tHE DETAILS

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 extra clingy, or extra independent, 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 guys like pomeranians, Chihuahuas, shih tzu, toy poodles. Enormous guys like Newfoundlands and Bernese mountain dogs.

Intense 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” and 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:

Independent and “stubborn.” Clingy and affectionate. High energy and low energy. Fearless social butterflies and shy, fearful pups. Exuberant or sensitive.

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 Pyranees. 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 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 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. You’re also 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.

G’day mate! Half of the team here (Erin) is Australian, so we feel your pain. We know you’re used to Northern Hemispherians forgetting you exist and scheduling things while you’re sleeping. Rude.

First of all, no matter why you can’t attend, you can still get your questions answered on the live Q&A. Just post your question in the “Q&A Questions” forum, we’ll answer it on the call, and you can watch the recording later.

Second of all, starting in February 2025, we’ll begin holding one of the monthly Zooms at a more Aus/NZ-friendly time. Somewhere between 11am-1pm your time.

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