Looking for Puppy Socialization Group Classes in Fort Collins, Colorado?
Start off on the “Right Paw” in Puppy PlaySchool Group Classes!
Image Description: A map of Summit’s group class levels, with a red pin labeled “You Are Here” on the Puppy level.
STart here in Puppy Playschool if your puppy is between 9 weeks and 6 months of age!
Join us for early learning & socialization for your puppy in our Puppy PlaySchool drop-in classes! Puppy PlaySchool is a small group, open enrollment puppy socialization class offered multiple times a week at our training facility in Fort Collins.
Puppy PlaySchool includes small group play for confidence building with other puppies in the same developmental age range, early learning skills with age-appropriate training challenges for common puppy raising goals, and a rotating discussion of puppy raising topics like biting, chewing, potty training, and more! Puppy PlaySchool is a modular drop-in class (meaning you can start anytime), but preregistration is required so that we can plan for the correct number of puppies each week!
Puppy PlaySchool is offered in two age groups: 9-16 weeks & 16 weeks-6 months.
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Puppy is a minimum of 9 weeks of age
Puppy has been in your care for at least 7 days
Puppy is on schedule with your veterinarian’s recommended puppy vaccination protocol
Here are a few Benefits of our Puppy PlaySchool Program:
Start any time! You can come to your first Puppy PlaySchool as soon as your puppy is at least 9 weeks of age and has been in your care for a minimum of 7 days.
Attend as many weekly sessions as you’d like! If you want to review the skills more than once, or give your puppy bonus socialization and learning time, you can come to multiple Puppy PlaySchool sessions each week!
Enjoy a curated class with age-appropriate learning & socialization. Our team of puppy experts is here to set you and your puppy up for the most success, in an environment that is thoughtfully constructed for the most positive learning experiences for your puppy (and you too!).
Get Your Puppy PlaySchool Pass!
(That’s a mouthful - we call it “the Puppy Pass” for short.)
If you are serious about your puppy’s early training and ready to dive in with lots of support from the Summit team, this Puppy Pass is for you!
With your Puppy Pass, you can . . .
Bundle multiple Puppy PlaySchool sessions to save $$!
Commit to ongoing learning to get you and your puppy the most comprehensive support as you start your life together!
Pick the learning speed that works for you! Come to classes once a week, twice a week, or some combination depending on the level of support you and your puppy need.
Schedule your pup’s learning with lots of flexibility! You have plenty of time to schedule your Puppy PlaySchool credits, and there is no penalty for skipping a week of class due to travel or other conflicts.
The Puppy Pass - $250
(6 Puppy PlaySchool Credits to use over 2 Months)
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This package includes 6 Puppy PlaySchool Credits that can be redeemed for either once-weekly sessions or to attend multiple sessions per week on the modules that are most important to you!
By attending once per week, you’ll get through all of the 6 Puppy Modules, with the option to add an additional Puppy Pass or a la carte drop-ins afterwards to continue learning up until your puppy ages out of PlaySchool.
Your Puppy Pass can be applied to both Puppy PlaySchool age groups as your puppy moves up in age. Credits must be redeemed within 2 months of purchase date, but scheduled appointments can extend beyond the 2 month range (provided puppy is still within the age limits for PlaySchool).
Worried that your puppy may age out if you are starting a Puppy Pass close to 5 months of age? PlaySchool’s upper age guideline of 6 months is flexible by a few weeks, so we will work with you so that you and your puppy can maximize learning with your pass!
Dropping In to Puppy PlaySchool
We do welcome students who want to Pay-As-You-Go to drop in to Puppy PlaySchool classes without a Puppy Pass. See below for Pay-As-You-Go registration links. Keep in mind that puppy learning is an ongoing process, and there is much more for your puppy to learn than what can be covered in just a single drop-in class, so we encourage even our drop-in students to commit to attending multiple weeks of PlaySchool with their puppy.
Puppy PlaySchool is Offered in two age groups:
For 9-16 Weeks
These baby pups are just learning the first things they need to know about how the world works! Puppy PlaySchool for 9-16 weeks is a great place for your puppy to start exploring and learning that new people, new dogs, and new experiences are safe and really fun! Your puppy will also learn important foundation skills like looking to you for support when figuring out how they should feel or behave in a new situation, and learning how to offer good behaviors (that make you happy too!) in order to get what they want and need.
For 16 Weeks - 6 Months
Pups in this are group are getting bigger and soon will be ready to do and try all the things! Puppy PlaySchool for 16 Weeks to 6 Months teaches foundation skills that will be useful for many activities you want to enjoy together throughout their life with you, such as focus on you around distractions, being calm while they watch exciting things happen nearby, listening to their name cue (the first time you say it!), playing nicely and confidently with other pups, and much more!
