The best time to book your puppy into a class

Please don’t wait until after you have your puppy to research and book into puppy classes.

Many puppies now have had their first vaccination with their breeder, as puppies should be microchipped, before being sold so some breeders do both at once.

The second vaccination is usually within the first four weeks of life with you, some vets will give a full set of vaccinations even though the pup has already had one because they stock different makes of the vaccines and the vet wants to be sure that your puppy is protected.

Most puppy classes have contingencies and safeguards that let you and your puppy attend class safely with just the first vaccination, just ask the trainer before booking.

If you wait to book your space in a class until pup is home and fully vaccinated you run the risk of not getting a space or finding a start day and time that works for you.

The older the puppy gets before coming to classes the longer it has had to rehearse behaviours, some of which you may not like.

Puppies are learning from the moment they are born, they are experiencing the world around them and getting used to how to respond to their environment.

They are born with their eyes closed and ears folded, they only have the ability to smell and feel temperature.

By two weeks old their eyes begin to open. Their ears start opening around three weeks.

Three to four weeks is a big time in your puppy’s life, they start to walk, play, growl, wag their tail, and recognise litter mates and human handlers.

By five weeks they are actively playing with their litter mates and exploring a little further from mum, by seven weeks they are eating solids and exploring away from mum, whilst getting quite boisterous in play with litter mates.

Scott and Fuller (genetics and the social behaviour of the dog, a study of dog development that ranged over 13 years) coined the term socialisation sensitive period, which they determined ranged from three weeks old to fourteen weeks, although this will differ greatly between breeds. They discovered that just brief encounters with novel people, objects, animals, surfaces and noises are good for a well-rounded adult dog during this period. As your puppy will most likely be nearing the end of this period by the time they reach classes it is these pre-encounters that are built on in the class.

A good breeder will have already started your puppy’s socialisation by introducing them to different floor surfaces, touch and investigation of different body parts, general house noises like the tv and vacuum plus meeting different types of people.

Socialisation periods are not rigid and can be modified or reversed at later stages, with varying degrees of difficulty.

By the time your puppy comes to you, their socialisation is well on the way, but there is still a lot of work to do. This is where classes can really help, teaching your pup how to behave around other puppies that are not litter mates, that are of different sizes, colours, sexes, ages and breeds, meeting different people and the strange world and smells of the training school.

Learning how to focus on their handler whilst other puppies and people are around is an extremely important skill to teach your puppy, it’s not all play, play, play.

Did you know puppy rates of learning reach adult levels of function in the brain at just four to five weeks (Scott and Fuller)?

Blink and you miss it, many puppy classes won’t accept puppies over 6 months old as by then some puppies are showing more teen behaviours than puppy behaviours.

When joining classes later your puppy may be turning teen by the end of the course and we see them changing from typical puppy struggles to teen world exploring.

Most regular courses last between 6 and 8 weeks it’s good to have your classes planned before puppy comes, if you wait to book you may find that some schools won’t be able to place you as your puppy will be too old for the class.

My courses are 7 weeks long and there is usually one starting every month, I keep the class size to a maximum of 6 puppies, so we don’t overwhelm the puppies and I can give you the attention you need.

You can book your puppy onto the course as long as they will be 6 months old or younger on the start date.

For 2023 I have a brand new puppy package - two 1-2-1 sessions (where I’ll come to you) and the course of 7 classes for £190!

You can book before puppy comes, all the way up to 3 months after your course ends.

Get your home set up for bringing puppy home, learn how to set puppy up for reassurance and a good night’s sleep that first week with you, get some pre-class training, help with toilet training, making friends with animals already in your home, puppy biting and behaviours you only see at home. I can advise on these in class, however, it really helps with the specifics to see the house set up and inadvertent cues that may be happening.

At-home sessions can also really get everyone in the house involved. When we have work commitments or little ones at home to look after it can be hard to get everyone to class, the 1-2-1 sessions are usually booked for Saturday afternoons, Sundays or Mondays, finding a time that suits most families.

Or you can book the puppy class course as a stand-alone package for £110. The course comes with the puppy information pack.

As soon as you book and pay for classes with me you will receive my puppy information pack by email, this covers puppy’s first week, toilet training, what to feed and more. Wouldn’t that be handy to have before you get your puppy? You will also get a hard copy when you come to classes.

You also get all the classes, walk-through guides of exercises covered in class emailed to you, week 7’s puppy play session, advice on standard puppy problems and a certificate of completion plus 10% off any further course or 1-2-1 sessions you wish to take with Wobbly dog.