Proud Parent.. Your New Puppy

Congratulations! You are the happy and proud parent of a new puppy. You're probably looking around for the best way to bring up pooch. A good first step is puppy preschool.

Once your pup is eight weeks of age (and up to 16 weeks of age), you and your family, along with young pup, can attend puppy preschool. There are a variety of schools available, so check out your local vet clinic or look in the Yellow Pages for classes.

Puppy preschool aims to socialise dogs so that they learn to interact well with other dogs, children and adults, as well as to teach basic obedience. It is an excellent first step in socialising your new family member in a safe and positive environment. More importantly, it provides the new owner with an opportunity to ask questions and interact with other dog owners while learning the basic commands of dog obedience.

Classes usually run for four weeks, one evening per week for approximately one hour. During this time, topics such as socialisation, toilet training, diet, behavior problems, and parasite management are discussed. Also taught are the basic commands including sit, drop, stay, heel and come. It is important to understand that at this stage your puppy is simply being introduced to these commands and that ongoing obedience training will be required.

Puppy Positive Reinforcement
Puppy preschool should be a positive environment. Course leaders will encourage owners to apply and reaffirm commands in a friendly, calm manner using treats or toys to motivate. Owners are encouraged to go about all commands and actions in an enthusiastic manner, with the aim of engaging the animal willingly. If you attend a vet clinic preschool, it is also a good way to familiarise the animal with a clinic environment to lessen the stress of those future visits to the vet.

The added benefit of attending a puppy preschool run by a vet clinic is that when a vet or vet nurse is involved in the training, you can pick up some important health tips too. Often the vet or nurse will take each puppy and their owner aside to show them how to clean the puppys ears safely, flush out the eye area (in the case of a foreign object such as a grass seed getting in the eye) and trim its nails.

They may also teach the owner how to do some simple health checks in order to identify the onset of problems such as tooth and gum disease, skin conditions and eye infections.

Benefits Of A Socialised Dog
The first few months of a puppys life are considered its sensitive period. It is during this time that a puppy must be properly socialised and exposed to new people, places, children, other pets, sights and sounds. Attending puppy preschool provides pup with the opportunity to mix with other puppies and humans in a controlled, safe environment.

Giving a young puppy the opportunity of new experiences in an enjoyable manner can prevent fears and behavioural problems from developing later in life. Owners are encouraged to mix with each others pets, and supervised children can be involved in the training process. Just as importantly, people, many of whom can be first-time dog owners, have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss any concerns they have.

And do not forget... puppy preschool is just the first step in dog obedience. Good luck!