Bringing a new puppy home can be exciting but also challenging, especially if you have never owned a dog previously.
Here is a quick list of the things you may have thought about already when considering getting a puppy, or issues you may have questions about.
- Your lifestyle, work commitments -the free time you have available. Your family dynamics and especially the impact of puppies on children and vice versa. (We have a special package covering children and puppies).
- Expense - cost of the puppy, food, equipment, training classes, insurance, boarding, pet sitting, dog walking, veterinary costs - neutering and spaying, grooming
- Breed choice
- How to find a reputable breeder -what to look for when you see a litter
- Equipment, what's necessary and what's nice to have
- The developmental stages of puppies and dogs, what to expect as your puppy grows.
- What training and socialisation does a puppy need? What is R+ training? What does 'balanced' training mean?
And this list is by no means exhaustive, so you may feel that the opportunity to work through all of this with puppy specialists. We have been working with puppy owners for over 10 years, so there isn't much we haven't seen or dealt with. Even if there is, we have a network of colleagues which includes experienced behaviourists and trainers to draw upon to help our clients.
Our private pre-puppy or 'just got a puppy' consultations will help you to work through the planning and/or integration stages.
One thing we want to emphasise here is that puppy ownership is full on and full time, and the first few days and weeks are SO important to the successful integration of your new puppy into your home and family.
A free tip - how to start as you mean to go on.
Puppies are basically babies. Normally removed from their mother and litter mates at around 8 weeks old, they have to learn to quickly adapt to a new home and people. Our principle responsibility at this time is to provide a secure, trusting and nurturing environment, so that they can make the transition seamlessly. Once those need are being met, the next stage is to continue to build the trust between the puppy and its new family. The best way to do this, is by learning to play with your puppy with appropriate soft toys. Play is the best way to build up the relationship between you. Your puppy will have lost its litter playmates and needs to learn to play with humans. Play between people and puppies is very different than play with other puppies and dogs, but if it isn't done well and frequently, the puppy will quickly become bored (with you!) and turn its attention to relieving its boredom in other ways, such as chewing furnishings, running off with household items and biting us. To get advice on this and all the issues above. Private consultations cost £45 - £50 per hour.
