Puppy Nursery

For puppies from 1st vaccination 

Puppy Nursery is intended to meet the socialisation needs of the very young puppy. 

Nursey is one of the most important classes offered at Champion Dogs: This is key-socialisation time for puppies and the experiences they have at this age will be formative.

Controlled and supervised puppy play is a central feature of the course.  It is very important that your puppy chooses when and how to engage with the world, rather than being forced into situations he or she finds scary.  To this end, puppy play is closely supervised and playmates for your puppy are carefully picked. 

You will learn how to understand your puppy’s body language - which, being the language of a different species is not always obvious - and especially to be alert to signs of fear.  Your puppy looks to you to provide safety at such times:  You will learn how to keep other puppies away, providing a safe place, so your puppy doesn’t learn to use aggression to get that space.

In Nursery we also cover the stuff related to having a puppy at home, including: 

• Feeding/diet
• Puppy massage
• Toilet training
• Bite inhibition
• Handling

Puppy Nursery runs on Monday and Friday evenings and you can attend until your puppy is around 15 weeks old when his/her style of play changes.  You can begin any week.  This means you do not waste valuable socialisation time waiting for the next course start date but please do contact me first and don’t just turn up! 

To book onto Puppy Nursery please click here. Puppy Nursery is the only class that can be paid 'on the night'

Puppy Nursery FAQ's

Q:  What is the difference between Puppy Nursery and Puppy Foundation?

 A:  Puppy Foundation is an 8 week course with set start dates and puppies cannot join part-way through a course.  Puppies therefore have to wait up to 4 weeks before joining a course and this could mean wasting valuable socialisation time.  Puppy Nursery can be started any week, meaning that no time is wasted.

 Puppy Foundation is split 25/75 between socialisation and training.  Puppy Nursery is entirely socialisation with other puppies and with people, along with advice on integrating a puppy into your household.  This includes such things as toilet training, crate-training, puppy play-biting, alone-training and chew-training.  Socialisation is strictly supervised to ensure all puppies have a positive experience and that shy puppies have the space needed to come out of their shells.

 You can train your dog at any age, but socialisation can only take place within the socialisation period, which is at its peak from 3-12 weeks of age.

Q:  How old does my puppy have to be, for Puppy Nursery?

 A:  Puppies must have had their 1st vaccination. We allow puppies to keep coming until their style of play becomes slightly more mature, this is usually around 15 weeks old but for some pups it can be slightly older or slightly younger. We will let you know when your pup is ready to move out of this class.

Q:  How much is the Puppy Nursery course?

 A:  Puppy Nursery is a one off fee of £25 for one session a week or £35 for two sessions, each class lasts 30 minutes. 

Q:  Can I overlap Puppy Nursery and Puppy Foundation?

 A:  Yes you can continue to attend Puppy Nursery even if you have also started Puppy Foundation.  Some people might find this makes for a long evening and prefer to stop Puppy Nursery when they start Puppy Foundation.  But if your puppy is shy or scared, it might be best to continue both where possible for the extra socialisation.

Q:  A Puppy Foundation course is starting right when I enquire.  Should I just do Puppy Foundation, or should I do both Puppy Nursery and Puppy Foundation?

 A:  If you want your puppy to have more socialisation time with other dogs (something which is hard to come by, for many people), then doing both is advised.  The content of the two courses is completely different.  However, if your puppy is close to 15 weeks, you may not want to pay the fee for Puppy Nursery and might prefer just to do Puppy Foundation.  If you are unsure what would be best, in your situation, please email and ask me.

Q:  I am worried about attending a class before vaccinations are complete.  Is this ok?

 A:  Nothing in life is risk-free, but far more dogs are euthanised each year because they are aggressive than the small number which die from contagious diseases. 

 The most common cause of aggression is fear.  And dogs are afraid of what they have not experienced enough of, early in life (- or of what they have experienced too much of, in an overwhelming way).  Wrapping your puppy up in cotton-wool, physically, might have serious detrimental consequences, psychologically. 

 Those who are worried are recommended to read this article, written by vets, in a reputable veterinary journal.

 Puppies attending class after only the 1st vaccination should be carried in and out of the hall and not put down on the pavement or grass outside the hall.

 Anyone requiring further information on this subject can contact me here.

To book onto Puppy Nursery please click here. Puppy Nursery is the only class that can be paid 'on the night'