Give your puppy the best start possible. These classes are designed for puppies under six months of age and focus on socialization, confidence, communication, and the foundational skills every young dog needs. From preparing for your new arrival to navigating the realities of puppyhood, our positive reinforcement training will help set you and your puppy up for success.
Safe, supervised puppy socialization designed to build confidence, encourage appropriate play, and create a foundation for lifelong success.
The first few months of your puppy’s life are critical for socialization and learning. Puppy Play Dates provide a safe, positive environment where puppies can interact with other puppies, explore new experiences, and develop appropriate social skills under the guidance of a professional trainer.
These supervised sessions help puppies build confidence, practice appropriate play behaviors, and learn how to navigate new sights, sounds, people, and situations. Early positive experiences can help prevent future behavior challenges and lay the foundation for a lifetime of good behavior and healthy social interactions.
Open to puppies 8–16 weeks of age who are at least 7 days past their first vaccination.
Please enroll your puppy in only one Puppy Play Date session per day so as many puppies as possible have the opportunity to participate.
Enrolled in Puppy Preschool? Puppy Play Dates are included with your Puppy Preschool tuition, giving your puppy even more opportunities to play, socialize, and build their skills throughout the course.
Build the foundation for a well-mannered companion. This 5-session class teaches essential life skills, strengthens your bond, and helps your puppy navigate the world with confidence.
The puppy months are the perfect time to build the skills that will last a lifetime. Puppy Preschool is a 5-session training class designed to help puppies develop good manners, confidence, and a strong relationship with their people through positive reinforcement training.
Each week, you and your puppy will build on previous lessons while learning essential skills such as attention, coming when called, polite greetings, handling, settling, and other everyday manners. You’ll also learn how to prevent common puppy challenges before they become lifelong habits.
Whether you’re a first-time puppy owner or simply looking to give your puppy the best start possible, Puppy Preschool provides a fun, supportive environment for learning and growth.
For puppies 10 weeks to 6 months of age. Puppies must be current on age-appropriate vaccinations.
Mondays, 6-6:45 pm
October 26 to November 23
November 30 to December 28
Thursdays, 6:00 – 6:45 pm
September 24 to October 22
November 5 to December 10 (skipping 11/26)
Please note: Puppy Preschool tuition will increase to $250 beginning with the October 26 course.
Prepare for life with a new puppy or tackle potty-training challenges with practical tips, expert guidance, and answers to your questions.
Bringing home a puppy is exciting, but it can also come with plenty of questions. Whether you’re preparing for a new arrival or struggling with potty-training setbacks, this human-only seminar will help you start on the right paw.
Join our training team for a discussion on potty-training, puppy development, setting realistic expectations, and creating routines that support success. You’ll leave with practical strategies, troubleshooting tips, and the opportunity to get answers to your specific questions.
Perfect for prospective puppy owners and families with a newly adopted puppy.
To register for a class, click on the “Register” buttons below. For more class details and dates, click on “Learn more” where applicable.
Registration happens through a third party website, Book Your Pet. You’ll need to create a BookYourPet account to register for training classes and submit class payments.
Need Assistance?
Should you have any questions about what class is your best match, or any trouble registering, please email information about your dog and request to us at dogtraining@napahumane.org.
Class Location
All Classes are held at the Napa Humane Education Center:
All classes are held at our Humane Education Center at 3285 Old California Way, just north of our the Napa Humane Spay/Neuter Clinic.
Is there financial assistance for classes?
We hope to be able to offer income-qualified assistance and scholarship options to students soon, but we are not able to offer this just yet. Students looking for a more economical option are encouraged to attend our workshop classes.
How do I know which class I should take?
You can choose a class for your pup based on their size and maturity, or based on their specific behavior challenge.
There are many class options to provide a wide availability for students. For example, if your puppy will be six months during their class time, they can attend either Puppy Preschool, Teen Manners, Basic Manners or if they’re small, Small Dogs, Big Manners. Dog Parents are encouraged to pick the class that best suits their availability or focuses on your dog’s skill needs best.
If your dog needs a refresher on their skills or you’re not sure how they might feel in a group class, try attending on of our one-day workshops.
What is the Training Philosophy?
Napa Humane believes in setting dogs up for success and providing them with skills that help them live more seamlessly with their owners. We do not use or promote the use of punishment, pain, force or intimidation as means of training. We believe in utilizing positive reinforcement methods and a hierarchy of least intrusive interventions. We train in alignment with the guidelines approved by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB): “Based on current scientific evidence, AVSAB recommends that only reward-based training methods are used for all dog training, including the treatment of behavior problems.” The AVSAB’s Position Statement on Humane Dog Training provides more information about why they – and we – embrace this philosophy. You can read it for free online here.
My dog barks at other dogs all the time when s/he is on leash; can I still take one of your classes?
Dogs may bark for a number of reasons, especially with other dogs. Our classroom setting generally has around 6 students, and while we do have room for separation, not all dogs benefit from a group class in an enclosed space like ours. If you’re unsure whether your dog is a candidate for a class, please contact our trainers at dogtraining@napahumane.org to discuss further. Our Leash Monster to Mild-Mannered Class is specifically designed for dogs who are stressed, frustrated or agitated in the presence of other dogs, while leashed. In this class we work on helping your dog bark less and gain comfort and confidence around other dogs, creating a much more peaceful walking experience for everyone.
The class that I'm interested in is full, how can I be added to your wait list?
We are always working and building upon our schedule of classes. Review our calendar for alternative classes that you and your dog can attend. If you cannot find a class to attend, please email us at dogtraining@napahumane.org
What are your Puppy Class Cleanliness and Vaccine Protocols?
