PUPPY SURVIVAL SCHOOL

Raise a happy, well-behaved puppy without losing your mind

Do any of these sound familiar?

If any of that sounds like you, don’t worry: You CAN train your puppy, you CAN build a really strong bond with them. Even if you feel like you have no clue what you’re doing.

You can still live happily ever after. 

Puppy Survival School will show you how. We’re here to help you break through the chaos, and actually enjoy life with your puppy.

Imagine having a puppy who:

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

You'll learn how to get your puppy to:

A note from a member

“We wanted to extend a heartfelt thanks for your help over the past months. Your videos, and your no-nonsense and humble delivery of information, were invaluable as we navigated raising our sweet but drivey and high-arousal young’un. We’re better parents for it and Olive has a clearer sense of his place in the family and household, and we all made it to the other side in one piece. So, thanks thanks thanks.”

Andrew and Mathi

tHE DETAILS

A comprehensive online program for the overwhelmed puppy parent (or puppy parent-to-be)

Puppy Survival School

We know you’re exhausted. You don’t have the time or mental energy to sit through a bunch of dog training theory. You need to know what to do, now!

We start by teaching you a simple strategy you can use to quickly get problems under control and be a lot less stressed.

When you’ve implemented the strategy and gotten out of crisis mode, we’ll teach you everything else you need to know to raise a puppy you can be proud of.

We’ll walk you through pretty much every aspect of training, socializing, and caring for a puppy. So you can spend less time Googling, and more time making progress.

Puppy Survival School is designed for puppies up to five months of age. (Meaning your puppy can be up to five months old at the time of starting the program)

Get this program when you sign up for an All-Access Pass academy membership. We have monthly and annual membership options.

COURSE LIST

This program contains NINE courses. Including:

Get obnoxious behavior under control and prevent bad habits from developing

THE FOUNDATION FOR A HAPPY, WELL-BEHAVED PUPPY COURSE

This will help you quickly get problems under control. (Haven’t brought your pup home yet? Foundation will help prevent problems and establish good habits from the beginning)

  • The core strategy for successfully raising a puppy
  • How to exercise your puppy in a way that actually wears them out, instead of making them MORE hyper
  • How to train your puppy to love their crate
  • The Puppy Taming Game: a training exercise that gets puppies to calm down and stop being obnoxious
  • How to teach your puppy to politely “say please” when they need something

Potty train your pup with a simple plan that actually works, even if he's had a lot of accidents

THE HOUSE TRAINING COURSE

Make the potty training process as simple and drama-free as possible.

  • A flexible, step-by-step plan that works for all work schedules and all living situations
  • What to do if you’re at work or school longer than the puppy can “hold it”
  • What to do about accidents

Get those razor-sharp little baby teeth under control

THE BITING COURSE

Learn how to survive the crazy biting phase.

  • The three reasons puppies bite
  • How to interact with a puppy in a way that reduces biting
  • How to control the factors that make biting worse
  • What to do when your pup goes into “Hyper Attack Mode”
  • The difference between normal puppyhood biting and aggression
  • What to do about the puppy biting your kids

Learn how to understand your puppy, so you can communicate clearly and reduce frustration

THE UNDERSTANDING YOUR PUPPY COURSE

All about puppy body language and behavior.

  • What to expect from your puppy
  • How to tell when a puppy is stressed
  • Everything you need to know about how puppies play
  • How to tell if your pup is more fearful than normal – and what to do about it

Help your other pets adjust to the new puppy (and get the puppy to stop terrorizing them)

THE PUPPY & YOUR OTHER PETS COURSE

All about creating a harmonious multi-pet household, so you can stop feeling guilty about inflicting a demon puppy on your older dog or cat.

  • Introduce the new pup to your resident pets
  • Help your older dog accept the puppy
  • Get the puppy to be calm around the cat
  • Learn what to do if the older dog corrects the puppy
  • Foster a positive relationship between the pets

Teach your puppy important "life skills" that will save you time and help you get your freedom back

THE PUPPY LIFE SKILLS COURSE

The skills your puppy needs to have in order to exist peacefully in their human household.

