Puppy School Sunshine Coast
Help your puppy grow into a calm, confident and well-mannered companion with practical Puppy School on the Sunshine Coast.
Puppyhood moves quickly, and it can sometimes feel like there is a lot to get right in a very short time.
Charlotte makes puppy training simpler.
Our Sunshine Coast Puppy School focuses on the skills your puppy needs in real life – from recall and loose-lead walking to settling calmly at home, impulse control, confidence, appropriate socialisation and being comfortable with handling at the vet or groomer.
Start when you’re ready. Pause when you need to. Stop whenever you choose.
The Process Is Simple
There are no fixed intakes and no need to wait for another four-week course to begin. Your puppy starts at the right stage and progresses when they are ready.
Start at the Right Level
Puppies can begin from around 8 weeks of age.
Before their second vaccinations they attend Puppy Preschool. After their second vaccinations they move into Puppy School, where they can continue until a maximum age of 20 weeks.
Book Your Class Each Week
Activate your weekly membership and use your client portal to book the appropriate class.
Our Sunshine Coast puppy classes operate on a rolling basis, so there is no fixed intake date to wait for.
Progress at Your Puppy’s Pace
Charlotte works with you and your puppy during class and skills are ticked off as they are achieved.
Once Puppy School is successfully completed, you can choose to continue into Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4.
There is no lock-in. You decide how far you would like to go.
Much More Than Sit and Stay
Puppy School is not simply about teaching your puppy a collection of obedience commands.
Our goal is to help you develop the companion you want to live with.
That means teaching useful skills for everyday life – at home, on walks, around people and dogs, and when your puppy needs to cope with things such as visits to the vet or groomer.
We also teach you how your puppy learns, how to reward good behaviour and how to continue developing those skills between classes.
- Recall and coming when called
- Loose-lead walking
- Focus around distractions
- Sit, down and other useful obedience skills
- Impulse control
- Settling calmly at home
- Calm greetings
- Appropriate behaviour around other dogs
- Confidence and resilience
- Appropriate puppy socialisation
- Handling and being comfortable with touch
- Preparing for vet visits
- Preparing for grooming and nail care
- Leave it and ignoring things on the ground
- Knowing when to work, rest and play
Making Puppy Training Simpler
Raising a puppy is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming. There is a huge amount of advice available and it is not always easy to know what you should be concentrating on.
My job is to help make that simpler.
We will work on the things that make everyday life with your dog more enjoyable – walking nicely, coming when called, settling at home, controlling impulses, coping with new situations and feeling comfortable when being handled.
We work through those skills together and help your puppy progress at their own pace.
The goal is to help you raise the companion you want to share your life with.
Paws, Claws & Tails
Puppy Preschool or Puppy School?
We separate our youngest puppies according to their vaccination stage for an important health and safety reason.
Puppy Preschool
Puppy Preschool is for young puppies who have not yet had their second vaccinations.
At this age, puppies are still developing their vaccination protection and usually have much less exposure to public environments.
Once puppies have received their second vaccinations, they start spending more time in places such as footpaths, parks, beaches and other areas where dogs have been.
Keeping our youngest puppies together means they are not mixing in class with puppies that are already being exposed to the wider environment.
This helps reduce unnecessary health risks while still allowing important early puppy training to begin.
You do not need to wait until the second vaccinations to start training.
Puppy School
Once your puppy has received their second vaccinations, they move into Puppy School.
Puppy School continues until a maximum age of 20 weeks.
Here we continue building practical skills, confidence, calm behaviour and the foundations your puppy will need as they experience more of the outside world.
Charlotte will work with you and your puppy and help you progress towards the criteria required to successfully complete Puppy School.
If you want to keep training afterwards, your puppy can then progress towards Level 1.
Start Puppy School When You’re Ready
Traditional puppy schools often require you to wait for the next course start date.
Our Sunshine Coast Puppy School operates on a rolling weekly basis.
If your puppy is at the appropriate age and vaccination stage and there is a place available, you can get started.
You are also not signing up to complete a long program.
You might attend Puppy Preschool and finish there. You might continue through Puppy School. Or you might enjoy the training and continue through Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4.
How far you go is completely up to you.
Start when you want. Pause when you need to. Stop when you have achieved what you wanted. Come back later if you want to continue.
Weekly Membership – $50
There is no long-term contract and no requirement to complete the entire training pathway.
Need a break? Simply pause.
