puppy survival school
The training plan + support system you need to survive the puppy blues and raise the dog of your dreams
Go from "What Was I Thinking?!" to "We Can Do This!"
$24 per month (or ($147 annually)
Do any of these sound familiar?
- Your puppy never stops biting, and everything you've been told to do -making a yelping noise, walking away, punishment, etc- just makes it worse.
- You can’t leave them alone for two seconds without them screaming their head off.
- You feel like you spend 90% of your time saying “no, don't do that!” (And you don't know why you bother, because the fluffy little hell-spawn never listens to you anyway)
- This is the first puppy you've raised on your own and you're worried about getting it right.
- You haven't even brought your new puppy home yet, and you're already overwhelmed by all of the things involved.
If any of that sounds like you, don't worry: it's not too late. You CAN train your puppy, you CAN build a really strong bond with them
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 raise a puppy you can be proud of.
our graduates say:
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 we're 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.
When I look back to how things were a year ago, fizzy with anxiety at the slightest hint of a growl from old girl Chloe… oh it was horrible!
But with your advice and support, we got through it and successfully built a very strong bond between the dogs…
All in all, we’re a happy household and I feel we have a great relationship with our beloved dogs.
Thank you so so much for everything, it’s been a great experience being part of the 3lostdogs academy. You guys are amazing and your knowledge, humour and compassion have made such a positive contribution to our life with our dogs.
I also really appreciated the community I found with other academy members who were going through similar experiences – it was heartening to know I was not alone in my puppyhood trials. : )
Welcome to
PUPPY SURVIVAL SCHOOL
Some of the puppy problems we cover:
Feel like you've tried everything... and nothing works? Here's the problem:
You’ve been throwing together random tips from Youtube, social media, books, and well-meaning friends. Hoping something finally sticks.
I get it – been there myself. But that’s like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle with pieces from five different boxes; no matter how hard you try, they don’t fit.
This only creates more stress and confusion.
And every day you keep trying to “power through,” you’re conditioning your puppy to tune you out.
You don’t need more random tips.
You need a clear, consistent system.
One that goes beyond oversimplified social media advice, and works for the complexity of real life.
An approach that lets you enjoy the puppy phase, not just survive it
This program will help you:
- Build a strong bond with your puppy... even if that seems impossible right now.
- Teach your puppy to listen and pay attention to you. Start training focus, impulse control, leash manners, recalls, and other useful skills at a puppy-appropriate level.
- 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.
- Break free of the puppy blues and stop feeling tempted to return the tiny demon to the shelter or breeder.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
A complete system that actually works in real life
Puppy Survival School is built around our signature PEACE Strategy: a relationship-first, emotionally intelligent approach that goes deeper than surface-level fixes. It helps you reduce chaos at the source, build lasting good behavior, and bring the magic back to puppyhood.
- Practical tactics that have been "battle-tested" by students deep in the trenches of puppy chaos.
- Stuff they never teach in puppy class… but should. Learn concepts that make it way easier to stop the biting and get problems under control.
- Unique strategies, like our Summer Camp Method, that make puppy-raising more fun and sustainable.
We don’t just tell you what to do. We teach you how to think about training, so you can troubleshoot with confidence and build the partnership you’ve been dreaming of.
And if you get stuck, you’re not on your own. You’ll get personalized support through our forums, and live Q&As, so you can adapt it all to your life, and your dog.
$24 per month (or $147 per year)
Easily cancel any time by clicking a button in your account settings.
here's what you get
When you register, you get immediate access to...
The Foundation for a Happy, Well-Behaved Puppy course
Broken down into bite-sized lessons, this course is designed to take you from chaos to connection. As you work through it, you and your pup will transform from roommates who don’t really get each other, to a strong team who trusts each other.
Learn how to:
- Assemble your chaos-prevention system.
- Exercise your pup in a way that actually calms them down.
- Handle problems in the moment – in a way that builds trust, not resentment.
- Communicate so your puppy listens.
- Juggle all your puppy’s needs in a way that doesn’t burn you out.
