Puppy Kindergarten vs. Puppy Preschool

When new puppy owners come to our Puppy Preschool classes, they often ask, “So after this, do we take Puppy Kindergarten?” After all, with humans there’s a definite difference between preschool and kindergarten. (As everyone knows, preschool is where kids learn to eat paste; and kindergarten is where they learn to put paste in the cute girl’s hair.)

But with puppies? Is there a difference between Puppy Kindergarten and Puppy Preschool?

The short and the long answer is: No. Puppy kindergarten and puppy preschool mean exactly the same thing. Remember that dogs mature much faster than we humans. The old seven-years-to-one ratio holds pretty true. So to make such a fine distinction between puppy preschool and puppy kindergarten really doesn’t make sense in dog years.

By the time your puppy graduates puppy preschool (or puppy kindergarten – whatever the dog trainers decide to call the class), your puppy’s nearly ready for his Bark Mitzvah – ready to become a full-grown dog! (Ok, technically there’s an adolescent period that comes next, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a Puppy Jr. High School anywhere…)

Puppy Kindergarten

Puppy Preschool

What happens in Puppy Kindergarten (or Puppy Preschool)?

In Puppy Kindergarten (or Puppy Preschool), you will learn everything a new puppy owner needs to know to welcome the newest member of your family and make him or her a happy, well-adjusted part of your household. You’ll learn: housebreaking your puppy, crate training your puppy, and the basics of puppy obedience.

At the same time, your puppy will benefit from socialization. Puppy socialization is incredibly important in your puppy’s development and can save you enormous headaches later down the road. Puppy Preschool is the perfect time to nip dog agression in the bud, before such bad habits can form.

And that’s really the crux of Puppy Preschool – fostering good habits through positive reinforcement dog training methods, and learning how to cope with the bad habits your preocious little pup has already managed to pick up. Some of these naughty dog behaviors include nipping, chewing, jumping up, and the whole host of doggy no-no’s that all new puppy owners experience. (And so yes, Puppy Kindergarten is also a perfect place to enjoy a bit of well-earned commiseration from your peers! You’re not alone!)

Whether it’s called Puppy Preschool or Puppy Kindergarten, one thing is for certain: any type of puppy training classes must always be conducted in a thoroughly sanitized facility, maintained meticulously with veterinary-grade disinfectant, to protect against contagious illness for young puppies. Your new puppy may well be ready for his first Puppy Preschool class, but you must make certain that the facility is professionally equipped and properly prepared for conducting puppy classes. (Here at the Zoom Room, we’ve always got you and your little one covered!)

What Age Does My Puppy Have to Be for Puppy Preschool?

Here at the Zoom Room, puppies between the ages of eight and sixteen weeks can attend Puppy Preschool, as long as they have all of their age-appropriate vaccinations.

So why “Puppy Preschool” instead of “Puppy Kindergarten”

At the Zoom Room, we call our puppy classes Puppy Preschool instead of Puppy Kindergarten for one simple reason: we think it sounds better! That and the fact that all the puppies we know would much rather eat paste than put it in the cute girl’s hair.

As William Shakespeare once famously said, “Woof!” (Wait, maybe that was William Wegman…) He actually said, “What’s in a name?” That’s all you need to know about Puppy Kindergarten vs. Puppy Preschool. It really is that simple.

If you have a new puppy ready for some good old puppy training and socialization, please join us at the Zoom Room for Puppy Preschool. If you’d like to call it Puppy Kindergarten, we won’t mind. Just watch it with that paste.