Our Puppy Classes Are Kinda Weird. Here’s Why.

Our puppy socialization classes are not what people expect.

When you hear “puppy socialization”, you probably think of a class that meets up at a dog daycare or pet store, and the puppies all play together while the dog trainer referees.

Or perhaps you imagine a class where the puppies learn to sit and lie down and come when called, all around other puppies.

Our classes are… not that.

What makes our puppy classes in Coquitlam/Burnaby different from all the others?

Let’s count the ways!

Socializing your puppy means getting them used to new places, new faces, and learning how to act and how to feel in these situations.

In their first four months of life, puppies are the most trusting and open to new experiences they are ever likely to be. Nature programmed them to be curious and explore everything so they can learn about their world and how to behave in it.

A puppy socialization class that meets in the same place with the same people is better than no puppy socialization. But service dog schools socialize their puppies by bringing them into the real world, so we do too.

Our classes are somewhere different each week!

We use pet friendly public spaces and locations that have kindly given us permission to socialize our service dogs in training there (thanks, Lougheed Mall and IKEA Canada!). We go to parks, book stores, hardware stores… it’s a new experience each week, with new people to meet and new things to learn about.

Oh, and did we mention that we hold classes twice a week? So your puppy has time to re-visit each location and feel comfortable and familiar there before we move on to the next.

We are here to socialize puppies, not to do boot camp. Puppies don’t have to sit if they prefer to stand. They don’t have to stay if they prefer to be close to their special person.

That’s not to say we don’t teach them things! We practice ignoring tempting-but-unsafe-objects, we practice walking on leash politely, meeting new people and dogs politely, and we learn fun tricks, too!

We focus on curiosity, safety, and how to be polite.

Socialization isn’t just about having positive experiences with new people and things. It is also about learning how to feel in different situations. Our bodies remember how we felt in the past and apply that to how we feel now.

We want dogs to feel happy but also calm and relaxed, so we don’t make things too exciting. We want the pups to feel interested, but also calm.

So we stand around or sit around and chat about potty training, nipping and biting, and other important subjects while our puppies just… chill. They can meet new people or hide between our legs and watch the world from a place of safety. They can lick each other’s faces or take a nap.

Napping in class is not only allowed but encouraged!

For the dogs, at least. And if you doze off, we won’t judge you either. Puppy parenting can be tiring. We’ll just be impressed if you can doze off at a Canadian Tire. That’s service dog levels of chill!

Children don’t learn good manners from other children.

They learn those things with the help of adult role models to show them how to handle tricky situations and help them manage their feelings.

Our socialization classes, therefore, need adults.

Of course, there are humans there. But while we can teach dogs about how to interact with store merchandise (don’t) and how to shake a paw when you meet someone (do!), they know that we aren’t dogs so they take what we say with a grain of salt.

However, by seeing an adult dog go up to an elevator calmly, or lie down and take a nap in a Chapters, puppies learn how grown up dogs should behave in these situations.

Puppies learn best from good dog role models.

Our adult dogs consist of service dogs in training who either couldn’t make their usual advanced class, or whose handlers just want to meet and pet puppies.

These dogs are sometimes still learning things, too, but their good example – even just by learning something while puppies watch – makes a world of difference to the pups.

Most service dog schools hold puppy classes for their potential heroes only. But at Heeling Assistants, we know that everyone benefits from well socialized puppies.

Well socialized puppies are more likely to be emotionally stable, friendly, and polite adult dogs who are welcome everywhere and are a joy to their family.

Everyone benefits from best practices

Service dog schools have spent millions of donor dollars learning the best way to raise an emotionally well, cooperative, and brave dog that will succeed as an assistant to disabled humans.

Service dog schools study everything from the direction of fur whorls to whether left-handed dogs are more sound sensitive (they often are!).

Our trainers know the best routes to take to maximize your puppy’s potential.

Best of all – when you take our socialization classes with your puppy, your money goes towards supporting our mission. That’s something you can feel really good about.