Start right from the beginning.

Before bringing a puppy home

Support for choosing a puppy that fits your lifestyle, experience, household, expectations, and everyday routine.

Topics may include

• Breed and breed-type considerations
• Expected adult size and activity level
• Temperament
• Lifestyle compatibility
• Breeder questions
• What to observe when meeting a litter
• Differences between puppies
• Home environment
• Time commitment
• Realistic expectations

Online recommended · Home visit not normally necessary

We can help you understand what to look for and what questions to ask, but no puppy's future behaviour can be predicted with certainty.

Prepare the home, family, routine, and expectations before the puppy arrives.

Topics may include

• Puppy-proofing
• Sleeping area
• Food and water setup
• Toilet preparation
• Toys and chewing
• Collar, harness, and leash
• Household boundaries
• First-day planning
• Introducing family members
• Preparing children
• Daily routine
• What not to overwhelm the puppy with immediately

Online recommended · Home visit available on request if you would like us to review the home setup

Build a calm, predictable routine from the puppy's first days at home.

Topics may include

• Settling in
• Sleeping
• Toilet routine
• Feeding routine
• Calmness
• Household boundaries
• Preventing unwanted habits
• Owner-puppy communication
• Creating predictable daily structure

Learn the foundations of everyday communication and simple obedience.

Topics may include

• Name response
• Attention
• Sit
• Down
• Come
• Wait/stay foundations
• Following the owner
• Release cues
• Simple impulse control
• Reward timing

The session teaches the method and gives you a clear starting direction. The owner continues the repetition afterwards so the puppy can learn over time.

Build the foundations of a strong response to the owner before distractions and independence become established habits.

Topics may include

• Name response
• Coming toward the owner
• Reward timing
• Recall games
• Preventing ignored recall cues
• Distraction progression
• Long-line basics
• When not to allow off-leash freedom
• Avoiding chasing patterns

Teach the puppy how to move calmly with the owner before pulling becomes an established everyday pattern.

Topics may include

• Leash introduction
• Following
• Attention
• Direction changes
• Pace
• Stopping
• Sniffing
• Environmental distractions
• Preventing constant forward pulling

Learn how to introduce the puppy to the world without turning socialisation into constant excitement or overwhelming exposure.

Topics may include

• People
• Dogs
• Children
• Traffic
• City environments
• Sounds
• Surfaces
• Public transport
• Cafés and public spaces where appropriate
• Calm observation
• Avoiding forced greetings
• Recognising stress
• Quality versus quantity of experiences

Good socialisation is not about meeting as many dogs and people as possible. It is about thoughtful, age-appropriate experiences that the puppy can process safely.

Build clear everyday expectations before unwanted home habits become established.

Topics may include

• Jumping
• Furniture rules
• Doors
• Begging
• Stealing objects
• Settling
• Calm behaviour
• Waiting
• Household boundaries
• Attention-seeking habits

Gradually help the puppy learn that short periods without the owner can be safe and normal.

Topics may include

• Independence
• Very short absences
• Settling
• Gradual duration
• Departure routines
• Avoiding sudden long absences
• Recognising stress
• Age-appropriate expectations

This course covers preventive foundations, not treatment for separation anxiety. Established panic or distress should begin with a professional behaviour assessment or appropriate specialist support.

Understand normal puppy mouthiness and learn how to guide biting and chewing toward more appropriate behaviours.

Topics may include

• Puppy mouthing
• Play biting
• Overstimulation
• Redirection
• Appropriate chew items
• Interaction rules
• Preventing accidental reinforcement
• When biting may require a separate behaviour assessment

Help your puppy become more comfortable with everyday handling and future care routines.

Topics may include

• Paws
• Ears
• Mouth
• Brushing
• Bathing preparation
• Nail-handling preparation
• Collar and harness
• Body handling
• Grooming preparation
• Preparing for cooperative everyday care

This course prepares puppies for everyday handling and grooming routines; it does not provide veterinary training.

Build calm and safe everyday habits around food, treats, toys, and valued objects.

Topics may include

• Feeding routine
• Waiting
• Trading
• Drop/release foundations
• Preventing conflict
• Avoiding unnecessary taking-away games
• Appropriate management

If established resource guarding or aggression is already present, a First Behaviour Assessment is the appropriate starting point instead.

Learn the everyday care basics that help owners observe and support their puppy's general wellbeing.

Topics may include

• Feeding routines
• Body condition awareness
• Water
• Sleep
• Teeth
• Coat
• Paws
• Everyday hygiene
• General development
• Recognising changes in normal behaviour
• Preparing questions for a veterinarian
• Recognising when veterinary advice may be appropriate

This course provides general puppy-care education and does not replace veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Learn to read your puppy more clearly and understand why behaviour changes throughout early development.

Topics may include

• Body language
• Excitement
• Frustration
• Stress signals
• Fear
• Overstimulation
• Sleep needs
• Exploration
• Attention
• Age-related changes
• Normal puppy behaviour versus signs that deserve closer attention

Prepare before the easy little puppy suddenly becomes a much more independent young dog.

Topics may include

• Increasing independence
• Environmental interest
• Recall changes
• Distraction
• Boundary testing
• Consistency
• Maintaining existing cues
• Reinforcing calm routines
• Preventing teenage habits from becoming established

Preparation can build useful routines and understanding, but it cannot prevent every behaviour associated with adolescence.