TRAIN YOUR LITTLE PUPPY AT OUR PUPPY PRESCHOOL

Puppy Class — Penrith, NSW — Orchard Hills Veterinary Hospital

Our Puppy Preschool

Orchard Hills Veterinary Hospital offers a puppy preschool to socialise your new puppy with other dogs and people. Our Puppy preschool is run by our qualified Veterinary Nurses, who start basic obedience training using positive reinforcement and rewards. They will also identify any potential behavioural problems early so that measures can be introduced to modify that behaviour. The course is designed to:

  •       Socialise puppies with other dogs and people.
  •       Start basic obedience training using positive reinforcement and reward.
  •       Identify any potential behavioural problems early so that measures can be introduced to modify that behaviour. For example, chewing, digging, biting, barking, stay, come, fear of loud noises, fear of strangers/visitors to the home and much more.
  •       Educate owners on all aspects of puppy development, training, and pet care.
  •       Help make veterinary visits more enjoyable for dogs, owners, and veterinary staff.
  •       Get puppies off to a good start, so they become well-controlled, well-behaved, and socially acceptable adults.
  •       Teach good manners to your puppy so that you and your pet live happily ever after.
  •       We’ll teach you how to perform a health check on your puppy.
  •       Teach children how to safely interact with puppies.

The Age that Your Puppies can Attend Our Puppy Preschool

Orchard Hills Veterinary Hospital offers a Puppy Preschool for puppies from 6 weeks up to 14 weeks of age. Your puppy must have at least their first puppy vaccination in order to attend. Documentation via vaccination certificate will be required. The Puppy Preschool is a socialisation class where your puppy will learn how to interact with other puppies and people, as well as basic obedience commands such as sit, stay, and come.

  • When Our Puppy Preschool Starts

    Our puppy preschool classes are for puppies from 6 to 14 weeks of age. The Puppy Preschool is designed to help your puppy learn basic manners and socialisation skills in a fun and positive environment. In order to attend the Puppy Preschool, your puppy must have received at least their first puppy vaccination. Documentation via vaccination certificate will be required.

  • The Location of Our Preschool

    Our puppy preschool is located in an extra-large training room right here in our hospital. The room provides plenty of space for your pup to play and learn. The floors are cleaned with a disinfectant prior to puppy preschool commencing to ensure the safest possible environment for your puppy. We offer a variety of classes to choose from, so you can find the perfect fit for your pup.

  • Our Puppy Trainers

    Our fully qualified Veterinary Nurses facilitate our puppy training: Lizzie, Lyn, Ethan and Jorgia. Lizzie and Lyn have both completed the Delta Dog Training course and are able to offer advice on all aspects of puppy care, from toilet training to obedience. The hospital runs a regular puppy preschool, where pups can socialise and learn basic manners in a safe and controlled environment.

What Happens During Our Class?

Our puppy preschool course will help new dog owners get started on the right paw. The first class is theory-based and is used to discuss puppy topics such as how dogs learn, toilet training, biting, etc. The first-class sets you up for how the remainder of the course will run. 


The following four practical classes are for you and your puppy to learn about training, socialisation, and other puppy topics. Training exercises that are covered in the course include On The Mat, Sit, Drop, Stay, Look (or Watch), and more. Some of the Puppy topics that are covered in the course include Biting, Toilet Training, Enrichment, Alone time, Health & Nutrition, and more.

What to do Before Our Puppy Classes & what to Bring

Our puppy preschool class help your puppy socialise and get them used to being in a hospital environment. The class is held in the Puppy Preschool Room, which is located on the first floor of the hospital. Please carry your puppy into the hospital. You will then be directed to the puppy preschool room, where you are welcome to place your puppy on the floor and get ready for class!


All puppies must be on a collar and lead at all times unless otherwise instructed. Do not feed close to the time of the class as we use a variety of treats for training. Your first homework task is to determine your puppy's favourite treats! We will have some treats on hand if you forget to bring some, however a high value reward will go a long way in a new and stimulating environment. Bring along plenty of your puppy's favourite treats to class, to ensure a successful start to training.


A mat will be required for your puppy to use as a comfortable resting place during the class. The trainer will discuss puppy topics between play and training sessions, and it will be much easier to listen when your puppy is settled! A chew item or food-related enrichment item will help keep your puppy settled as well. The trainer will share ideas for these items in the puppy-free lesson.


Clickers will be available for purchase, and the trainer will discuss their use of them and their benefits.

  • We’re here to Help with Your Puppy Training

    Owning a new puppy can feel like an information overload! But don’t worry; you will be provided with extensive handouts covering all the topics discussed during the course, along with homework sheets after each class with step-by-step instructions for training exercises. 


    We allow two people per puppy to each class. While training with the whole family can be great fun, overcrowding can distract the puppies. There will be plenty of opportunities to train your pups at home. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask the trainer prior to attending class.

  • Our Puppy Preschool Benefits

    Bringing a new puppy home is a wonderful experience. Puppies have a period of socialisation up to the age of 4 months old, during which time we encourage you to expose your puppy to as many new experiences as possible. But you must also protect them from exposure to disease. Puppy Preschool is an excellent and safe way to provide this social contact for your puppy.


    Our experienced dog trainers have completed further education in dog training and behaviour in order to provide up-to-date information, with a focus on using positive reinforcement and force-free methods of training. This means you can not only train your dog to be the best companion but do so in a way that makes it enjoyable for both you and them!

  • The Social Benefits of Our Puppy Preschool

    Our Puppy Preschool provides puppies with an opportunity to interact with other dogs before and during the training session. Dog-to-dog interaction is vital when it comes to ensuring that a puppy develops good social skills. The trainers will observe the puppies closely in the training environment and carefully match playmates together to ensure that every experience they have is as positive as possible. 


    This puppy preschool is the perfect place for your young dog to make new friends and learn how to interact with other dogs in a safe and controlled environment. By attending puppy preschool, your puppy will also learn to associate the visit to the veterinary hospital with good times and treats and will love coming to visit for vaccinations, desexing and annual check-ups.

  • Owner-Puppy Relationship Benefits

    Our class is designed to socialise young puppies and give them a chance to learn basic obedience skills. However, enrolling your puppy in Puppy Preschool isn’t just a chance to teach new skills—it is also an opportunity to bond and improve communications between you and your new puppy. 


    Our experienced dog trainers will provide you with guidance and training methods that will best accommodate your puppy’s learning style. We believe that the owner-puppy relationship is essential for a happy and healthy life, and Puppy Preschool is the perfect way to start off on the right paw!


    Puppies also learn to experience what it is like to process and perform simple commands amidst distraction.

  • Why use Positive Reinforcement?

    This particular method of training involves rewarding your dog for good behaviour so that it is more likely to occur again. It is the most humane training method and has also been scientifically proven to be the most effective. Using these methods will also strengthen the bond between you and your dog.

  • Free Puppy Health Check

    We offer all puppies a FREE health examination with the veterinarian, where we will examine the puppy and go over all of the basic health care needs.

Join Our Puppy Preschool Today!

Contact our friendly team today to book your place at our puppy preschool!

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