Previously, puppy school wasn't always so high on the owner's list of priorities. But as the awareness and understanding of canine behaviour become more solidified, seeing the benefits of this session is becoming more commonplace.
Your new K9 buddy goes through an important imprinting stage in their life between the age of 8 and 18 weeks. During this time, they're more open to accepting new situations and learning about the experiences around them. So, when it comes to ensuring your pup has the best chance at being positively exposed to what the world has in store for them, puppy school takes the cake.
Developing a dog that's confident and consistently friendly to both other dogs and people means spending the time and effort to train them when they're young. It's also the perfect way to prevent them from becoming aggressive or fearful in the future; a dog who is shown the world is not such a scary place when they're young is more likely to remember it when the years have gone by.
What exactly is puppy school?
It's important to note that puppy school is not the same as obedience classes and don't replace each other. Puppy school works on setting your little puppy up for success by laying the foundations for the future.
Focusing on socialisation and this highly important during the imprinting stage, it gives your puppy the chance to identify new situations. It also allows you – the owner – to see and accept any potential problems that might pop up in their development.
But beyond this, it's highly crucial to the relationship between a child and a puppy. As young dogs commonly form the habit of play-biting and getting rough – as do kids – these classes demonstrate appropriate, positive behaviour to both parties.
Why is it so important?
There are many reasons why investing in a good puppy class with a qualified behavioural dog trainer is beneficial to both you and your family, when you're introducing a new furry member to the family. Your puppy will learn to:
- Control their biting habits: During their imprinting stage, they learn how to control their jaws and develop the ever-important sense of bite inhibition. This means that in a stressful situation, where they may react with a bite, they will be able to stop themselves in their tracks.
- They will understand what it means to be calm: Allowing your dog to settle is important – be it through crate or mat training. Even a cue can help. Puppy schools can help your puppy to understand how to play and then stop when asked to.
- They will get used to being touched and held: If you have kids, this is crucial. Your dog needs to learn to be okay with being touched. Imprinting is the period of their life where they learn and accept this factor the most.
If you'd like to find out more about training and puppy school, get in touch with It's Not About The Dog now on 0409 321 793.