You’re terrified of messing this up, because the dog world makes it sound like every mistake is a disaster.
You lie awake at night, listening to the cute little demon screech in the distance.
“This wasn’t how this was supposed to go,” you think. “Either I adopted the worst puppy in the world or I’m really bad at this, because this was supposed to be FUN.”
Don’t you worry, my friend. It’s not too late. You can still live happily ever after.
You’re not drowning anymore.
Instead of just following the little demon around all day saying “NO DON’T DO THAT,” you’re making progress!
The biting? Under control.
Accidents on the carpet? A thing of the past.
You can leave the room (or gasp, the house!) without your puppy having a full-blown meltdown.
Walks are smoother. Less leash biting, less frustration, more fun.
You’re building the kind of bond you dreamed of when you first brought them home.
Life may not be perfect, but now, the tough moments aren’t so tough. You know how to handle them with confidence.
One says to bake at 350°F, another says 425°F. One tells you to use butter, another says oil. Yet another says butter AND oil are poison.
When you mix it all together, you just end up with a weird disappointing mess.
A comprehensive curriculum to guide you through pretty much every part of puppy-raising, plus direct support from real humans to show you how to make it all work for you.
Contrary to popular belief, puppy biting isn’t always play or teething – but it’s not aggression or dominance, either. We’ll teach you how to address every root cause (there’s about 5-7 of ‘em, depending on how you want to slice it).
Once you understand what’s really behind the biting, you’ll be able to drastically reduce how much they bite in the first place.
On one end of the spectrum, people tell you to “ignore them until they’re quiet.” On the other end, people tell you to “slowly desensitize them so they never cry at all.”
Neither of those extremes work in real life. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.
We’ll teach you how to create a foundation of trust and cooperation, so you can go from feeling like you’re constantly at odds to facing the world together as a team.
Start teaching focus, impulse control, leash manners, recalls, and other useful skills at a puppy-appropriate level.
We start by teaching you a simple strategy you can use to quickly get problems under control and be a lot less stressed.
You’ll quickly put a stop to puppy problems like:
This strategy is designed to “stop the bleeding,” basically.
Once you’re out of crisis mode, we’ll teach you everything else you need to know to create lasting behavior change and raise a puppy you can be proud of.
That’s the thing about self-study courses: they can’t work for 100% of students 100% of the time.
As you work through the material, sometimes you’ll think things like, “how am I supposed to apply that to my situation?”
Or you’ll try one of our training exercises, and your puppy won’t act anything like the dog in the demo video.
Every puppy/human pair is unique, which means their challenges are, too. This is where our personalized support comes in. We’re here to help you adapt our methods to your life and your dog.
With…
Join our live sessions where you can get real-time answers to your specific challenges, and connect with other puppy parents who know what you're going through.
Can't attend the live sessions? No worries! Chat with us on the forums instead. You’ll always have a place to turn when you need help.
Bring us your questions or just come listen in. Can’t make it to the live session? Submit questions in advance and watch the replay later.
12pm PDT/3pm EDT/8pm BST
Sure, you may have made mistakes. So have we! It's all good.
Because real life is never black and white.
You don't have to yell, scold, or dominate your puppy to get them to listen.
I did so much planning before I got my first dog. I read all the books, spent hours researching on the internet.
I thought I was prepared.
I wasn’t.
My first puppy, Friday, turned my life upside down. She bit me. Bit my sisters. Bit my friends. Whined all night. Peed on my bed. Ignored my attempts to train her. Didn’t want to go on walks with me, and just didn’t seem to like me much.
The feeling was mutual.
I was sad, disappointed, and embarrassed. And most of the “advice” I found was super judgmental and made me feel even worse.
But I didn’t give up. Friday and I slogged our way through, trial and error.
Lots and lots of error.
Somehow, things got better. My tiny monster grew up to be one of my best friends.
So I kept learning. Spent years wading into the mad swirling sea of contradictory advice and drama that is the Dog World.
Pulled out what worked, rejected what didn’t.
I realized that some of the methods I’d used with Friday were outdated and harsh, which probably contributed to the problems I had bonding with her.
That rocky beginning became a distant memory – a memory that I can laugh at most days.
And the other days?
Well, since we’re all being really honest here:
I have a lot of regrets about the choices I made with Friday.
She grew up to be an amazing dog, but I know life could have been so much easier for both of us if I had actually known what I was doing when she was a puppy.
Now, my mission is to help my fellow struggling puppy parents break free of the puppy blues
You can keep trying to piece together a training plan on your own, of course.
But how many hours have you already spent:
And how much longer can you keep going like that – exhausted, stressed out, wondering if you made a huge mistake?
Endless trial and error isn’t free.
It costs you time. Energy. Your relationship with your dogs. (Ask me how I know)
Every hour spent second-guessing could’ve been spent building connection.
Every “maybe this will work?” moment is another opportunity for frustration and regret.
I dunno if you’ve noticed, but there sure is a lot to think about when it comes to raising a puppy. To make it easier, we’ve broken it all up into separate courses. Focus on the ones you need.
(Keep scrolling or click here to see the full course list)
Learn how to get your puppy to stop freaking out when you leave them alone.
You don’t have to navigate this alone, guessing what to do next or feeling stuck when setbacks happen. We’re here to guide you and help adjust your training plan as needed.
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 us questions, vent about your canine conundrums, and share your wins.
