These fun, 50-minute sessions are designed to give you and your young pup the best possible start. During each session, your pup will get to see and gain confidence around other pups and people in a safe environment. PLUS, we’ll cover important puppy topics in each session. Our trainers will present the latest, research-based information and practical exercises on the most critical topics in puppy raising. These sessions are an ideal way to get early, positive socialization for your pup and to prepare for Manners 1 class.
Our Puppy Preschool sessions focus on passive socialization and providing positive, novel experiences. Only the “Greetings” sessions will include the puppies interacting directly with each other. Click here for our recommendations on socializing your pup.
We recommend that puppies start attending these sessions as soon as possible, after receiving two sets of vaccinations. Designed specifically for young pups, puppies MUST be 16 weeks or younger to attend these sessions. Ideally, your pup should attend Puppy Preschool sessions (at least one per week) until they age out at 16 weeks of age. Try to catch each of the four rotating topics at least once. Then, make plans to attend Manners 1 for training all the behaviors essential for a great dog. Rotating preschool topics:
- Leash Basics – Great Start for Leash Walking
- Puppy Biting – Puppy Biting and Handling
- Jumping – Jumping and Off Cue
- Drop-it – Resource Guarding Prevention and Trading
- Greetings – Manners when encountering new people and pups (includes limited, direct interaction)
- Pups must be 9 – 16 weeks at the time of the session
- We require that your pup has a minimum of two sets of vaccinations, plus 5 days prior to coming to WAGD.
- Puppies from the same household may not attend the same session
- $30 for each 50-minute session
If you took our Online Puppy Seminar, yay for you! We trust that you got some great puppy raising strategies. Note that you’ll create a different login to enroll in our in-facility classes. After enrollment, watch for a confirmation email with specific, detailed information.
Class Preview
Your Instructors
Dylan Benedetto
Dylan began his dog training career in 2022 while managing a local doggie daycare and boarding facility in Deep Ellum, TX. Dylan completed WAGD’s rigorous Trainer Education Program in 2024 and has attended multiple virtual and in-person seminars from respected industry trainers, including Mike Shikashio and Shade Whitesel, as well as online training classes and canine first aid/cpr courses. Additionally, he worked extensively with a canine behaviorist to address significant fear-based reactivity issues in his former rescue, Jax.
Inspired by how behavior modification changed their lives, Dylan joined WAGD in November 2023 to pursue his education in canine behavior and professional dog training. Leveraging his daycare experience and serving as an instructor for our Puppy Pre-School and Manners classes, Dylan helped pilot and became one of our trainers for the Great Dog Day School program. He enjoys solving challenging canine behavior problems and creating unique training plans that best fit each dog and owner. In 2025, Dylan became the guardian of a Belgian Malinois named Chai. Since then, they have continued her training in odor detection, tricks, and obedience.
Joy Hampton
Joy joined WAGD as a pet trainer in 2026. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in clinical psychology. Before graduating with her master’s she realized that animal training would be a better career/personality fit than counseling.
She has always been an avid animal lover and became a vegetarian at 12-years of age. Even in high school and college when she didn’t know her life would lead her to a career with animals, she volunteered at Roger’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, worked a summer job at a veterinary clinic and another summer job in college with the education department at the Abilene Zoo. She attended her first animal training convention with the American Zoological Association in 2010. From there she trained to be a dog trainer at PetSmart, where she continued for about 16 years.
Joy loves helping dogs be the best family members that they can be, and helping families understand and care for their dogs.
Stephanie Schwanke
Stephanie joined What a Great Dog! in August of 2020. She is a Pet Manners trainer and the Coordinator for both our GDDS (Day School) and WOW (In-home) programs. If you have visited our retail store you may know her as “Aunt Stephanie”. All the pups know she’s always ready to give some extra love and treats, for good behavior of course.
Before joining What a Great Dog!, Stephanie managed a pet boarding, daycare and grooming facility in McKinney for 12 years. She has shown her dogs in conformation and obedience for over 30 years. Stephanie and her dog, Brooke, took manners and CGC classes from Maureen in her barn in Prosper 20 years ago. She was taught and loved the positive reinforcement training that Maureen coached her and all of us on since she has started.
Since Stephanie has been active in working with dogs, she has had Siberian Huskies, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and German Shepherds. Currently she and her husband share their home with Stella, a 8-year-old German Shepherd rescue that they adopted just weeks before the Covid lockdown. She is her “work in progress”.
Stephanie hopes with her experience to provide our WAGD families with helpful advice and guidance to assist them in having lifelong GREAT DOG family members.
Victoria Johnson
Victoria is a Senior Trainer at What a Great Dog, teaching a variety of classes including all Manners class levels, Puppy Preschools, Trick Dog, Nosework, and Canine Good Citizen. She also helps dogs and their owners, in private one-on-one lessons, work through behavior struggles and gain new skills. She taught previously taught Barn Hunt and has a deep understanding of that sport. Her passion for dog training lies in helping owners develop a deeper understanding of their dogs, strengthen their bonds, and build lasting relationships. She loves helping families work through behavioral challenges while discovering the joy of training together through games, tricks, and positive reinforcement.
Victoria is a registered AKC evaluator for CGC and Trick Dog programs. In addition to WAGD’s trainer education program, she has completed extensive continuing education programs, including Karen Pryor Academy education, Absolute Dogs Pro Dog Trainer and Geek programs, specialized Behavet canine courses, and Do More With Your Dog tricks certification. Victoria is currently enrolled in The Canine Behaviour College through Behavet where she will earn credentials to be a certified Canine Behaviorist.
Victoria discovered WAGD in 2017, where she worked her rescue Chi/Terrier, Audrey, through Manners, Agility, and Tricks classes and attained several tricks titles and is currently learning and competing in Rally. Victoria also has two other dogs. River is another Chi/Terrier rescue who has competed and titled in Barn Hunt, earned Trick Dog titles, and is currently learning Rally and Nosework. Suzume, a Papillon, is just starting her training journey to become a Trick Dog, Rally enthusiast, Freestyle pup, and more.