Puppy Socials & Puppy Classes Palo Alto

Puppy Training Classes

For puppies 8 to 16 weeks at the start of the program

Your puppy’s first months at home are critical for learning, exploring, and building lifelong skills. Our Palo Alto puppy socials and puppy kindergarten classes use science-based, positive reinforcement methods to turn playtime into learning, helping your pup grow into a confident, well-mannered companion.

Requirements to Attend

  • Puppies must be healthy, with at least one set of parvo/distemper shots
  • Fecal test results required

What to bring to the Class?

  • Mat for settling between play & training sessions
  • Tasty food rewards
  • Water and a bowl

We welcome the whole family to join! Our puppy playgroups and socialization classes are a critical foundation for lifelong confidence, calm behavior, and well-rounded social skills.

Puppy Socials

For puppies 8 to 20 weeks at the start of the socials 

At D For Dogz, our puppy socialization classes help your pup grow into a confident, calm, and well-adjusted adult dog. Puppies learn essential social cues not only from their peers but also from well-mannered adult dogs, who model polite, calm behavior.

Led by certified positive reinforcement trainers, these small-group sessions (8–20 weeks, max 7 puppies) ensure personalized attention and safe, guided learning.

During each session, your puppy will:

  • Safely play and interact with other puppies and adult dogs
  • Confidently explore new objects, surfaces, and sounds
  • Practice settling on a mat, handling exercises, and grooming comfort
  • Build self-regulation, recall, sharing, and polite greetings
  • Gradually meet other puppies at their own pace if shy or fearful

These science-based, structured puppy socials provide the critical foundation for lifelong confidence, calm behavior, and well-mannered social skills.

Tuition: $30 for 40-minute session

Note: Puppy Socials are currently waitlisted for January 2026.

Puppy Kindergarten Class

For puppies 8 to 16 weeks at the start of the class

In this class, we cover:

  • Experience appropriate socialization – safely meet different people, dogs, sounds, and environments to gain confidence and have fun.
  • Prevent fear, phobias, and aggression – build comfort when alone, in crates, or in new situations, and develop skills for lifelong emotional resilience.
  • Address common puppy challenges – including barking, destructive chewing, play biting, and house training, with positive, practical solutions.
  • Learn body handling and grooming – become comfortable being touched, groomed, and restrained, making vet visits and daily care stress-free.

We’ll also guide you in reading puppy body language, practicing calm settling and self-control, and teaching your pup to respect boundaries.

Important: This is not an obedience class. While obedience is valuable later, our first priority is giving your young puppy the foundation they need to navigate the world with confidence, curiosity, and comfort.

Tuition: $340 for FIVE 50-minute classes

This class is currently waitlisted for January 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Puppies should have:

  • First round of DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus) – This is typically given at 6-8 weeks.

  • Fecal Test Results: done within the last month

  • Your puppy must be under 16 weeks old to start our socials and can continue attending regularly until they reach 26 weeks of age. This allows us to monitor their play style and confidence level.

  • If your puppy is less than 10 lbs, shy, afraid, too timid or anxious, we will slowly introduce them to the group at their own pace. You can also check our small puppy classes at Pet Food Express in Campbell.

Please bring:

  • Small bite size food rewards (Badlands Ranch, Raw Rewards, Pure Bites, Just Food For Dogs). Single ingredient freeze dried food is great.
  • Water and their bowl.
  • Please feed your puppy its breakfast.

We sanitize the area for puppy socials by thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces and objects using pet-safe cleaning products.

All registrations are non-refundable & non-transferable.

Positive interactions at puppy socials help build your puppy’s confidence, teach them appropriate social behaviors, and reduce fear and aggression. These interactions are essential for your puppy’s development into a sociable and well adjusted adult dog.

What Our Clients Say

“I took several classes with D For Dog and loved all of them. I really enjoyed that many of the classes were held in different locations around town so your pup gets to practice the skills in the real world.”

Dogs together with pet ownerKelly L, Mom of River & Kaylee, Pitbull Puppy

“The one thing that sets Kaajal apart from other trainers is that she uses Positive reinforcement methods and is remarkably good at training humans in how they connect with their puppy as that sets the right foundation.”

motivating-thumb-dogMikkin P, Dad of Munchkin, a Labradoodle Puppy