You can pause your membership whenever you need to.
While your membership is paused, you will not be able to book or attend group classes.
When you are ready to return, simply resume your membership. Your booking access opens again and you continue from where you left off.
You do not lose the progress you have already made.
Existing Paws, Claws & Tails clients are welcome to contact us to discuss their options.
We also offer a special seniors discount.
What Happens After Puppy School?
Puppy School does not have to be the end of your training. Dogs who successfully meet the required criteria can continue through our structured training pathway.
Each level builds on the skills developed previously.
Charlotte and the trainers assess your dog during normal group classes and tick off the required criteria as they are achieved.
There is no set number of weeks at each level.
Your dog progresses when they are ready, and Charlotte will help you work towards the next step.
Your Paws, Claws & Tails Client Portal
When you join, you create your own free client account.
Your portal is where you manage your puppy’s training and weekly attendance.
It is also where important information about your puppy and their progress can be kept together.
- Book your weekly classes
- Manage or pause your membership
- Keep vaccination information up to date
- Follow your puppy’s training progress
- Ask questions
- Receive photos from class
- View information about your training
- Access training plans from private sessions
Why Puppy School Matters
The habits puppies develop during their early months can have a big influence on everyday life as they grow.
Behaviours such as jumping, pulling on lead, mouthing, poor focus, over-excitement and difficulty settling can often be easier to address while your dog is young.
But puppy training is not simply about stopping unwanted behaviour.
It is about teaching your puppy what you would like them to do instead.
That might mean settling while the family relaxes, walking without constantly pulling, staying calm while being examined at the vet or focusing on you when something exciting is happening nearby.
Puppy School provides foundations that are useful for life – not simply behaviours that work inside a training class.
Who Is Puppy School Suitable For?
Our Sunshine Coast puppy training program can suit families at many different stages of puppy ownership.
First-Time Puppy Owners
Get clear, practical guidance and learn how to build good habits from the beginning.
Experienced Dog Owners
Every puppy is different. Develop a structured plan for your new dog and give them a strong foundation.
Owners Wanting More Than Obedience
Work on confidence, calmness, everyday manners and practical life skills as well as traditional obedience.
What If My Puppy Has Trained Somewhere Else?
That is fine.
Charlotte can help determine the appropriate starting point based on your puppy’s age, vaccination stage and current training.
Dogs entering Level 1 need to have either successfully completed Puppy School with Charlotte or be assessed as having the equivalent skills.
This means dogs within each level are working at an appropriate standard.
If your dog needs a little more preparation first, Charlotte can arrange private training to help bring them up to the required level.
Sunshine Coast Puppy School Reviews
“Great puppy training school! Family friendly classes.”
“Charlotte was fantastic. We learnt a lot at puppy training.”
Where Is Puppy School Held?
Our group puppy training classes are currently held at:
Kawana Scouts Hall
58 Iluka Avenue
Buddina QLD 4575
Available class days and times are shown through the Puppy School booking system.
View Puppy School & ClassesSunshine Coast Puppy Training
Families travel to Paws, Claws & Tails from across the central Sunshine Coast for practical puppy training with Charlotte.
The location provides access for puppy owners from Buddina, Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland, Maroochydore, Mountain Creek, Kawana, Buderim, Sippy Downs and surrounding Sunshine Coast suburbs.
If you are unsure whether Puppy Preschool, Puppy School or another level is the right starting point for your dog, get in touch and we can help.
Contact Paws, Claws & TailsPuppy School Sunshine Coast FAQs
Here are some of the most common questions about joining Puppy School.
How much does Puppy School cost?
Do I have to wait for the next Puppy School intake?
Am I locked into a course or contract?
Can I pause my membership?
When can my puppy start training?
Why do you separate Puppy Preschool and Puppy School?
What age is Puppy School for?
How many puppies are in a class?
What if I only want to do Puppy School?
What happens after Puppy School?
How does my puppy graduate?
Is Puppy School only about obedience?
What training methods do you use?
What should I bring to Puppy School?
What if my puppy is nervous or shy?
What if my puppy has significant behaviour problems?
Can more than one family member attend?
Should my puppy eat before class?
Do you offer private puppy training?
Ready to Start Puppy School?
You do not need to wait until another course begins.
Start when you and your puppy are ready, train at your puppy’s pace and continue for as long as the program is useful for you.
$50 per week – start anytime, pause anytime and stop anytime.