  • Get your puppy to stop whining when you leave the room
  • Get them to sleep through the night
  • What to do if they cry at night
  • Prevent food aggression
  • Trim your puppy’s nails with no drama

Train your puppy to listen to you and follow cues

THE BABY OBEDIENCE COURSE

Video tutorials for teaching your puppy cues and basic manners that will make life easier, using fun games and puppy-friendly methods. Learn how to teach your puppy the following skills at a beginner level:

  • Focusing on you
  • Ignoring a distraction
  • Walking on a leash
  • Not stealing food
  • Sit, Lie Down, Drop It, Leave It, Come When Called
  • Plus: footage of our puppies practicing their skills in real-life situations, so you can see how it all comes together in the real world

Teach your puppy about the world in a way that's fun, builds your bond, and turns her into the best dog she can be

THE SOCIALIZATION COURSE

You know your puppy needs to “be socialized,” but what does that even mean? And how do you do it without becoming a giant ball of stress?

  • A chilled-out socialization program
  • How to help a shy puppy overcome their fears
  • What to do about a puppy who barks at strangers or other dogs
  • How to avoid making common socialization mistakes that teach puppies bad habits
  • Plus: River’s “socialization adventure vlogs” that show you how to put all this theory into practice

Make it through the times when self-doubt starts eating you alive

THE WTFWIT PHASE MINI-COURSE

A guide to the critical but often-ignored mental and emotional side of raising a puppy.

The “What The **** Was I Thinking” phase is something that many puppy parents go through. It’s the part where everything is terrible and you think you made a huge mistake by adopting this puppy.

I’ll talk about my own personal experience with this phase, and teach you how to survive it.

Here's what else is included

When you sign up for the puppy program, you also get:
Support on your puppy-raising journey

The courses are self-study, but you don’t have to go it alone.

You’re invited to our twice-monthly live coaching calls on Zoom where you can tell us about your situation, and we’ll give you some tailored advice.

Can’t attend the live session? No worries! Submit your questions in advance and then watch the replay.

You also get access to our forums where you can ask questions, vent about your canine conundrums, and share your wins.

Access to ALL of our other courses and content

In addition to the puppy-specific courses, you also get instant access to our full course and webinar library. 

We cover topics like: 

  • Focus in the presence of distractions
  • Reliable recalls
  • Pulling on leash
  • Building reliably-trained behaviors without relying on food or punishment
  • Introducing dogs to each other safely
Achievement badges!

Raising a puppy can be thankless work. People go nuts over the flashy dog training stuff like tricks or agility, but no one seems to care when you get your puppy to FINALLY sleep through the night, or have fewer potty accidents this week than last week.

Well. WE care.

We know you work hard for this stuff, and it’s just as big an achievement as Roll Over and Play Dead, darn it!

With badges, we aim to give you a fun way to track your progress and celebrate all your wins along the way.

The Rescue Dog Roadmap

The most common question we get about this program is “will this work for my new adult/teenage rescue dog?”

The short answer is… mostly, but not completely. 

Raising a puppy and a rescue dog are similar but different experiences. What you really need are bits and pieces of ALL our courses.

So we’ve created a new feature: the rescue dog roadmap. It’ll show you exactly which lessons to take from each course, so you can get your new dog settled in.

Feedback from our students:

“Emma is my 4th dog, but my first puppy. To say I was terrified of messing her up and doing all the wrong things, is a total understatement. In my frantic Google searches I found your WTFWIT video on YouTube and knew that your method was for me. I’ve been studying diligently, and were still in the honeymoon phase, but 3 days into getting Emma and she responds to her name, sits on command, sits to say please, has made tremendous potty and crate progress, follows the leader, and is a tug champion.

From watching your videos and reading your material, I feel empowered and knowledgeable and no longer terrified. I know what I’m doing (kinda), I can spot bad advice from well meaning friends and family, and I’m confident that I will have a well behaved, well adjusted puppy.

Thank you to infinity and beyond for helping to make our family a happy one.”

Simone and Jon

“Dear Jake,

I just want to thank you so much for starting the 3 Lost Dogs Academy. My Husband found your courses and pointed them out to me when I was losing my mind. We recently adopted a 5-6 month old Blue nose pit mix and he was a touch more than I bargained for. When I thought ‘This is it? What was I thinking?’ He found your academy and it has given me a clear way forward to understand Kevin and better meet his needs. 

It’s nice to finally be bonding with my boy and not be endlessly frustrated with him. So thank you again, really.” 

