Wednesday evenings 7.00 - 7.45pm.
If you are wondering why your pup should attend a puppy class then read the following article from Psychology Today ( October 2024 ) titled "Do Puppy Classes Have a Lasting Effect on Dog Behavior? " It notes that puppy classes socialise dogs by exposing them to unfamiliar humans and dogs and teaching basic commands, and that puppies enrolled in classes by age 6 months show reduced adult behaviour problems, such as aggressiveness.
If you have booked and paid and do come along to our club we expect you to bring the pup, a normal soft collar and lead (not a flexi and not a chain – we will be asking you to drop the lead and let the pup run around dragging the lead behind for part of the time), and a good supply of small treats that really interest your dog (meaty chunks of chicken or sausage or little cubes of cheese usually work really well), and poo-bags just in case.
Don’t feed the pup just before you bring it; it will be more interested in the treats and be less likely to leave a “deposit” during the visit. Also, give it a short walk so it has an opportunity to “eliminate” - that means “do one” - before it arrives, and don't forget to bag it and bin it.
The most important things that your puppy will learn at puppy class are:
to inhibit its bite,
to happily encounter people,
to happily encounter dogs.
In puppy class your dog will spend some part of each session running around off-leash with other dogs, at which time some of their play will involve biting. Other puppies are the very best teachers. Your puppy will bite. This is good. When they hurt another pup it will yelp and the fun will stop. This way they learn to bite more gently so as not to stop the game.
“The more your puppy bites, the safer its jaws will be as an adult, since it will have had more opportunities to learn that biting hurts.” (Ian Dunbar)
In addition to this organised chaos (we like to call it socialisation) the puppy classes follow the Kennel Club’s Puppy Foundation Assessment scheme. This lays the foundations for a well-behaved dog.
The course includes 12 different exercises ...
1. Responsibility & Care
2. Cleanliness & Identification
3. Attentive Response To Name
4. Puppy Play
5. Socialisation
6. Handling & Inspection
7. Puppy Recall
8. Basic Puppy Positions
9. Walking in a Controlled Manner
10. Stay for approximately 10 seconds
11. Take Article Away from the Puppy
12. Food Manners (take a treat without snatching)
WHAT SHOULD YOU FEED YOUR PUPPY?
Most dog-food brands are owned by a few major manufacturers.
Mars: Pedigree, Cesar, Chappie, Frolic, Pal, Nutro, Greenies, James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin
Nestle: Bakers, Bonio, Winalot, Beta, ProPlan, Purina One, Purina Veterinary Diets.
Colgate-Palmolive: Hills Science Plan, Hills Prescription Diets.
Proctor & Gamble: Eukanuba, Iams.
Are their premium dog-foods worth the money? Are there better alternatives?
Compare dog foods and rank them from highest to lowest rating and see how the big-name varieties stand at the excellent "All About Dogfood" website: (Their nutritional rating "shows how beneficial we expect a food or treat to be for the majority of dogs.")
https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory
For example, Jollyes own-brand... "Lifestage grain-free puppy" has a nutritional rating of 82%, while Hills Science Plan scores in the 50's and Royal Canin scores in the 40's. No contest! (The percentages shown here may differ from those now shown on their website - they refine their algorithm so the values may change over time.)
https://www.jollyes.co.uk/
(January 2025 update: Lifestage products now score from 77% to 62%; while Hills and Royal Canin score from 56% to 13%, with many of their breed-specific foods scoring very poorly, and all while costing more than twice that of Lifestage products.)
Read about what motivated the founder of that site at https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/about-us
and how foods are rated at their FAQ page https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions
DOES YOUR DOG FEAR LOUD SOUNDS ... thunder, fireworks, etc.
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/understanding-your-dog/sound-therapy-for-pets
Sounds Scary can help your dog deal with distressing noises such as fireworks.
Sounds Sociable is designed to help puppies adapt to their new life as a pet. It includes a collection of sounds that every puppy should be familiar with, including traffic, domestic noises, children, and fireworks.
Sounds Soothing can help your dog deal with the arrival of a new baby, which can be a confusing time for them. This can help your dog cope with the sound of new noises, such as a baby crying.