Before the Doors Open: Preparing for Puppy Yoga in Melbourne
The first guest through the door at puppy yoga should find a room that already makes sense: mats ready, equipment in place and somewhere comfortable for the puppies to rest. Getting to that point is a practical part of the Yoga Paws day.
In Melbourne, our sessions are held at La Encantada Collective, 69 Abbotsford Street, West Melbourne. We prepare the studio for people moving on the floor and young animals exploring the same space, with cleaning, layout and a separate rest area all arranged before class.
Start with the room, not the photographs
A puppy-friendly yoga setup needs more thought than placing a few toys between the mats. The team prepares the floor and equipment using our F10 hygiene procedures, checks the area the animals will use and keeps guest belongings separate from the yoga space.
Shoes and bags stay outside that space, and guests sanitise their hands on entry. Those instructions are easier to follow when the room is organised for them from the start. They also keep loose belongings away from puppies with a strong interest in investigating unfamiliar objects.
Set up a place where the puppies can opt out
The rest space is part of the session setup, rather than something improvised when a puppy gets tired. It includes a pen, comfortable bedding, fresh water, toys and appropriate toileting materials. The puppies can retreat there whenever they choose.
A quiet area only works if it is respected. Our staff supervise the animals and their interactions with guests, watching for fatigue, avoidance or overstimulation. A puppy that prefers to settle gets the opportunity to do that, even when there is plenty happening on the mats.
Prepare for the puppies who are actually attending
Our welfare requirements include health checks and age-appropriate vaccinations. Puppies must also be fully weaned, eating independently and comfortable away from their mother. Readiness is about their development and behaviour as well as their age.
We use a single litter, with an exception only for animals from the same home or source that already know one another. The session is not an opportunity to introduce unfamiliar litters and hope they get along. The animals' normal care instructions remain important throughout the day.
Make the rules clear before the yoga begins
Once guests arrive, the introduction turns that preparation into a shared understanding of the room. Guests are shown safe handling, asked to remain on their mats and told to stay seated when holding a puppy. Animals must be free to approach or move away.
The instructor leads the yoga while dedicated staff focus on the puppies. That division matters: teaching a room and continuously monitoring animals are different jobs. Guests can ask for help instead of trying to manage an uncertain interaction themselves.
Keep the same care through the rest of the day
The work does not finish when the first class starts. Sessions are separated by a full 60-minute break for the puppies, with cleaning and resetting before the next group. Water, bedding and the room need ongoing attention.
You can read more about our animal welfare standards, or explore upcoming Melbourne puppy yoga sessions. The hour on the mat begins with everything that happens before it.