We’ll ask that all puppy parents carry their puppies from the car all the way into the classroom, until their puppies have completed their full series of vaccinations. We also ask that all puppy parents sanitize their feet on their way into the classroom. Our classroom is sanitized before each puppy class and messes are cleaned and sanitized immediately. All puppies must be up to date, for their age, on their vaccinations in order to attend class. Puppies can attend our classes and Puppy Play Dates 7 days after their first round of DH2PP vaccine.
Enrollment & Attendance
You can register for all our classes through the Napa Humane website. Our booking site will ask you to create an account with your information, as well as your dog’s. Once that’s done, you can register for any class you’re interested in – but please read the class descriptions, requirements and cancellation policy carefully. If you have any trouble getting registered, send an email to dogtraining@napahumane.org with your information and the class you’re interested in. We can help register you on the back end.
Full payment is required at the time of enrollment. Please look closely at your calendar before registration to ensure that you’ll be able to attend all classes. It is not possible to offer make-up classes, so we ask that you choose dates that best work for your calendar.
If you are going to miss a class, please let the trainer know. We do not provide make up classes, however the trainer can provide you with the homework that you missed from the specific class.
Vaccinations
Proof of current vaccinations, as detailed below, is required for class attendance. These can be entered on your Book Your Pet Profile when you register for class, scanned and emailed to dogtraining@napahumane.org, or brought to the first class.
Dogs between 8 weeks and 16 weeks must be at least 7 days past their first round of DH2PP (Parvo/Distemper) vaccine to attend puppy classes. Bordetella vaccine is strongly recommended as soon as your puppy is old enough for the vaccine.
Dogs over 16 weeks old must be fully vaccinated against Distemper, Parvo and Rabies.
Bordetella vaccine is strongly recommended. For added protection, we recommend vaccinating all dogs against Canine Flu: Canine Influenza Virus H3N2/H3N8 (CIV).
Your dog should also be kept on flea and tick medication.
Vaccines offer protection 7-10 days after administration, although 14 days (about 2 weeks) is best. Please plan accordingly to keep your dog and the other students in class safe and healthy.
Cancellation
If the minimum enrollment for a class or workshop is not met 3 days prior to the first session, the class may be cancelled or postponed. You will be contacted via telephone or email to see if you would like to enroll in the rescheduled class, receive credit toward a future class, or receive a full refund.
Refunds & Credits
Refund Policy – In order to qualify for a full refund, you must contact Napa Humane via email at dogtraining@napahumane.org 3 days before class begins. If you miss this window, you may qualify for credit for another class. See the below class credit policy. If your dog is injured or otherwise unable to attend the remaining class(es) due to health reasons, you may qualify for a 50% refund of your course; however, you’ll need to notify the training team as soon as possible. If your dog has completed the first two classes, the 50% refund is not available. We strongly recommend considering your schedule and availability before registering and paying for classes to eliminate refund and credit challenges.
Credit Policy – Credits are available to students prior to the start of the class. Credits can be applied to future classes after the student attends the first class. If your dog attended the first class of their series but is unable to attend the remaining classes due to health or behavior reasons, you are eligible for a 75% credit of your class fees. This credit can only be redeemed through registration for another class within 90 days. Please be sure to contact the training team via email at dogtraining@napahumane.org so that they can apply your credits; registering through the website does not allow you to apply credits to an upcoming class registration.
Behavioral & Health Appropriateness
Dogs that are exhibiting signs of illness (coughing, diarrhea, lethargy) should not be brought to class and Napa Humane reserves the right to ask owners to remove potentially ill dogs from class.
Dogs who cause an increased risk of injury, or who make other students feel unsafe may be removed from the class or asked to move into another training space. If classroom adjustments still cause an increased safety risk or distress to the dog, they may be asked to leave class for the day, or for the remainder of classes. Should a student be asked to leave class, the trainer will schedule a call to discuss next steps, training suggestions and the possibility of credit or refund.
Children in Class
Children are welcome to join the class, though we ask that children remain near their own dogs. There is a table for younger children to sit, color and read during class. As a precaution and to maintain the comfort of the other dogs in the classroom, children should be managed by their families and instructed not to approach other dogs, run, scream or yell.
First Class
Expect to receive an email prior to the beginning of your class detailing expectations. Each class will require that your dog is wearing appropriate gear (collar and/or harness) and maintained on a 6-foot leash.
No flexible, flexi, extendable leashes.
Please be sure to bring some of your dog’s favorite treats. Treats should be kibble sized. You’ll likely need to bring at least 1cup of treats.
Please bring a towel, blanket or mat for your dog.
Puppies should be carried inside, until they are fully vaccinated.
The Leash Monster to Well-Mannered class will begin with a human only class, the dogs will join in week two.
Owner Liability
I expressly agree to be held responsible for any injury, expense, costs or damages, including but not limited to destruction of furniture, gates, walls, as well as any damage or injury inflicted upon another human or dog, arising out of my own actions or negligence or the actions of my dog.
Occasionally, the Napa Humane team will photograph and/or film our training classes for promotional purposes. I understand that if I don’t wish to be photographed or filmed, I should inform the instructor prior to class. I have read this fully and understand and agree to all of its terms.
Update to Policies due to COVID-19
Due to frequently changing regulations and guidelines, masks may be required in your classroom. Please defer to your instructor for details about the current requirements for your class. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms (coughing, shortness of breath, chills, sore throat, unexplained muscle pain, loss of sense of taste/smell), please do not attend an in-person class.