Terianne

Danielle writes: Hi Jake! Thank you so much for your time video chatting with me last week. I wanted to follow up and let you know that adding the mental stimulation has worked wonders for Ollie! He is doing so well with the Baby Obedience training, it's amazing how quickly he learns. Thank you again for your help - I would recommend 3LostDogs to anyone with a new puppy! You guys are amazing and have saved our sanity...Ollie is definitely growing into a well behaved and under control puppy! Of course he had his wild moments, but it's so much more enjoyable to play with him during these times when they last for a little while, and not all day long. Thanks again and I will be in touch if we get stuck again!!
Heather writes: Jake & Erin You guys are the best! Went to REI earlier today and picked up the Ruffwear front range harness. With the technique in the training video, roasted chicken and the lick mat, I was able to successfully put Odin's harness on with out any biting or fussing. He was calm and not panting! Thank you so much. We are looking forward to getting started on the rest of our homework 😀 Have a great weekend!

Training designed for real life, developed in real life, filmed in real life

IMG_8747

This project started when I adopted River, a four-month-old Belgian Malinois.

Beginning on day one, I filmed everything I did with River. House training, problem solving, socializing, playing, adventuring, etc.

A few months later, I decided that River needed a friend, so I went back to the shelter and adopted Hazel, a three-month-old lab/pit bull mix.

I filmed everything I did with her, too.

All this footage became the Puppy Survival School.

River hazel play fight

As real-life as it gets!

This is no fancy studio production. These videos were recorded in my messy house, with my noisy housemates, with a resident cat who liked to wander into the shot.

You’ll see these puppies learning, making progress, and growing. I’ll even point out my mistakes.

You won’t have to use your imagination to figure out how all these lessons fit into real life, you’ll get to watch them happen in real life.

Gain the knowledge to confidently tackle puppy raising

 Our aim is to help you feel less like a giant ball of anxiety. (I know some of us will always feel like a giant ball of anxiety no matter what, woohoo #mentalhealth, but still)

I won’t lie, this stuff does take work. Raising a puppy is never exactly a breeze, no matter what. But if you follow the program, you’ll be amazed at the progress you can make.

And I can’t promise that your puppy will become the “perfect dog,” because all dogs are individual, unique living beings, not robots from the Perfect Dog factory.

But if you put in the work, things will get easier, you’ll be less stressed, and you and your dog will be ready for a lifetime of adventures together.

If this sounds like a good fit for you, scroll down and hit the “join now” button, and you can start making progress with your puppy today. 

Get Puppy Survival School when you sign up for the Academy All-Access Pass

No commitment. Easily cancel at any time by going into your account settings. Click here to learn more about the All-Access Pass

MONTHLY

$ 24 Per month
  • Includes:
  • All of our courses
  • Twice-monthly live Q&A Zoom sessions with Jake and Erin
  • The Rescue Dog Roadmap
  • Forums
  • Achievement badges
  • New content added monthly

ANNUAL

Like getting five months free!
$288
$ 147 Per year
  • Includes:
  • All of our courses
  • Twice-monthly live Q&A Zoom sessions with Jake and Erin
  • The Rescue Dog Roadmap
  • Forums
  • Achievement badges
  • New content added monthly
best value

We offer full refunds on All-Access Pass monthly and annual memberships. If you decide the Academy isn’t for you, send us an email within two months of purchase and we’ll refund 100% of your payment, no questions asked.

FAQ

Up to roughly five months of age, meaning your puppy can be up to five months old when you start the program.

Is your puppy “too old?” See next question.

We get this question a lot! So we added a feature to help you adapt the puppy program to your adult rescue dog. More on that below.

But the short answer is: Possibly. While the program is designed for young puppies, it can also help an older dog with things like house training, crate training, basic obedience and manners, and getting settled into their new home.

Raising a puppy and a rescue dog are similar, but different experiences. What you really need are bits and pieces of ALL the Academy courses, not just the puppy program.

Good news – when you sign up for the All Access Pass, you get access to all our courses, plus:

The Rescue Dog Roadmap. This will show you exactly which lessons to take from each course, so you can get your new dog settled in. 

Puppy Survival School is not designed to help adult or adolescent dogs with problems related to: fear, aggression, reactivity, resource guarding, poor socialization history, or predatory behavior toward other pets. If you’re still unsure, email me at contact@3lostdogs.com, and I’ll let you know if the program is appropriate for your dog.

Thanks for asking! 

