The purpose of puppy socialisation is to raise a puppy that is confident in all aspects of life. Fearful puppies are more likely to grow into anxious dogs that are reactive, demonstrate negative behaviours and show aggression or even bite. Well-socialised puppies are generally confident and therefore more friendly. All puppies need to be “socialised” in order to live happily in our human world. Your primary objective, in those early weeks with your puppy, is to expose them to a wide range of normal, everyday occurrences. Things that they would not be exposed to if they were to spend their first sixteen weeks at home alone with you. It is important that you act quickly as these first few weeks are crucial in your puppy’s development.

We offer a range of opportunities to help you to socialise and train your puppy:

Puppy party

This is offered free of charge to clients with newly vaccinated puppies and will provide the opportunity for your pup to socialise with many other immunised puppies, in a safe and controlled, fun environment. Puppy parties often involve games and can also be a great opportunity for you to learn more about your new pup.

Puppy club

Puppy club provides a basic guide to training, health care and first aid. It takes place one week after the puppy party and is run over a three-week period of evening classes. Quality time spent with new faces of similar-aged dogs will give your puppy the confidence to interact with others, whilst becoming accustomed to a variety of new sights, sounds and smells. This is an informal evening course and places are limited to eight puppies.

Puppy Education

Due to popular demand, we recently introduced a puppy education course. This three-week course is for puppies aged six months and under. An emphasis is placed on educating you, the owner, in communicating with your dog. Owners can enjoy learning about dog psychology, preventing puppies from jumping up, coaching basic cues and much more.

Basic obedience training classes

For older puppies and dogs that have never been trained (up to seven years old), obedience classes are available through our behaviour team. They use modern, positive training methods with an emphasis on reward, not punishment and are run over a six-week period. Set your puppy on the right track with their training by teaching commands such as ‘sit’ and ‘wait’, as well as heel work, recall and feeling confident during veterinary examination. Learn how to communicate with your puppy, whilst teaching them the obedience and good manners that are necessary to enable them to grow into a great family pet and a good canine citizen in the community.
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For information on our full range of dog behaviour and obedience services, including intermediate and advanced obedience classes, please visit our Dog behaviour and obedience page. Remember, the training time you give your puppy will set the stage for the rest of their life. The more you give, the more you will get back!