Puppy Training
In Australia, Puppy Pre-school is the first step in training your dog.
The early socialisation period leading up to 12 weeks of age is the best time for your dog to get used to the noisy, colourful world around him, but unfortunately he is not fully immunised until the end of this period.
So Puppy Pre-school was introduced as a clean, safe, supervised environment to introduce your puppy to others, and to teach new owners skills for raising a dog, for puppies from around eight weeks of age.
Your local vet should either be running a Puppy Pre-school, or be able to recommend one who does. Local Pet Shops can also often recommend one.
Classes should be small, and run by qualified instructors trained in canine behaviour.
The most important thing my family learnt at Puppy Preschool was the concept of the Pack Leader. Establishing that a human is the leader of the pack is crucial. The vet teaching us practically insisted that we buy the book Leader of the Pack
Skills that should be addressed at Puppy Pre-school include House Training, Socialisation, Bite Inhibition, Controlled Play, Boredom Busters, Restraint, Collars and Leads, Leading the Pack, Early Commands.
As soon as you have chosen your puppy, ring around and book him in to your local Puppy Pre-school.
Even better, do research at home on puppy training and behaviour before you start formal classes, and to plan on how you will interact from the first time you meet him. Dove Cresswells Dog Training Online includes a free video, so you can see exactly how to train your puppy.
Puppy training starts the minute you first meet your puppy. He starts learning what he can get away with, what pleases you, and what you will ignore. So start training your puppy while he is young, before he gets set in his ways. Establish the rules up front, so you don't have to change them later on.