Two puppy paths
Tiny Tails Puppy School vs AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy
A puppy's first four months set the dog. Both of Dogtown's puppy programs know that, and both teach the same core: handling, recall, leash manners, calm around new things and people. Where they differ is age range, length, and whether an AKC certificate sits at the end.
Side by side
Both start from $94 a session; Tiny Tails flexes by length, the AKC program is a fixed 12 sessions
Tiny Tails Puppy School takes pups from 8 to 16 weeks and runs as 4 weeks and 8 sessions, 6 weeks and 12 sessions, or 8 weeks and 16 sessions. It is a positive, relationship-based program built around life skills, confidence, socialization and enrichment, and around preventing the usual puppy problems before they set: mouthing, jumping, resource guarding, fear of handling. The length is chosen at the assessment to fit the pup and the household rather than a fixed syllabus.
AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy takes puppies from 8 weeks to 6 months and runs a fixed 6 weeks and 12 sessions. It covers confidence, good manners, socialization, handling, leash skills, recall and foundational obedience while working toward the AKC requirements, a checklist covering the owner's responsibilities, the puppy's behavior and pre-Canine Good Citizen skills; check the AKC page for the current list. Sessions in both programs start from $94, and we confirm the plan and investment after a short assessment rather than listing a program price.
| Tiny Tails Puppy School | AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 8 to 16 weeks | 8 weeks to 6 months |
| Length | 4, 6 or 8 weeks (8, 12 or 16 sessions) | 6 weeks, 12 sessions |
| Focus | Life skills, confidence, socialization, enrichment, prevention | Same foundations, plus the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy requirements |
| At the end | A puppy with habits and a family with a plan | Work toward the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy certificate |
| Leads to | Bright Beginnings or Brave & Balanced at 4 months+ | Canine Citizen Academy (CGC prep) |
| Price | From $94 per session; confirmed after assessment | From $94 per session; confirmed after assessment |
What changes the cost
Length and start age set the total, and the assessment sets both
Tiny Tails has three lengths and the choice is made with our trainer. A confident twelve-week-old lab from a busy household with kids often needs only the 4-week block; a shy fourteen-week-old rescue pup, or a first-time owner who wants the trainer alongside through the whole fear period, is better served by 8 weeks. Sessions are from $94 and the total follows the sessions, so the length is the cost, and the trainer will not recommend more weeks than the pup needs.
The AKC program is fixed at 12 sessions, which makes budgeting simple. The lever is timing: a puppy who starts at 8 weeks finishes at 14 with months of eligibility in hand, while the program is written for puppies up to 6 months, so a late start leaves less room to pause for a family trip. Ask about vaccination timing at the assessment, since the free daycare evaluation has its own requirements and the trainer will talk through your vet's schedule for sessions.
- Tiny Tails: 8, 12 or 16 sessions; the trainer recommends the block
- AKC program: 12 sessions, fixed; start age decides how much room the puppy has
- Sessions from $94; the plan is confirmed after the assessment
Which to choose
Choose Tiny Tails for the youngest pups and a flexible length; choose the AKC program for the milestone and the older puppy
Tiny Tails is the default for a pup collected at 8 or 9 weeks. The first two months at home are the socialization window, and a program that flexes to 4, 6 or 8 weeks lets the trainer match the pup's confidence week by week. It also suits the household that does not care about certificates and does care that the puppy stops biting the toddler and learns that the vacuum is boring. The natural next step is Bright Beginnings or Brave & Balanced at four months.
The AKC program is the better fit for a puppy who arrives later, say at 16 to 20 weeks from a breeder who kept the litter longer or from Cape Ann Animal Aid, because it runs to 6 months and Tiny Tails does not. It also suits the family who wants a structured target: the checklist gives every session a purpose and the certificate is a first step toward Canine Good Citizen, which our Canine Citizen Academy prepares for later. If your puppy is fearful rather than boisterous, ask about Brave & Balanced instead of either; it starts at four months and works on fear-based behaviors, handling sensitivity and stranger wariness, and Gabriella Pope will steer you there if she sees it.
- Tiny Tails: pups 8 to 16 weeks, flexible length, prevention first
- AKC program: pups to 6 months, fixed 12 sessions, the certificate
- Fearful pup of any age: ask about Brave & Balanced
Starting
How to enrol a puppy, and what to line up first
Send the training form as soon as you have a collection date; we get back to you inside an hour on business days, and the earlier the assessment, the more of the socialization window we use. Our trainer meets you and the pup, talks through the household, the vet's vaccination schedule and what you want the dog to be at two, and recommends Tiny Tails, the AKC program or a wait for Brave & Balanced.
License the puppy early. In Gloucester the license comes from the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave, $20 for a spayed or neutered dog plus a one-dollar fee, with a current rabies certificate, and it is late after April 30 with a $20 penalty. A city license is required before the free daycare evaluation, and many puppy families add a half day of puppy daycare at $33 alongside training so the pup learns a playgroup as well as a classroom.
- 01
Send the training form with the pup's age, breed and collection date
- 02
Attend the assessment with the pup and the vet's vaccination schedule
- 03
Choose Tiny Tails (4, 6 or 8 weeks) or the AKC program (6 weeks) with the trainer
- 04
Get the city dog license and bring Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records
- 05
Attend twice a week, practice in short daily bursts, and book the next level before the block ends
Cape Ann
How Cape Ann shapes puppy training: winter beaches, the dog park and tick season
A Cape Ann puppy's socialization calendar is set by the beach rules. Gloucester's beaches take dogs from October 1 to April 30, with Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, so a fall or winter puppy gets sand, surf, gulls and strangers in the first weeks of Tiny Tails, while a May puppy will not see a Gloucester beach until October. Summer puppies socialize downtown, at Stage Fort Park and, once vaccinated, in the fenced small-dog area of the Gloucester Dog Park at 65 Hough Ave.
Tick season runs April to November across the North Shore, so a spring puppy on the trails at Ravenswood or Dogtown Common needs a tick check after every outing; ask your vet about prevention and read the CDC guidance. Noise matters too: summer festival weekends and fireworks are loud for a twelve-week-old, and a puppy program that has taught a settle on a mat by then is worth more than any certificate.
- Fall and winter pups: beaches open October 1 to April 30 for socialization
- Spring and summer pups: downtown, Stage Fort Park, the dog park's small-dog area
- April to November: tick checks after every trail outing
At Dogtown
Puppy training and puppy daycare
Two puppy programs led by Gabriella Pope from $94 per session, and half-day puppy daycare at $33 to run alongside.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Can my puppy start before all vaccinations are complete?
Does Tiny Tails prepare for the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test?
What is the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy certificate worth?
Which program is better for a puppy who bites?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Start the puppy right.
Send the training form with your pup's age and collection date. Gabriella Pope will assess the puppy and recommend Tiny Tails or AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy. Replies come within an hour on business days.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
