A happy, well-behaved and good natured dog is a joy to live with. Achieving this starts early on. Your puppy will look for leadership and be keen to learn and please as soon as they leave their mother.

Be ready to embrace this exciting time with calm, positive encouragement and clear communication. If you can, join a puppy class and your puppy will start to learn good manners, acceptable social skills and strengthen their bond with you by finding a respectful way to understand and please you.

We welcome puppies of all breeds from around 14 weeks of age; ensure your veterinary centre has administered your dog’s initial vaccinations and confirmed when they can safely mix in public places. We must see a valid record of vaccination on the first lesson.

Our Puppy Class is run in conjunction with The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Puppy Foundation Assessment which aims to provide a means of socialising puppies and to lay down a foundation for education and training. No part of the class is competitive and assessments are carried out in a relaxed and informal manner.

Each class will include a maximum of 10 puppies and is typically 6 weeks long covering;

Heelwork: How to walk puppy on the lead in a controlled manner without pulling
Attentiveness to name: Ensuring puppy responds attentively to its name
Play with puppy: With and without appropriate toys and under control puppy engages in play
Puppy recall: How to get your dog to return to you
Basic puppy positions: The importance of exercises such as getting your dog to sit and go down on command and socialising with other people and dogs in a controlled manner
Puppy stay: Short stay laying foundation for future longer stays
Take article away from puppy: How to get puppy to give up an article when required
Responsibility and care: Cleanliness, identification, handling and inspection to maintain health
Socialisation: With other puppies, adults, noise distractions
Food Manners: How to show puppy to calmly take and leave food
What to expect as your puppy grows: Typical development and behavioural milestones

Please check our Events Calendar to find out when the next course begins.