Puppycourse

Startdate: Multiple times
duration: 6 sessions and plenty of extra online material

€275,-

Here you go, fetch your info!

Course days: Saturday
Group size max 2
4 weeks of training
Theory lessons + practical lessons
Online environment (± 8 hours of content)
Indoor training
Welcome pack
Full vaccination not mandatory

For puppies and toddlers between 8 and 15 weeks of age

The Van Stal puppy course is a comprehensive course of three lessons and a playdate, taught by certified instructors and behavioural therapists. A new group starts every fortnight, so you never have to wait long to start! To help you better in English, we provide session with 2 dogs at most. When the weather is nice, we train outside on our property, and when the weather is bad, we stay nice and dry in our spacious, covered training hall.

In these sessions for puppies and toddlers, the focus is on daily life: what does a growing dog need to learn in order to keep up with your daily life? This includes practical exercises such as walking without pulling, paying attention to you and coming here. We pay a lot of attention to the socialisation process of your pup and the prevention of future unwanted behaviour: a good start really is half the battle. To properly guide your pup, it is important that you learn about the learning process of dogs, that you understand which emotions play a role in your dog’s behaviour and how you can deal with them. Through a combination of theory and practical lessons, we help you develop the necessary knowledge and skills. Become your dog’s best companion: start with the Van Stal Puppy Course!

What does the training involve?

Are you getting a puppy or have you just got one? Then you undoubtedly need guidance around education and socialisation, and like us, going on a course is very important. Perhaps you are already running into all kinds of problems: all your shoes have holes, your pup is behaving extremely fussy and oops, those little teeth are already very sharp! Your puppy has no idea yet what it means to be a house dog and especially at this young age you want to guide your puppy as well as possible in a challenging human world. In our puppy course, you gain the necessary knowledge and skills to help your pup grow into a confident adult dog.

The course consists of four practical lessons and one of these is a playdate. In these lessons, we cover in detail the most important topics for young puppies. How does your pup learn? How do you motivate him or her to cooperate with you? How do you get your pup’s attention in a challenging environment? What pitfalls will you encounter? We will practice extensively with attention exercises and walking on a slack lead, which we will continue in all subsequent courses. Of course, we will discuss common puppy problems such as jumping up, biting, not listening when off-leash and pulling on the lead. We teach you how to prevent unwanted behaviour and teach desired behaviour.

Moreover, we pay a lot of attention to socialising with people, other dogs and even horses! Did you know that puppies go through their socialisation period between 8 and 12 weeks? Especially in this period it is extremely important to let your puppy get used to all kinds of stimuli in a calm and positive way. The Van Stal puppy course teaches you the best way to socialise your puppy. That way, you can avoid many problems in the future!

Requirements and vaccinations

All our courses consist of a combination of practical lessons and theory material. The puppy course consists of five practical lessons and one theory lesson without dogs. We give the theory lesson halfway through the course – the fourth lesson.

Our puppy courses start on different days and times (see below). You start with a fixed group The current starting dates can be found in our calendar and in the online booking system. The puppy course can be followed on:

Bring your vaccination booklet or passport with you on the first lesson.

A long leash and harness are available in our shop. We will help you fit a good harness and offer a rental service for growing puppies.

There is always a clean snuffbox and water waiting for you in our training hall. Van Stal has a covered hall, so in bad weather you are always dry! If the weather allows it, we go outside to train for variety.

Note! Slip lines, choke chains, anti-tugging devices or other aversive aids are not allowed. We strongly discourage the use of coiling lines.

It does not matter if the puppy has not had all the vaccinations (yet). The mother has provided antibodies and when the first vaccination is given at 6 weeks, the puppy is already protected. At Van Stal, we do believe it is important that the puppy receive all vaccinations over time. All vaccination booklets are checked to see if all puppies are on schedule. It is also possible to join the course with a positive titer determination.

After the course

A good start is half the work – but by no means all the work! To raising your dog successfully requires much more than just a puppy course. Just wait until your dog starts going through puberty! At Van Stal, after the puppy and toddler course, you can move on to the Basic course. Deze cursus is voor honden vanaf 18 weken and provides the foundation for a great life together with your dog. We will delve into the learning process of dogs, training techniques and skills, and teaches you to understand the emotions and motivations behind behaviour. With that knowledge in your pocket, you can take on all challenges!