Puppy Training Classes in Denver, CO
The first sixteen weeks decide a lot. We spend them well — crate and potty training that actually sticks, careful socialization, and a room small enough that your puppy is never the one being ignored.
A Small Room, On Purpose
Cloverdyke started in a rented church hall in the Highlands in 2016, with six puppies and one rule we have never broken: six is the cap. Big classes are cheaper to run and worse to learn in — a puppy who spends an hour being overwhelmed learns that other dogs are chaos, which is the opposite of socialization. Our instructors are AKC CGC evaluators, trained in Pet First Aid and CPR, and every one of them has raised a difficult puppy of their own.
- ✓Six puppies per class, from the first week we opened
- ✓Instructors are AKC CGC evaluators
- ✓Pet First Aid and CPR trained
- ✓Vaccination records checked before your first class
Classes For The First Year
Start at eight weeks and keep going, or drop in for the one thing that is going wrong right now.
Every class starts with a free first session so you can see the room before you pay for anything.
What An Hour Actually Looks Like
No lectures, no clicker theory, no sitting in a circle waiting your turn for fifty minutes.
Ten minutes of settling
Puppies arrive over-excited. We start by teaching them to arrive and do nothing, which is the skill every other skill sits on top of.
Short, frequent reps
Puppy attention runs in ninety-second bursts. We work in bursts and rest between them rather than drilling until everyone is frustrated.
You do the handling
The instructor coaches; you hold the leash. A puppy that only works for a trainer is not trained, and you are the one who lives with them.
Structured play, then a stop
Play is paired with an interruption every time, so being called out of fun becomes normal rather than a punishment.
One thing to practice
You leave with a single homework item, five minutes a day. Six small things done daily beats one big thing done never.
Questions answered honestly
If your puppy needs a vet rather than a trainer — pain, gut trouble, a real fear problem — we will say so in the room.
Four Steps To Your First Class
Send Your Puppy's Details
Age, breed and what is going wrong. Two minutes on the form below or a phone call, whichever you prefer.
We Check Vaccinations
We ask your vet's record for the first round. It is the only gate, and it protects every puppy in the room including yours.
Come To A Free Class
Sit in on a real session with your puppy. No cost, no commitment, and you will know within ten minutes whether the room suits you.
Pick Your Course
Book the six-week block, the playgroup or a private session. We will tell you which one we would choose for your puppy, and why.
Your First Class Is Free
Bring your puppy, sit in on a real session, and see the room before you spend anything.
Why The First Sixteen Weeks Matter So Much
Puppy classes are not early obedience. They are a short window that does not come back.
Socialization Has A Deadline
The window for forming easy, unafraid associations with people, noises, surfaces and other dogs mostly closes around sixteen weeks. Afterwards you are changing an opinion rather than forming one.
Habits Are Cheaper Than Fixes
Teaching a nine-week-old to settle costs a few weeks. Un-teaching a year of counter-surfing and door-dashing costs a season, and it is far harder on everyone.
Safe Exposure Beats No Exposure
Keeping a puppy home until fully vaccinated trades one risk for a bigger one. A vaccinated, sanitized class is how you get exposure without gambling on a dog park.
It Is The Owner's Course Too
Most of what goes wrong in year one is a household being inconsistent, not a puppy being difficult. Six weeks of coaching fixes the household as much as the dog.
Six Puppies, One Room, Denver
Kindergarten, playgroup and the graduate class — the same six-puppy cap in every one.
The Vaccination Rule We Will Not Bend
Every puppy shows a vet record for their first round before their first class, and the floor is sanitized between groups. It means we occasionally turn a family away for a fortnight, which nobody enjoys. It also means that in ten years we have never had a parvo scare, and that is worth a fortnight.
- ✓First vaccination round required, checked against your vet's record
- ✓Floors sanitized between every group
- ✓Sick puppies stay home — we credit the class, no argument
- ✓Instructors trained in Pet First Aid and CPR
Every Course Comes With
A free first class
Before you pay for anything.
A written week-by-week plan
What we cover, and what to practice at home.
Messaging between classes
Send a video when it goes sideways; a real instructor answers.
A make-up session
Miss one and catch it up with another group at no charge.
Graduation and a CGC path
Finish the manners class and we will map out the Canine Good Citizen test.
Before You Enroll
How much do puppy training classes cost in Denver?
Group puppy courses in Denver generally run $150–$300 for a four-to-six-week block, and private sessions $90–$150 an hour. Ours start at $195 for the six-week kindergarten, and the first class is free so you can judge the room before you commit.
How old does my puppy need to be?
Eight weeks, and at least seven days past the first vaccination round. Under eight weeks a puppy should still be with their litter; much past sixteen weeks and the manners class is usually the better fit.
Is it safe before my puppy is fully vaccinated?
That is exactly why the class exists. Waiting until the full course is done means missing most of the socialization window. A sanitized indoor room where every puppy's first round is verified gives you the exposure without the dog-park gamble — and it is what the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends.
What if my puppy is shy or overwhelmed?
Tell us when you enroll. Shy puppies start behind a barrier, at their own distance, and join when they are ready. We would rather a puppy watch for three weeks than be flooded in week one.
Do you cover potty training?
Kindergarten touches on it, and the four-session Crate & Potty course covers it properly with a schedule built around your household's real hours. Most families doing both do them at the same time.
What do I need to bring?
A flat collar or harness, a six-foot leash, small soft treats your puppy actually likes, and your vet record for the first class. No prong or choke collars — they are not used or allowed here.
Claim Your Free First Class
Tell us your puppy's age and what is going on at home. We will reply with the next start date and what to bring.