Puppy Foundation Course

Our puppy foundation course is just that: an introduction to dog training, for both pup and owner alike. We do help to teach the basic positions (sit, down and stand) as well as how to train your pup to walk nicely on lead, along with other basic commands, such as the recall, wait, stay and leave, but a far greater emphasis is placed upon socialisation. We feel it is crucial that a dog is properly socialised from a very young age, as this, along with the teaching of the basic commands, helps to ensure that the dog grows up to be happy and well-adjusted.

Time and again we come across dogs who display aggressive and/or nervous behaviour, and we are often told, "He's not used to other dogs." We believe one of the very best things a new owner can do for his/her puppy is to allow them to mix with other dogs/puppies from a very young age (as soon as the course of vaccinations is complete - usually around 13 weeks).

During our puppy classes we do not allow an "off-lead free-for-all" (but never say never, should circumstances arise where this might be appropriate), but we do allow them to mix and mingle and just generally check each other out, as dogs do. It's important that puppies learn to respond to their owners amidst distraction, and what more inviting distraction for a puppy than another puppy?

Another area we cover in the Puppy Foundation Course is that of responsibilty and care. We'll talk through what this covers, and hand out more information, during the sessions themselves.

At the end of each class, we hold a question and answer session, during which owners are encouraged to ask our advice about any concerns/little problems they might be having, such as issues with toilet training.

With the puppies there is no formal assessment evening, as there is with the Bronze course and up. Assessment will be done on an on-going basis, over the four to six weeks of the course (length of time is simply dictated by the progress of the individual).

More information on the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Puppy Foundation Course can be found at the Kennel Club website.

OUR “MUST” COMMANDS - The basic commands used by us.

HEEL/CLOSE means “Walk nicely by my side”.
SIT means “Sit your bottom down, immediately”.
DOWN means “Lie down, immediately”.
STAND means “Stand up and stand still”.
OFF means “Get off and stay off!” (people/furniture/whatever)
LEAVE means “Leave it alone: do not touch!”
STAY means “Stay there until I return to you”.
WAIT means “Wait there until I call you, or give you another command”.
COME means “Come straight back to me, as soon as I call you”.
And NO means NO!

Our other courses:

Bronze Course

Silver Course

Gold Course

Young Handlers