Broadly speaking, our methods fall into the force-free category. We’ve found this to be the most effective way to build a strong bond with your dog and get them to WANT to listen to you, while minimizing the chances they’ll develop aggression-related behavior problems.

Just like toddlers have meltdowns when they’re cranky and overtired, most of the really annoying (or infuriating!) things puppies do is a result of them feeling frustrated, confused, overstimulated, or having a need that isn’t being met.

So the first step in achieving harmony with your little gremlin is to think teamwork:

“I know this is hard, Sparky, but we’re gonna figure it out together!”

Then start teaching them how to ask for what they need, break down training into baby-friendly steps, and structure their routine so they get all their needs met.

We teach you how to properly use positive reinforcement (like food, play, and real-life rewards), to teach your puppy exactly what you want them to do – while avoiding common mistakes dog owners make that cause positive reinforcement to fail.

We also teach you how and when to use enrichment, exercise, redirection, and management to further improve your puppy’s behavior and create good habits.

Where appropriate, we use desensitization, habituation, and counter-conditioning to help puppies build confidence and overcome fear or aggression issues. We go at the dog’s pace and do not force them into situations they aren’t ready for. (In technical terms, we don’t use “flooding”)

All together, this approach will drastically improve your puppy’s behavior. They’ll bite less and listen to you more.

If any of that sounds daunting or made your eyes glaze over, don’t worry – we have a bunch of frameworks, exercises, and games in Puppy Survival School to show you exactly how to do all this. Our methods aren’t just puppy-friendly – they’re human-friendly, too.

We do not use: Aversives like spray bottles, scary noises, collar corrections or physical punishment. Because while those methods sometimes work to stop unwanted behavior in the short term, they often create worse behavior or even aggression in the long term, and make it harder to build a strong bond.

But if you’re already using aversive methods? No worries! When you join our program, we meet you where you’re at and we can help you gradually remove the need for those corrections.

That’s up to you! This isn’t like a puppy class with a set schedule or end date. Work through the courses at your own pace.

There’s enough training material to guide you through at least the next three months of your puppy’s life. And then if you want, you can work on the other included courses to build on their training skills throughout their adolescence.

The All-Access Pass is a monthly or annual membership. When you sign up, you’re covered for 30 or 365 days respectively, and then your membership will renew automatically unless you cancel.

Puppy Survival School consists of multiple self-study courses, each on a different puppy subject. When you sign up for an All-Access Pass, you’ll get immediate access to all of these courses (plus all of the other Academy courses) and you can proceed at your own pace. 

The course lessons are a combination of videos and written instructions. You can go back and rewatch previous lessons at any time.

You’ll also have access to our forums, where you can post questions for us and your fellow students to answer. You’re also invited to our twice-monthly live Q&A/group coaching sessions on Zoom. You can ask questions or just watch.

(Don’t worry, my fellow introverts: your video and audio will be muted automatically upon joining the Zoom sessions. No one has to video chat if they don’t want to!)

To access the courses and forums, you’ll sign in to 3LostDogsAcademy.com with the username and password that you create upon checkout. The site is accessible from any internet-enabled device, like your phone or computer.

When you join, there will be an orientation video to show you the ropes.

Nope! We, too, hate subscription services that make you do things like fill out a form, print it, bury it in a crossroads at midnight and then wait two weeks for them to consider your request.

To cancel, just go to “view/edit membership” in the navigation menu, and hit the cancel button. You’ll have access to the Academy for the remainder of the subscription period, and then it won’t renew.

Sure! Send an email to contact@3lostdogs.com and I will personally get back to you. – Jake

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS

We’re Erin Buvala and Jake Buvala, a husband-and-wife dog training team. We’re all about providing non-judgy, effective, modern training information to dog owners. 

Fun fact: we met because of 3 Lost Dogs. I (Jake) had been running 3LostDogs.com solo for years. Erin adopted a particularly challenging dog (seriously – ask us about the time he ate an entire couch). She emailed me to get my thoughts on the situation, and 70 emails later, we decided to get married and also work together. Totally normal, right?

We’ve spent time in the dog ownership trenches ourselves. We know what it’s like to feel fed up, exhausted, and even angry when it comes to our dogs and their “issues.” We’ve both had those moments of thinking, “maybe getting this dog was a bad idea,” and “wow I’m literally the worst dog owner on the planet. I suck at this.” 

We know what it’s like, so we’re dedicated to helping other people make it out of that trench of despair, and get to the good parts of dog life.