Puppy Training

Coming for class, puppy party or on-campus training? Our campus is located at 4241a N Pershing Drive in Arlington, VA.

For in-home sessions, we travel to Arlington and surrounding areas including Alexandria, Washington, D.C., Annandale, Falls Church, McLean, Fairfax, Vienna, Springfield and Great Falls.

You can find each trainer’s specific travel range in their bio when booking, or tell us where you’re located and we’ll find you the right match.

If you’re outside our travel area, virtual training sessions are a great option that allow us to work with you wherever you are.

There are advantages to both group classes and private training.

Group classes provide valuable, positive social exposure for puppies.

• For puppies 14 weeks and younger, we strongly recommend to join our Puppy Parties, and if possible, Puppy Kindergarten. A dog’s socialization window begins to close between 12 and 16 weeks of age, which means we have a very small window to have a very large influence on your puppy’s social development.
• For older puppies, Basic Obedience classes are a great place to practice focus and attention in a room full of other puppies.

One-on-one private training offers customization and flexibility.

• Get started right away on your most pressing concerns about house training, crate training, puppy biting, leash walking, coming when called or whatever you need help with
• Meet at a time that works for your schedule
• Your trainer can come directly to your home

Many new puppy parents combine a single Puppy Set Up for Success private training session with Puppy Parties or other group classes.

The earlier, the better! We recommend starting as soon as your puppy comes home so you can build good habits from the beginning.

Training looks different at each stage. From 8–12 weeks, we focus on routines like house training and crate training, managing puppy biting, and planning positive socialization. We also begin introducing skills like coming when called, early leash walking, and paying attention around distractions.

From 12–16 weeks, we build more focus and self-control. From 16 weeks on, we begin developing more reliable skills and consistency.

These ages are just general guidelines. We’ll meet your puppy where they are and guide you on what to focus on at each stage.

You are probably experiencing normal puppy biting. Puppy biting is a perfectly normal part of development, especially in the early months, and it can feel intense. Biting often appears during play, excitement, or when your pup is overtired.

Puppies naturally use their mouths to engage with each other and explore their world. If you watch two puppies play, you’ll see how intensely they bite each other while still having fun. They don’t yet understand that our skin is more sensitive—when they bite us, it really hurts! In most cases, this is typical puppy behavior and very different from true aggression.

Just because it’s normal doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult to live with! We’ll show you how to manage biting, redirect it, and teach your puppy more appropriate ways to interact with you.

In some cases, we do see more serious behavior in very young puppies. If you’re unsure, we can help assess what you’re seeing and guide you on the best next steps.

Most puppies can make good progress with house training within a few weeks, but it often takes a few months to become fully reliable.

Success depends on consistency, supervision, and having an established routine. We’ll help you set up a schedule, prevent accidents, and know exactly what to do so your puppy learns as quickly as possible.

You don’t have to crate train your puppy, but we do highly recommend it.

A crate can:

• Support house training, prevent unwanted behaviors, and give your puppy a safe place to rest comfortably away from you
• Help your puppy learn to relax and settle when confined, which can be very difficult to introduce later on when your puppy is older
• Build early independence and reduce the risk of separation anxiety
• Set up for success later in life if you plan to travel, like visiting friends and family, or if your dog might require confinement for medical care

We’ll always support your training goals and your lifestyle with your dog. If you choose to use a crate, we’ll guide you in introducing it in a way that fits your puppy and your regular routines.