10 things to know about puppy school

1. Puppy school is not mandatory, but it provides the best chance for your new best friend to get the best start in life.
2. Puppy school is a good way for you to learn how to behave with your puppy and to develop a harmonious relationship.
3. Even if your puppy has an older dog at home, puppy school is highly recommended as it provides an opportunity for the puppy to learn about other dogs – that they come in all shapes and sizes; smooth, rough and fluffy; pricked and droopy ears; tails up, down, short, long, curly and straight – and how to interact appropriately with them. This helps your puppy develop into a balanced adult who is confident and friendly to people and dogs, and can prevent later fear and aggressive responses.
4. Puppies bite. This is normal and it is important for puppies to experiment with biting so that they can learn not to bite too hard and then not to bite at all. They need to learn how to control their jaws and develop bite inhibition so that if they are in a stressful situation and they do react with a bite, they will be able to control the bite and use a soft mouth. Other puppies are the best teachers, in a supervised puppy school environment. If a puppy bites too hard in play, the other puppy will yelp and end the game for a while.
5. Puppy school is important for humans too. Even seasoned dog owners can benefit from reminders of useful puppy tips for toilet training, teething issues etc, and to address specific behavioural problems if and when they arise.
6. Puppy school will help prevent any future potential problems – such as barking problems, jumping up, digging, chewing, and destructive behaviours. You can save a lot of time and effort (not to mention money) by taking your puppy to pre-school and teaching him good manners from the start.
7. It is best to choose a good quality puppy school. Have a look around and speak to your vet for advice. The best option is to go to a puppy school supervised by professional dog trainers who have a wealth of knowledge specific to early canine development.
8. A qualified and experienced instructor will take the time to point out the differences between appropriate and inappropriate play. Remember that dogs communicate mainly through posturing, so understanding when your puppy/dog is playing too rough or feeling intimidated will be useful information for you throughout the dog’s life.
9. Puppy school will give you keys for future training and will set the ground rules for a good education. Your puppy’s training does not stop after pre-school, it is an on-going process so make sure you start it with the best tools!
10. Puppy school is also lots of fun, not just for the puppy but for the guardians as well.

Click here to find out about our puppy pre-school classes

See also:
» The importance of puppy school
» Helping a puppy settle in to your home
» Our puppy set-up service