Puppy School
Congratulations on your new arrival! Having a new puppy is a very exciting time but it can also be tiring and overwhelming.
Our Puppy School program is designed to help you and your puppy throughout their development and get you set up for a wonderful life together!
Puppy School Program;
First Vaccination – 8 weeks old
Your puppy’s first vaccination will be with one of our vets. Your pup will get a full nose to tail examination, their vaccine and any flea and worm treatment they are due.
Our team will chat through how to settle your pup into your family, what to expect in those first few weeks and answer any questions you might have.
Second Vaccination – 10 weeks old
Check-ups from this point in Puppy School will be with our nursing team
This is your opportunity to let us know how you are finding puppy parenting and ask us all the questions and also share any concerns you might have or challenges you are facing – there will be some and this is very normal!
At this appointment, in addition to a full health check-up, our team will discuss socialising and how to do it properly, noise exposure and how to normalise all the different sounds of life, lead training and choosing the right classes.
We will also demonstrate how to handle your puppy safely and well and get them used to having their teeth and ears checked and their paws handled.
We will also ensure all the boxes are ticked in terms of things like the microchip is working and has been properly registered and if you haven’t had it already, issue you with 4 weeks free pet insurance cover.
We cannot advise you specifically on policies but we will discuss the things to look out for and what to avoid, so when you take out cover for your dog, you are confident in choosing the right policy for you.
Third Vaccine – 12 weeks old
(We split our puppy vaccine protocol into three stages so you can get them out and about as soon as possible)
This is your puppy’s final vaccination of the course, after this they shouldn’t need any more for 12 months, but we will be seeing them monthly for Puppy School and parasite protection.
By now they should be happily settled into your family and although there is still a long way to go in terms of their training and development (don’t worry if they aren’t toilet trained yet!), you will hopefully be feeling comfortable with the process and your new pet.
At this check we will give your pup a full check-over and take a look at their growth rates to make sure they are developing in a healthy way. We will also do a diet and digestion review to ensure their meals are balanced and they are getting all the nutrition they need.
We will also discuss car travel as you are likely already out and about with your puppy and planning on doing even more as they get older. Most pups travel fine but some do need support to enjoy journeys and ensuring they are safely secured is very important.
Your pup will also be due there next flea and worm protection doses.
Puppy School One – 16 weeks
As always, your puppy will have a nose-to-tail examination and you can ask any questions you have.
The next stage in life that is coming is adolescence and at this appointment we will be preparing you for that! We will be chatting about the changes you might see and how you can manage them with good training and behaviour advice.
We will also talk on a broader level about the training and teaching you can be doing at home to set your puppy up with good habits for life and also how to direct and reward natural behaviours like chasing and digging in an appropriate way so your pet can follow their natural instincts without driving you mad or destroying the garden!
They may well be starting to teeth at this age, or be starting very soon, which means they might be chewing on things they shouldn’t! So we will talk though healthy chewing habits and how we can give them appropriate toys for their teeth.
This is also the ideal time to introduce dental care and brushing and we will demonstrate how to start this at home as a healthy habit for life!
You will also be given your next dose of flea and worm protection.
Puppy School Two – 20 weeks
Again, a full health and development check will be done, they will be weighed and we will also go over how their training and socialising is going.
The teenage years are not far off now for most breeds and although with our help you will be ready for them, sometimes unexpected changes happen and we are here to support you!
This is often the age when puppies become more cautious about the world around them, rather than meeting it with the pure innocence of a baby, and supporting them to regain that confidence in an appropriate way is very important.
You may also see signs that their hormones are beginning to kick in and, again, we are here to help you ensure those new behaviours are directed in a way that allows for a natural outlet without becoming a real challenge!
Neutering will be discussed at this stage, the pros and cons and what might be best for your dog. Most dogs are neutered much older than 5 months, but we want you to be fully informed and prepared for when that time comes.
As always, they will also receive their flea and worm treatment.
Puppy School Three – 6 months old
As previously your puppy will have a complete examination, be weighed and have their growth checked and recorded so we can be confident they are developing well
This is the age that their growth will continue but it will start to slow down and our team will discuss how that will impact on their diet and nutrition.
At this appointment we will chat about grooming and how to care for their coats, especially if they are a fluffy or longer coated breeds. We will discuss the best tools to use and how to use them and what we advise for things like baths and skin care.
You will also be on with longer walks now, so we will run through good harnesses to choose and how to fit them properly.
At this appointment most puppies will be given three months of flea and worm protection as we can usually predict their growth rate from this point.
Puppy School Four – 9 months
Once most dogs reach 6 months their growth is slowing down and our aim is for you to be a confident pet parent, so we don’t tend to have them in again until they are 9 months old. Although you are very welcome to keep in touch with questions and arrange appointments if you feel you need to.
At this age most dogs are really starting to mature and as before we will be tracking their growth and development. We will also check on their teeth, the adult ones will be through now and we can ensure they have come through properly. We will also go back over dental care, so we can keep them as pearly white as possible!
Sometimes this is the age when you can feel like puppyhood and adolescence are never ending and you wonder if your pup will ever grow up. We are here to let you know they will! We review their training and behavioural development to ensure they are on track to be a happy and well-balanced dog.
For most dogs their growth is really steadying off and often it is appropriate to move away from puppy food and onto a juvenile diet if we haven’t already. Our team will be able to advise you on what would be good to feed and also things like frequency and where treats can fit in.
For many of the females, their first season is on the horizon and we will let you know what to look out for, what to expect and what is best to do during that time.
As before, you will receive 3 months of flea and worming prevention.
Puppy School Five – 12 months
As before, we arrange this final check 3 months after the previous one but you are always able to contact us if you need extra advice or support.
All but the larger breeds of dog have reached skeletal maturity now and can be transitioned to an adult diet and our team can advise you on that.
This is another time when neutering will be discussed and potentially booked in for those dogs where we decide it is a good idea.
Again, we will chat about their behaviour and training and hopefully together we have reached adulthood with a good base of socialising and behaviour to be able to be fully developed and happy members of our canine community!
As before, their worm and flea medication will be dispensed.
And, now they have graduated, they get to wear the cap and have their picture taken and shared on social media if that is OK with you!
Our Puppy School is included in our Pet Health Plan and therefore free to members. It also covers all their flea and worm protection
Sessions are charged at £20 if you aren’t a PHP member and anti-parasite treatment is also charged for.
If you don’t wish to attend Puppy School, we do still advise you protect your pet against parasites and we can dispense these treatments on a monthly basis after a quick weight check.
Useful books
- The puppy survival guide – Sarah whitehead
- Hands off – Sarah Whitehead
- The adolescent survival guide – Sarah Whitehead
- Mind games for Dogs – Sarah Whitehead
- How to train a Superpup – Gwen Bailey
- Total recall – Pippa Mattinson
- The Pet Gundog: The Common-Sense Approach to Dog Training – Lez Graham
- The Thoughtful Dog Trainer – Joanne Perrott.
If you would like to know more about Puppy School or book your puppy in, just give us a call on (01246) 903536 or WhatsApp us on 07426712065.
