Puppy Preschool
Welcome to Canine To Five's Puppy Preschool – an innovative socialization program designed just for puppies. This structured curriculum is included with our daycare and boarding services at no extra cost, and was developed in collaboration with the Certified Professional Dog Trainers at K9 Turbo Training. Puppy Preschool goes beyond typical daycare, we're focusing on socialization, toy time, outdoor activities, and unique daily enrichments - it's the perfect place for your new puppy! Currently only offered in Ferndale and in Midtown based on attendance.
canine to five's Puppy Preschool
Puppy Preschool allows your furry friend to participate in off-leash, open play with other four-legged friends during the day. Puppies eligible for this program must:
- Be between 12 weeks - 8 months old
- Be up to date on their Bordetella, DHPP, and Leptospirosis vaccines, and have their Rabies vaccine if 18 weeks or older
- Have passed an evaluation day
Evaluations do expire if your pup hasn't visited us in over 6 months. We recommend visiting at least once per week to stay active and establish a good routine for your dog! If your puppy is over 8 months old, check out our page on Group Play daycare.
Puppy Preschool Pricing
A full day of Group Play daycare is $38. You can choose to pay by the day, or enroll in our special Puppy Preschool rates! If you plan to visit at least 3 days per week, you can purchase one of our Puppy Preschool packages and take advantage of our 18% discount:
- 3 Days/Week | $93.00
- 4 Days/Week | $124.00
- 5 Days/Week | $155.00
Bringing your adorable pup to Canine To Five's Puppy Preschool a few times each week not only reinforces their obedience training, but it also transforms them into social butterflies, mingling with other dogs, strangers, and even conquering objects, smells, and wild adventures! And guess what? They'll come back home so tired, your house will be safe from their mischievous puppy antics! Any unused package days will expire at the end of each week.
Puppy Curriculum
Whether your puppy visits us once a week, or every day, they will get to experience our structured curriculum that focuses on socialization to sights, sounds, and experiences that they'll need to navigate life as an adult.
Examples of this include:
- People using wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches
- Lawn tools such as wheelbarrows, rakes, and shovels
- Strangers wearing big coats, hats, and sunglasses
- Veterinary equipment such as lab coats, stethoscopes, and otoscopes
- Things with wheels such as skateboards, bicycles, and strollers
Early socialization and desensitization leads to decreased fears and anxieties down the road.
Dog Socialization
Supervised and structured play sessions with dogs of varying sizes, ages, and play styles focuses on teaching puppies how to play appropriately with other dogs, how to manage conflict without using aggression, and when to take breaks in play!
Crate Training
Puppies require an average of 15-20 hours a day of sleep and need to take breaks in order to prevent them from becoming over aroused and overstimulated (hellloooo toddlers with no naps!). For this reason, we give puppies naps in enclosures every hour, which creates a den for your puppy to make his/her own and assists you with your crate training at home!
Even if you aren't choosing to crate at home, your puppy will need to be accustomed to a crate when visiting places like the vet, groomers, or when traveling.
Resource Guarding Prevention
Your pup will learn to share resources like toys, food, and attention with other dogs and humans. Puppyhood is a critical stage to develop this tolerance and helps prevent resource guarding later in life.
Puppy Preschool Routine
Puppy Preschool is held Monday through Friday for all puppies under 8 months old. Whether your puppy is visiting us for daycare, or an overnight stay, this extra curricular is included at no extra cost. If your puppy is visiting us on the weekend, they will either spend their day in Tiny Town or Playroom 1 depending on their age and size.
For puppies under 6 months old, we recommend bringing lunch in a clearly labeled bag or container to be fed at noon. If you don't have time, or forget to pack a lunch, Canine To Five also has a Snack Bar available to choose from! To aid in training, we do provide treats throughout the day – just let us know about any food allergies or sensitivities your puppy may have.
Much like kids in school, puppies can share germs leading to common cold symptoms. Canine To Five has thorough cleaning protocols and communicate with clients whenever we see illnesses going around. If your pup appears unwell (coughing, sneezing, runny nose) please inform our team and keep them out of doggy daycare for at least 10 days after symptoms subside to prevent spread. We understand that a sick puppy is the last thing a pet parent needs, but we firmly believe in the long-term benefits of early socialization, outweighing the temporary inconvenience of a seasonal cold.