy Pre-School students
Puppy Training
Puppy Plus+ Program
$395
Group & Private Training
1 x Theory Class
5 x 50 minute small group practical lessons
Free training starter pack
1 x Onsite private consultation
2 x Saturday puppy social
Puppy Preschool
$260
Group Class Training
1 x Theory Class
5 x 50 minute small group practical lessons including topics such as body language & behaviour, at the cafe, leash manners and at the vet and groomers.
Free training starter pack
Private Puppy Preschool
$440
Private & In-Person Training
1 x Theory Class
3 x 50 minute onsite Private Consultations
Free training starter pack
Why You Should Consider Puppy Preschool Classes?
How Do Dogs Learn?
Reward-based training should be the norm. When you reward the dog for a particular behaviour, such as with food, toys, or praise, many dogs are more likely to repeat it in the future of their training journey.
It’s crucial to learn the dog’s true preferences and favourite items. Small slices of cheese or pork are frequently served as snacks. The more satisfying the incentive, the more eager the dog will be to train and learn!
ENQUIRE NOWWhat’s Special About Our Puppy Preschool?
Our dog training courses at Melbourne Dog Trainers are designed to cater to dogs of all ages and breeds. Whether you’re starting with a puppy or have an older dog, we have the perfect dog training program in Melbourne to suit your needs.
We offer both private lessons and group classes in addition to specialised training programs to accommodate various learning styles and preferences.
What Are The Dog Training Techniques
In Our Dog Training Courses?
The Puppy Training Journey
Puppies are like sponges, ready to soak up all the knowledge and skills you can teach them. At Puppy To Dog School, we specialise in puppy training programs that focus on teaching the basics and essential behaviors that your pup will carry with them throughout their life.
Our puppy training classes at Puppy To Dog School are centered around positive reinforcement and clicker training. This approach involves a food-motivated technique, or other motivating rewards such as target odours when they exhibit the desired behavior.
Clicker training, using a small hand-held clicker device, helps pinpoint the exact moment your pup does something right, making the learning process clearer and more efficient.
In addition to verbal commands, our trainers also teach hand signals to make communication with your dog even more effective. This can be especially helpful when your dog is at a distance or in a noisy environment.
Combining hand signals with the same command verbally gives you greater control over your dog’s behavior.
Our training programs emphasise obedience training, which is essential for a well-behaved dog. Commands such as “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and “come” are the foundational building blocks of good behavior.
These basic commands provide the framework for a dog’s understanding of what is expected of them and how to behave in various situations. With consistency and positive reinforcement, these commands become second nature to your dog.
Sign up for The Puppy Academy Online School to further
your training!
FAQs Puppy Preschool Melbourne
Our puppy preschool classes are designed for puppies from 9 weeks to 15 weeks old at the time of enrolment. This window sits within the critical development phase – the period between 3 and 16 weeks when socialisation experiences have the greatest and most lasting impact on your dog’s future behaviour. Once this window closes, it does not reopen, which is why starting early matters so much.
Your puppy needs to have had their first vaccination at least one week prior to attending and must be on schedule for the rest of their vaccination programme. Full vaccination is not required – provided the first vaccination has been given and your puppy is progressing on schedule, they are sufficiently protected to attend. All MDT locations are disinfected daily and treated with veterinary grade antiviral solution before every puppy class as an additional precaution. If you have concerns, we are happy to discuss this before you book.
Puppy preschool and puppy classes refer to the same type of programme – structured group training for puppies in the early development window. The terms are used interchangeably across Melbourne. What matters more than the name is the quality of instruction, class size, and whether the programme is run by certified, experienced trainers. Our puppy training classes in Melbourne are delivered by certified trainers with a maximum of six puppies per class, ensuring every puppy and owner gets genuine individual attention.
The course runs over six sessions. The first is a compulsory Theory Night where you learn the foundations before bringing your puppy along. Sessions two through six are themed practical classes covering equipment and leash manners, body language and behaviour, cafe canines and capturing calm, visiting the vet and groomer, and exposure and socialisation. By the end of the course your puppy will have the foundational skills and real-world experience to handle the situations they will encounter every day.
Yes, and we actively encourage it. A puppy that learns with one family member and not others has learned a person, not a behaviour. For indoor puppy classes we can comfortably accommodate two people per puppy. If you would like to bring additional family members please contact our office before booking to confirm space. Children are welcome and benefit greatly from being involved in the training process from the start.
You are permitted one make-up class provided you notify us in advance that you are unable to attend. The full fee cancellation policy applies to all training cancelled with less than one business day’s notice. To cancel or reschedule please contact our office on 03 8609 9700 or email bookings@melbournedogtrainers.com.au. Cancellations with more than two business days notice are refundable less the $22 booking fee.
The standard Puppy Preschool ($260) consists of one Theory Night and five practical group classes – the complete foundational programme. The Puppy Plus+ programme ($395) includes everything in the standard programme plus one onsite private consultation and two Saturday Puppy Social sessions, giving your puppy additional one-on-one attention and extra supervised socialisation time. The Private Puppy Preschool ($440) replaces group classes with one Theory Night and three private consultations – ideal for puppies who need a more individual approach or owners with specific scheduling requirements.
Our puppy schools in Melbourne run across four locations in the inner south-eastern suburbs. Classes are held at Ormond @ Woofers World on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings, Moorabbin @ Woofers Dog Lounge on Tuesday evenings, Albert Park @ Port Phillip Animal Hospital on Monday evenings, and Hampton @ Hampton Vet Clinic on Wednesday evenings. The Theory Night is held every Tuesday evening online via Zoom.
If your puppy is at or past 16 weeks, puppy preschool is no longer the right fit as the content is designed for the earlier development window. However, it is absolutely not too late to train. Our adolescent dog training programme is designed for dogs from four to eighteen months and addresses exactly what this age group needs – focus, recall, leash manners, and impulse control. Contact us and we will recommend the right next step based on your puppy’s age and what you want to work on.
Yes. Bite inhibition and toilet training foundations are both covered in the programme. The Theory Night and practical sessions give you the understanding and techniques to address both issues at home consistently. These are among the most common concerns new puppy owners have, and our trainers address them with practical, proven methods rather than generic advice. You will leave each session with specific things to practise before the next class.
A maximum of six puppies per class. This is a deliberate limit that ensures every puppy gets genuine individual attention and every owner gets real coaching rather than watching from a distance. Melbourne Dog Trainers operates from the only licensed and registered dog training facility in the inner south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Bring your puppy on a lead with a comfortable collar, your current vaccination certificate, and high-value treats your puppy is motivated by – small pieces of cheese or cooked meat work well. Avoid feeding your puppy a full meal directly before class so they are responsive to food rewards during training. For outdoor sessions, dress appropriately for the weather.