Christmas Puppies

are a risky gift if you are not prepared!!

Well, it’s that time of year, and for a lot of households look at getting a Christmas puppy.

Will it be this year a new puppy arrives in the Christmas stocking for the family to enjoy?

Pick the right dog

Firstly, it is important that you pick the right dog for you and your family. For example, if you work long hours and live in a small apartment I wouldn’t recommend a high energy dog such as a Border Collie. Do some research into what breed suits your environment and family setup. In saying that, there is work in every dog no matter the breed.

Also, make sure if you are selecting your puppy from a litter that you have access to the mum and dad. You should never buy a puppy without seeing the parents. Once you see the parents with the puppies and are confident that mum and dad are calm, stable dogs then select the puppy that is the calmest, that isn’t showing signs of over excitement. Remember, this is the base you start from, having a calm puppy will help you over the long term.

Starting Puppy School

When is the right time to start Puppy School?  For ideal development the two things you MUST do is attend a well-run puppy school and look at in home training to ensure you are creating rules and boundaries in your home.

Your choice of puppy school is crucial! Your puppy MUST be allowed off lead in a controlled manner. If your puppy doesn’t get to interact with the other puppies you are wasting your time and money. However, if the puppies are allowed off lead but with no structure and control and it’s just a free for all play session with no limitations, this can also be crucial to your puppy’s development.

If any of these things are happening in your puppy school, consider leaving as they can harm your dog’s development:

• Spraying water in your puppies face
• Yelling at your puppy
• Shaking a tin of rocks/nails at your puppy
• Pinning your puppy on its side
• Letting your puppy sit on your lap or under a chair the whole class

These are just a few things to be aware of but if you are not comfortable with the methods, it’s best to find another class to attend.

Socialising your puppy at Kat’s 4 Dogs Puppy Schools

Your puppy’s imprinting age is between 4 and 12 weeks, this being the critical stage in your puppy’s life.This is where your puppy learns what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour.

As we have a lot of off leash play at our puppy schools the puppies also teach each other how to play in a polite and socially acceptable way. If you miss this period it can take a long time to catch up, basically you are setting your dog up to fail from a socialisation point of view.

Not socialising your puppy may lead to a very confused, insecure dog that could end up with behavioral problems later in life. I work with a lot of older dogs that are fearful around other dogs, they haven’t learned to read other dogs and tend to react in an aggressive manner due to this lack of understanding.

Socialising has many factors so be sure to speak to a professional to ensure you are doing the right thing.

One mistake we see often is when people already have a dog and get a second or third and do not take the new puppy to puppy school. The new puppy will play extremely well with your current dog but it’s still extremely important to get it used to socialising with other dogs its own age. Put it this way, I have two dogs and if I was to get another, my puppy would come to all my puppy schools.

Vaccination

Please also note that your puppy only needs its first vaccination to attend puppy school. If you wait to get all their vaccinations you will miss the window of opportunity or be left with only a very small window in which to socialise your dog.

We ensure that all vaccination papers are sighted prior to commencement of the class.

In home puppy setup

We come to you and show you the right way to setup your home with our in home puppy setup service.

We come to you whilst your puppy is between 8 and 16 weeks and show you everything you need to know to get the best start in life for you and your new puppy.

By doing puppy school and the in home puppy setup visit you will be sure to have the correct information to ensure a happy, secure little puppy. We will help you understand how behavioural problems such as barking, separation anxiety, digging, chewing develop and give you the tools and a plan to follow to prevent them from accruing.

Remember, you are the key to your dog’s behavior. Establishing rules, boundaries and getting your puppy to understand limitations will set them up for a very happy and stable life.

Taking in a new puppy to be part of your family should never create anything else but joy and happiness. If you are finding this isn’t the case call me straight away on 0488 908 048 to get us out to your home to resolve any issues or concerns.