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There are certainly inherent risks to bringing puppies out in public areas before they are fully vaccinated, just as there are also risks to limiting socialization during their critical development period (up to three months of age).
We try to minimize these risks by utilizing a space like our training room that is cleaned regularly (here’s a blog post on our cleaning procedures!). We base our early socialization classes on the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Position Statement on Puppy Socialization.
However, we never want to encourage our students to go against the advice or direction of their primary care veterinarian, so evaluating the situation from all sides is important. Since your veterinarian treats physically sick puppies and we work with behavior challenges in dogs often associated with missing early socialization periods, we are coming at this from two different sides of the issue. It’s a tough compromise, and both are very important positions to consider.
If you decide to wait until your puppy is fully vaccinated at 16 weeks, we'd love to see you in our Puppy PlaySchool for pups 16 weeks - 6 months.
What will you & your puppy learn in Puppy PlaySchool?
Puppy PlaySchool rotates between 6 learning modules, and you can jump in at any time (you don’t need to start on Module 1)!
Each module repeats for all of the Puppy PlaySchool classes offered on a calendar week (Sunday-Saturday). Come to one or multiple Puppy PlaySchool class sections each week to maximize your learning!
A typical session of Puppy PlaySchool follows this structure:
Introductions & Warm Up (5 Minutes)
Puppy Learning for Foundation Skills (20-25 Minutes)
Potty Break (5 Minutes)
Small Group Playtime & Puppy Raising Questions (10-15 Minutes)
Settle Skills & Class Wrap Up (5 Minutes)
Duration of Puppy PlaySchool classes ranges from 45-55 minutes depending on the needs of the group of pups in attendance (determined at the instructor's discretion). Puppies are individual learners, so we may modify the structure of a class section as needed in order to best support the students enrolled in that section.
Click each + to learn more about what is covered in each Module!
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In Module 1, your puppy will learn important foundation skills like focusing on you around distractions, trading valuable resources (socks, sticks, stolen shoes, etc!) when you ask them to, and the early stages of self-control life skills like lying down on a mat and being calm in exciting situations!
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In this module, your puppy will learn skills to help them take on the world with confidence! This includes navigating different objects, surfaces, sounds, as well as meeting new people and new dogs. You will learn how to set up excellent puppy socialization experiences for your puppy as they learn about the world!
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In Module 3, you and your puppy will learn how to work together, instead of against each other, when you have to do things involving body handling, such as putting on your puppy’s harness or collar, brushing their coat, checking out their paws or ears, or taking them to the groomer or veterinarian.
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In this Module, your puppy will learn foundation skills for handling greetings with other people and other dogs with confidence and poise! You will learn how to teach your puppy what you’d like them to do when greeting a new friend, and how to prevent them from learning how to jump up when greeting new people!
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Module 5 is all about getting your puppy to come to you when you call them! We’ll work on teaching your puppy how to respond to their name and recall cue (even when there are exciting things going on nearby!), and you’ll learn about how to add productive and easy recall practice into your routine with your puppy!
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In Module 6, your puppy will learn the first skills to set them up for a great leash walk. This starts with learning how to get their leash + collar on without trying to bite your fingers! They’ll also learn how to follow you when on leash, rather than the other way around! You’ll learn leash handling and other strategies to set you and your puppy up for the most leash walking success.
The Module rotation is the same for both Puppy PlaySchool age groups, but we make modifications to curate age-appropriate challenges under each module, so even if you have done a particular module in the 9-16 week group, you and your puppy can still benefit from additional learning if you repeat that module when your puppy has aged up to the 16 Week-6 Month group.
Let’s Get Scheduled for Puppy PlaySchool!
PAUSE! Have you gotten your Puppy PlaySchool Pass yet (details above)?
Unless you want to pay the higher drop-in price for each session you attend, start with that step!
LOOKING FOR DROP-OFF PUPPY TRAINING?
CHECK OUT ADVENTURE CAMP!
FOR PUPPIES 9 WEEKS TO 16 WEEKs
Let our team of experts do the early puppy training for you!
Adventure Camp is a place for puppies to come and learn while their humans are at work, school, or just taking a much-needed break! This service is carefully and thoughtfully curated to foster the maximum learning benefit for the puppies in our care. We host 4 puppies on each day of Camp so that your puppy can receive so much individual attention from the Camp team!
Want Puppy PlaySchool AND Adventure Camp?
Schedule an Adventure Camp Discovery Call & Ask about the Super Puppy Pass!
Our most complete puppy raising support package!
8 Days of Adventure Camp + 2 Private Lessons + 6 Weeks of Puppy PlaySchool Drop-In Classes / $1397
Ready to Level Up?!
You and your dog can move up to Level 1 when:
Your puppy is 6 months of age or more