- Get your puppy to politely “say please” when they need something.
- Walk your puppy in a way that builds focus and confidence.
- And more!
Nine mini-courses that go deeper into specific topics
Like:
- Biting
- Puppy body language
- House training
- Working from home while raising a puppy
- Multi-pet households
- Socialization
- Puppy-appropriate obedience skills
- Surviving the WTFWIT phase
On-demand workshop: Help! I'm a Prisoner in My Own Home
Learn how to get your puppy to stop freaking out when you leave them alone.
A direct line to us (Erin and Jake) when you get stuck - or when you need to vent to someone who gets it
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.
With…
Live Q&As on Zoom
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.
Community forums
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.
Upcoming Members-Only Events
Live Q&A/Group Coaching Session
A casual, drop-in Zoom meeting. Bring your questions or just come hang out.
Start time: 12pm PDT/3pm EDT/8pm BST
(Can’t attend live? No worries! You can submit your questions in advance and watch the replay later)
BONUS: All of our other courses and content
In addition to the puppy courses, your membership includes 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
Support and advice that is...
Judgment-free
Sure, you may have made mistakes. So have we! It's all good.
Nuanced and in-depth
Because real life is never black and white.
Force-free and puppy-friendly
You don't have to yell, scold, or dominate your puppy to get them to listen.
Who am I?
story time
Hi. I'm Jake, co-creator of the 3 Lost Dogs Academy. I lost my mind so that you don't have to
I spent years dreaming about getting my first puppy
I did all the research, read all the books.
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, and just didn’t seem to like me much.
Honestly? The feeling was mutual.
I followed all the advice: be consistent, be the leader, don’t let bad behavior get rewarded. And somehow it just made everything worse.
Eventually, through a lot of trial and error (emphasis on “error”), we figured things out. But it shouldn’t have been that hard.
Puppy Survival School is the program I wish I'd had back then:
A human-friendly, puppy-friendly approach to overcoming all the usual puppy problems and building a bond where your dog trusts you, loves you, and would follow you to the ends of the earth.
Let my pain be your gain
You can grit your teeth and white-knuckle your way through the next few months of puppy blues chaos, losing your mind like I did…
Or you can come hang out with us and start feeling better by next week.
If you’re dreaming of that bond -that ride-or-die relationship, the loyal adventure dog- we’ll show you how to build it.
ready to get started?
Join Puppy Survival School by signing up for an Academy membership
To recap, here's what you get:
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.
- All ten Puppy Survival School courses
- On-demand workshop: Help! I'm a Prisoner in My Own Home - how to get your puppy to stop freaking out when you leave them alone
- Help from trainers Erin and Jake in our private forums
- Twice-monthly live Q&A sessions with the trainers on Zoom
- The ability to send us clips of your dog's behavior to get our insight and advice
- All special events and bonus content
- All of our other courses and workshops - on topics like getting your dog to focus despite distractions, reliable recalls, loose leash walking, and more
Choose your membership option below, and take the first step toward a calmer, happier life with your pup
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.
frequently asked questions
How old should my puppy be for this?
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.
I have an adult dog who needs training. Will this help?
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.
What kind of training methods do you use?
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.
Will this work for my dog's breed/personality?
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.
How long does the program take?
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.
How long will I have access?
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.
How exactly does this all work?
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.
When are the Zoom sessions held?
We try to accommodate as many members’ schedules and time zones as possible, so we change up the time on a regular basis.
Is it still worth joining if I can't attend the Zoom sessions? I'm really busy/socially anxious/live in Australia
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.
How do I cancel? Do I have to jump through any annoying hoops?
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.
I'm not sure if this is right for me. Can I ask you some questions?
Sure! Send an email to contact@3lostdogs.com or DM us on Instagram @threelostdogs, and I will personally get back to you. – Jake
sign me up!
Join Puppy Survival School by signing up for an Academy membership:
Choose your membership option below and take the first step toward a calmer, happier life with your pup
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.
more feedback from our students
Email: contact@3lostdogs.com
