I’ve heard of Puppy Preschool, what’s it all about?

Know someone with a dog that isn’t perfect?  Chances are you do.  Maybe it runs the fence line, or gets separation anxiety, or is scared of storms, escapes or runs away, or just loves to excavate the back yard…. Prevention and management of problem behaviours begins with how you school and socialise your puppy.

Great dogs are made, not born! Puppy preschool is a fun and educational course for both you and your puppy.  The primary focus of the course is to provide you with invaluable advice on owning a puppy so you can ensure that it grows up into a great dog.

The habits and behaviours they learn and develop between 8 and 20 weeks of life shape their attitudes and interactions for the rest of their life.  You don’t want to leave that to chance or good luck.  If you get their behaviour right at this young age, you will have it for the rest of their lives – 4 weeks of socialisation and behaviour training seems like a good trade for 10-20 years of having a loyal, faithful and happy hound.

Every puppy is different, and so is every family they come from. Our classes are small (6-8 puppies) so you will get personalised advice, and individual attention and coaching to help you with your puppy. Some pups like to dig, others like to chew and bark, some are easily distracted and don’t seem to want to learn, others are timid, some are feisty…. each and every one needs different techniques to create a cool, calm and confident dog that knows how to behave.

Its hands-on, so you learn how to train your dog and what works best for them – are they motivated by food or play?  How do I teach them how to become calm/ We’ll do basic commands, too – Come, Sit, Stay, Drop – but the opportunity to ask questions and sort out any problem behaviours (from toilet training, to barking and biting) is the thing most clients find the most valuable.

We run two separate puppy schools each week – one for the really young ones (8-12 weeks of age) and one for the slightly older puppies (12-16 weeks).  We do this because dogs at different ages learn and interact in different ways.  In a mixed up class the young ones are often intimidated and sometimes even bullied by the older ones.  Conversely, older puppies learn faster, so their progress is held up by younger pups in their class.  Its similar to why we don’t have 5 year old children in the same class as 12 year olds at school – it just doesn’t work that well.  We make the effort to customise the class age groups so all the puppies can get the most benefit.

Some owners enjoy doing the Junior class with their pup so much they go on to the Senior class!

I want a great dog, and this sounds like what I need. How do I enrol my puppy?

Puppy School runs at Better Pet Vets in Andergrove on Tuesday and Thursday Nights, and the most appropriate class for you will vary depending on your pups age.  Each lesson is about an hour, and the course runs for 4 weeks.  The cost is $80 and is one of the most valuable investments you can make in the life of your dog.

Call us and we’ll organise a class for you and your pup to get you off to a great start together – 4955 6000.

My puppy is 6 months old now, and I’m having some problems with behaviour…. can you help?

 If you have an older puppy that you still need some help with, please contact us and we’ll provide you with some options and solutions.  The help you need will vary with the issue or problem and the underlying cause, so call us for advice.