In addition to the puppy courses, your membership includes access to our full course and webinar library.
We cover topics like:
Just a practical plan to bring some peace back into your life.
I won’t lie to you – this stuff takes work. Raising a puppy is never exactly effortless, no matter what.
But with the right approach, it can be a lot less painful.
If you’re willing to show up and try, we’ll meet you there with the tools, the support, and the hard-won insight to help you turn things around.
Picture this:
Five years from now, your fluffy little demon is all grown up.
Your loyal adventure buddy. Your ride-or-die. Going on road trips or just watching TV with you, stealing half your sandwich like the cherished menace they are.
You look at them snoring on the couch and think, “I’m so glad I didn’t give up.”
That’s the future we want to help you build. And it’s not just a dream – it’s literally our full-time job.
A comprehensive curriculum to guide you through pretty much every part of puppy-raising, plus direct support from real humans to show you how to make it all work for you.
Recurring payment – cancel anytime by clicking a button in your account settings
(Prices are in USD)
Like getting five months free!
Recurring payment – cancel anytime by clicking a button in your account settings
(Prices are in USD)
We offer full refunds on 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, no hoops to jump through.
What’s inside:
Make the potty training process as simple and drama-free as possible.
Learn how to survive the crazy biting phase.
You’d think that working from home would make it easier to take care of a puppy, but turns out, it’s really tough!
How are you supposed to concentrate on work and avoid getting fired when the screaming fluffball requires constant attention?
This new course will teach you the process we’ve developed to get your puppy to chill out while you’re working.
It’s also helpful for anyone else who wants their puppies to quiet down and leave them alone for a while.
All about puppy body language and behavior.
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 train the following skills at a beginner level:
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 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.
There’s no strict age limit. Most of our Puppy Survival School students join when their puppies are between two and five months old, but we also have folks sign up with their 6-10 month old pups, and they still get a lot out of the program.
Basically, if you’ve been nodding your head as you read this page, going “wow that sounds just like my situation,” you’re in the right place.
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 Puppy Survival School courses are designed for 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 of 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 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 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.
So your pup’s breed is known for being stubborn, or sensitive, or clingy, or notoriously hard to train.
Don’t worry. We got you.
We’ve had the whole range of breeds come through our training programs:
Headstrong types like malamutes and huskies. Big tough German shepherds, malinois, Dobermans, and mastiffs.
Little Pomeranians, Chihuahuas, shih tzu, toy poodles. Enormous Newfoundlands and Bernese mountain dogs.
Herding breeds like border collies, Aussies, and cattle dogs.
All types of hunting dogs, from scenthounds to sighthounds. Pointers, setters, spaniels, beagles, terriers, Irish wolfhounds, etc.
A million pit bulls and pit mixes. Every variety of doodle you can think of. Even unusual types like Greek village dogs and one bonafide, rare Chinook.
Not to mention the whole range of personalities and temperaments:
“Stubborn” types and eager-to-please types. High energy and low energy. Fearless social butterflies and shy, anxious pups.
Dogs who are obsessed with toys, and dogs who have zero interest in toys. Super food-motivated, and extremely picky eaters.
Dogs who love training, and dogs who get easily frustrated with training.
We have an overarching philosophy that works no matter the breed or personality. And we recognize that different dogs require different approaches:
A Siberian husky probably won’t be motivated by the same things as border collie. A delicate little toy poodle has different needs than a Great Pyrenees. If you have a shy puppy who’s afraid of strangers, you’ll need to prioritize different things than if you have a confident pup who loves everyone they meet.
We’ve seen it all, and we’ve developed a methodology that can be adapted to fit the needs of any dog.
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 and adulthood.
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 register, you’ll get immediate access to all of these courses (plus all of the other Academy courses and workshops) 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. And you’re invited to our twice-monthly live Q&A/group coaching sessions on Zoom, where you can get tailored advice and commiserate with your fellow puppy parents.
(Don’t worry, my fellow introverts: there’s no pressure to participate on the Zoom calls! You can just sit back and listen in)
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.
We try to accommodate as many members’ schedules and time zones as possible, so we change up the time on a regular basis.
You can still get your questions answered at the Q&A. Just post your question in the “Q&A Questions” forum, we’ll answer it live, and you can watch the recording later.
And of course, you can skip the Zooms entirely – the forums are also a good way to chat with us.
Don’t want direct help at all? That’s cool too. A lot of our members never use the direct help feature, and still get a ton of value out of the many hours of self-study content on the site.
Australians:
G’day mate! Half of the team (Erin) is Australian, so we feel your pain. We know you’re used to Northern Hemispherians scheduling things while you’re sleeping. Rude.
We do our best to hold one Q&A per month at an Aus/NZ-friendly time. Somewhere between 11am-1pm your time.
No hoops here.
To cancel, just go to “view/edit membership” in the top navigation menu, and hit the cancel button.
You’ll have access to the Academy for the remainder of your membership period, and then it won’t renew.
Sure! Send an email to contact@3lostdogs.com or DM us on Instagram @threelostdogs, and I will personally get back to you. – Jake
Recurring payment – cancel anytime by clicking a button in your account settings
(Prices are in USD)
Like getting five months free!
Recurring payment – cancel anytime by clicking a button in your account settings
(Prices are in USD)
We offer full refunds on 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.
Email: contact@3lostdogs.com
