🐾 Your Jones Farm Puppy Kindergarten Journey
Give Your Puppy the Best Start Possible
Our Puppy Kindergarten program is a wonderful option for families who want to give their new puppy extra time, training, and socialization before they come home. While this program is primarily reserved for families with Pick of the Litter reservations, we often open additional spots to our standard reservation families when space allows.
Puppy Kindergarten gives your puppy the opportunity to stay with us for up to three additional weeks after adoption day. During this time, we continue building on the training foundation we’ve already started—helping your puppy grow in confidence, manners, and comfort with everyday life. Many families choose at least one extra week to make the transition home smoother and easier.
🌟 What We Work On
Crate & Potty Training
● Continued crate training
● Sleeping through the night in their crate
● Reinforcing potty routines and outdoor habits
Socialization
● Meeting new people (different appearances, hats, glasses)
● Interactions with children
● Supervised play with same-size puppies
● Exposure to calm adult dogs
● Household noise exposure (vacuum, doorbell, kitchen sounds)
● Community sights (strollers, bicycles, umbrellas)
● Pet-friendly store visits
● Gradually increasing car ride duration
Enrichment & Confidence Building
● Puzzle toys and problem-solving activities
● Sensory exploration: textures, surfaces, obstacles
● Sniff walks and scent games
● Safe indoor and outdoor exploration
● Confidence-building challenges
Grooming & Handling
● Brushing and grooming tool exposure
● Paw, ear, and mouth handling
● Nail trimming practice
● Calm introduction to baths and towel drying
● Positive associations with handling
Car Ride Practice
● Short to progressively longer car rides
● Calm entries/exits
● Riding in crates or harnesses
● Exposure to various routes
● Rewards for calm behavior
● Monitoring motion sickness or anxiety
Quiet Time & Independence
● Learning to settle in a crate or pen
● Practicing short periods of alone time
● Encouraging relaxed behavior and self-soothing skills
Puppy Kindergarten: Week-by-Week Breakdown
Week 1 — Foundation & Comfort
Focus: trust-building, gentle handling, safe exploration, early socialization
Skills Covered:
● Exposure to household sounds, surfaces, and new people
● Gentle interactions with calm adult dogs and puppies
● Short, positive car rides
● Age-appropriate toys & early puzzle toys
● Light brushing and gentle body handling
● Towel drying practice
● Beginning crate comfort and potty routine reinforcement
Week 2 — Confidence & Manners
Focus: confidence in new environments, controlled excitement, improving calm behavior
Skills Covered:
● Meeting people with different appearances
● Exposure to strollers, bicycles, umbrellas, etc.
● Puppy play sessions and controlled social interactions
● Trips to pet-friendly stores or calm public areas
● Increasing car ride lengths
● Intro to more challenging puzzle toys and scent-work
● Grooming tool familiarity + nail trimming practice
● Continuing calm, warm water baths
Week 3 — Real-World Preparation
Focus: resilience, advanced socialization, longer independence practice
Skills Covered:
● Visits to quiet public areas and store environments
● Mild surprise exposure (balloons, umbrellas opening)
● Meeting well-mannered adult dogs
● Advanced puzzle toys & nose-work games
● Exploration of textures like sand, gravel, and grass
● Longer brushing sessions and gentle grooming
● Longer car rides with different routes
● Continued quiet-time practice in crate or pen
🩺 Health & Veterinary Care
During their stay, your puppy will receive:
● Their second set of vaccinations
● Ongoing health checks and monitoring
● Regular handling to prepare for vet visits
💗 Program Structure & Cost
We keep enrollment very limited to ensure each puppy receives individualized attention.
● Rate: $800 per week or $130 per day
● Duration: Up to 3 weeks
Please ask about availability after choosing your puppy — we’d love to help your pup learn, grow, and thrive before joining your family!
🏡 Recommended Practice at Home
After graduation, we recommend continuing:
● Daily new experiences
● Short car rides 4× per week
● Gentle daily grooming and handling
● on-the-back training daily
● Safe playdates with trusted dogs
● Calm visits with new people
● Continued crate and potty routines
