This course is a four-week socialization and basic learning program for puppies aged eight to sixteen weeks. It is designed to prepare your puppy to act appropriately in the big wide world by giving him or her, at an early an age as possible, a controlled and pleasant exposure to unfamiliar people, dogs, objects and situations.
With a head start at a puppy school, followed by ongoing socialisation & schooling during the first year of his or her life, your puppy will readily adjust to stress & change. S/he will become a confident & relaxed dog that is happy, safe and cherished – not, like so many dogs, miserable, dangerous & unwanted.
Courses are held on Sunday mornings at 8.00 a.m at the Mansfield Pavilion, Mt Gravatt Show Grounds, 1644 Logan Rd, Mt Gravatt.
Benefits and unique features of our 'flexible week' Sunday morning puppy school:
- Our training facility is completely dog-free during the week. Therefore the risks of catching a fatal disease, which are actually quite high elsewhere, are minimal.
- The syllabus is designed so as to enable your puppy to start on any Sunday. You do not have to wait for several critical weeks, by when your puppy is no longer a puppy!
- Each week your puppy will meet new puppies and different people.
- If a week has to be missed - for whatever reason - your puppy simply catches up the following week and does not miss out on vital socialisation and learning.
- You will have experienced and qualified instructors, all with a sound knowledge of canine physical and emotional development
- You will receive a comprehensive manual, written information leaflets on health care, parasite control, nutrition and vaccinations.
- The manual also includes a set of excellent behavioural notes by Veterinary Behaviourist Dr Debbie Calnon from Melbourne.
- We lend you invaluable CDs, DVDs & books: 'The First Twelve Months' by Brisbane's Veterinary Behaviourist Dr Cam Day, 'Take a Walk In My Paws' with Veterinary Behaviourist Dr Kersti Seksel from Sydney & Terry Ryan's 'The Puppy Primer'.
- Your puppy will have ample opportunity for essential play but not in a 'free for all' session that can do a lot of harm, especially to shy puppies.
- Playtime is carefully supervised so that it is appropriate & bad habits [e.g. bullying or ignoring owners] are never allowed to develop.
- Basic control (sit, drop, come and 'follow me', etc.) is introduced by hand signals first, with words only being introduced later in the learning process. This way, your puppy will learn to do things first time rather than after lots of repetitions.
- You receive home training practice sheets every week, as well as telephone and email support if required.
- Our classes also include bite inhibition, crate and mat training.
- We play fun games and use low and safe puppy agility obstacles such as tunnels, weave poles, wobble boards, stairs and boardwalks. This equipment helps develop your puppy's co-ordination and confidence as well as your teaching skills.
- Your puppy will play and learn indoors as well as outdoors on several different surfaces – carpet, concrete, bitumen, earth and grass.
- In hot weather puppies have the opportunity to play in a shallow swimming pool.
- There is ample room and we encourage family members to attend and participate, especially in the games such as 'come ping-pong' between two or more people.
- The classes are small with a maximum of six–seven puppies per instructor. If there are more puppies then assistants ensure you have adequate individual attention.
- We stock essential items such as blue puppy 'Kongs', first aid books, shampoos and 'Stop Bite' at favourable prices.
- Other items, such as car harnesses, leads and collars, can be made to order in the colour and material of your choice.
Desired Outcomes
At the end of the course your puppy should be able to:
- Respond to its name
- Eliminate outdoors
- Be sociable with other puppies, as well as children and adults
- Greet family and visitors politely by sitting on cue (verbal and/or visual)
- Come when called
- Settle on its own mat
- Touch and follow a target such as a hand or a target stick
- Respond to a verbal and/or visual signal to 'sit', 'drop' and 'stand'
- Understand 'leave it' and 'take it' cues
- Walk on lead without pulling
- Travel safely in a vehicle
- Enjoy being examined by other people
At the end of the course you will have a practical understanding of:
- Reward-based training
- A leadership program
- Handling and grooming your puppy
- Preventing behavioural problems (e.g. jumping up, barking, digging, chewing)
- Basic health care
Training and equipment:
- Only soft or leather collars are used (i.e. no check chains)
- C.L.E.A.R. puppy training is based solely on positive motivation methods (e.g. lure and
reward, clicker, targeting) where learning is easy, fun, fast and permanent.
After you have completed the first puppy course we strongly recommend – for your puppy's proper development and ongoing socialisation - that you enrol him or her in the five week follow up 'Consolidation of Basics' (Puppy Two) course .
Starting Dates: A new class starts each Sunday at 8 a.m.
Place: Mt Gravatt Show Grounds, 1644 Logan Rd, Mt Gravatt
Investment: $160 includes quality tuition, manual, video and book loans, weekly home training sheets, laminated graduation photograph and certificate, vouchers to pet store, vets and on-going training, telephone and e-mail support.
