Puppy classes in Downend for families who'd rather teach their puppy than tell them off.
Book my puppy's place£120 for the five-week course · Sunday mornings, 9–10am
Christchurch Infant School, Downend
Next courses start
*No class on 27 December, so this course finishes on Sun 3 January.
★★★★★46 five-star reviews
Does this sound like you?
Most of it is brilliant. The daft zoomies, the sleepy pile on your lap, the way they're thrilled to see you after four minutes apart. And then there are the other bits:
That last one is more common than anyone admits. Almost every person sitting in that hall on a Sunday morning has felt it.
Almost nobody is prepared for how much of you a puppy takes. Not the money or the walks, the attention. You don't need to feel guilty for finding it hard.
None of this means you've got a difficult puppy or that you're doing it wrong. All of this will pass with time. But it passes much faster with the right support and advice.
Puppies are only puppies for a few months. Once you can read what yours is telling you, a lot of what feels like chaos turns into something you genuinely enjoy. That's what I'm here for: helping you make the most of this stage while it lasts, rather than just getting through it.
"Our cairn terrier pup has come out having learned loads, been socialised really well and is developing great."
Absolutely loved Julia's 5 week puppy class course and would really recommend it. The classes were a great mix of planned training, and time given to go through any specific questions or challenges we wanted to raise. Our cairn terrier pup has come out having learned loads, been socialised really well and is developing great. Thanks Julia
— Ben, with Dougal
What we actually do
We cover all the things you'd expect: sit, down, coming back when called, walking without pulling on the lead, not jumping up at everyone.
But that isn't really the most important part of puppy class.
The real work is supporting your puppy so they grow into a dog who thinks the world is a safe place. One who can meet a wheelie bin, a toddler, a man in a hat and a barking spaniel without falling apart. Confidence built now is what prevents a lot of the fear and reactivity that fills my one-to-one diary later, when the same dog is eighteen months old and lunging at the end of a lead.
You'll also learn why. I won't give you advice on how to stop a behaviour or how to teach something new without the reason behind it. This is a huge part of helping you understand your dog better and enable you to apply and adapt new skills yourself.
And we troubleshoot (lots!). Every week, whatever's driving you mad. Everyone's puppy is doing something maddening and together we can talk through how best to tackle it.
What it's actually like in the room. Fun, relaxed, and sometimes a bit chaotic. Anything puppy goes. Ask me everything, get stuck in, chat to whoever's sitting next to you. The chattier and more curious the group, the better the class.
Who's teaching
I'm Julia. I have a degree in animal behaviour and welfare, which is the science bit, but most of what I actually know comes from the dogs and from the people raising them.
I started out in a rescue centre. Then, in 2012, I began working for an assistance dog charity, where I spent eight years supporting volunteer puppy raisers with their training from ten weeks onwards. That meant sitting with people in their own front rooms, working out what on earth their puppy was doing and what to do about it.
Which means I have almost certainly heard your worry before. The biting, the broken nights, the wee on the rug, the quiet fear that yours is worse than everybody else's puppy. It isn't.
I still work for the same charity today, as a community dog handler. Georgie and I do a bit of everything, some of it in schools, some of it with people living with dementia. She is very good at her job. I am mostly there to support her when she needs me.
At home there are two dogs and three children, currently ranging from a toddler to a teenager. So anything I suggest will be something you can actually manage on a Tuesday, with the dinner burning and somebody shouting from upstairs. Perfect conditions are not a thing in this house either.
None of that makes me right about everything, but it does mean that there is always a reason behind the advice I give you, and it's almost always something I have lived myself at some point.
The practical bits
Once you've finished the course, you can also join Adventure Paws, my small group sessions out in the real world for dogs I've already worked with.
"Our kids could join in and get involved too — they also got loads from coming!"
Our puppy classes with Julia were amazing! Our confidence grew and we really appreciated how our kids could join in and get involved too - they also got loads from coming!
Julia is really calming, understanding and relates things to busy real life scenarios.
I wouldn't hesitate about recommending her classes and resources!
Thanks for having us and Jeff, Julia 😊
— Becky Craig, with Jeff
Everything else you're wondering
Puppies can start once they've had their first vaccination, as long as it was at least seven days before their first class. They don't need to be fully vaccinated.
I know that sounds like it contradicts your vet, so here's my reasoning rather than just my opinion.
A puppy's socialisation window runs from about three weeks to fourteen. It doesn't reopen. What a puppy learns to find normal in that time, they tend to find normal for life, and what they miss becomes much harder work later.
Here's the part most people don't realise. You didn't have them for the first eight weeks. By the time your puppy comes home, more than half the window has already gone, and what's left is roughly six weeks.
That's why I take puppies from seven days after their first vaccination rather than asking you to wait for the second. Waiting a month isn't a small delay. It's most of what you have left.
The disease risk in my classes is genuinely small, because:
It isn't zero risk, and I'm not going to pretend it is. But taking puppies before they're fully vaccinated isn't a shortcut I've invented. It's the mainstream position among veterinary behaviour professionals, and my early attendance policy follows the AVSAB standard on how to do it safely.
You know your puppy, and you've heard your vet. If you'd rather wait for the next course, that's genuinely fine and I'll help you plan what to do at home in the meantime.
Out in the wider world, do follow your vet and keep them off the ground until they're fully covered. But do carry them out. Let them see traffic and buggies and umbrellas from your arms. It counts.
Tell me before you come. We can start with him on your lap, further from the group, or in a quiet corner. Building confidence is the entire point, and pushing a worried puppy is the fastest way to undo it.
Yes, please do. Dogs live in families and it's much better if the whole family learns the same thing. Just let me know numbers so I've got enough chairs.
I completely understand that life sometimes gets in the way, and I frequently have puppies join a future class to make up for a missed session.
Some of their breakfast saved as treats, a few tastier ones, a fixed lead rather than an extendable, and their bed if they've got a favourite.
Excellent. Please ask them. People apologise to me for asking questions all the time and there's genuinely no need. It's the whole job, and I like talking about puppies more than is probably normal.
Ready?
★★★★★
"It can be very overwhelming with a new puppy, so it was nice to speak to other people and relate to similar situations."
— Laura, with Roger the JRT★★★★★
"The park was busy but we still managed to get her back with every call, all thanks to the techniques we have learned at puppy class."
— Phoebe, with Sandy★★★★★
"I wouldn't hesitate about recommending her classes and resources!"
— Becky, with Jeff£120 · Five weeks · Sunday mornings in Downend
Got a question first? Message me on WhatsApp and I'll answer it myself.
Prefer one-to-one? I also do 1-2-1 puppy sessions at home, from 10 weeks onwards. It's a completely tailored session covering anything puppy related: crate training, toilet training, mouthing, introducing them to the cat, recall, socialisation.