One positive outcome of the pandemic is that many families have been able to get the dog they long desired but which their working patterns prevented.
With many people finding themselves now working from home and able to spend more time with the newest addition to the family, the UK has seen an explosion of puppy ownership.
Lockdown has been great for the whole family to be together at home, to walk together and generally bond with their new pup. But what about training?
We strongly believe that every new puppy owner, whether experienced or not, should go along to puppy classes but these haven't been able to go ahead for some months now.
Fear not new doggie parents! You can still get that essential early training online with our friends at Lady and the Hound.
Imogen runs Puppy School, puppy socialisation and canine coaching courses in Richmond, Hampton, Walton-on-Thames and Weybridge which will start to resume in April but in the meantime you don't need to miss out on this key stage of your puppies development. All you need is a computer which supports Zoom, a bit of space in your house and some high value treats and Imogen will guide you through the training.
Puppy School
This a six-week course with up to 8 puppies in the class and each session lasts for one hour. Online Puppy School is for pups of all ages (physical classes have an age limit of 20 weeks) and aims to provide you and your pup with some basic commands such as come, sit, wait, leave it. The classes also help owners get ahead of any potential bad habits before they become a problem, such as jumping up at people, play biting, pulling on lead.
Training your pup should be taken seriously but that doesn't mean it can't be fun too! Imogen ensures that the classes are conducted in a fun, rewards based manner so that training your pup is enjoyable for the whole family. She especially welcomes any children to join in.
Once Puppy School is completed, your pup will receive a certificate of graduation and a rosette then you can continue to put what you learnt into practice or book private training if there are particular areas you would like to focus on with your dog.
If you want to continue with training, you and your pup can progress to Juniors Class for adolescent dogs (post-COVID as this is not available online).
The 6 week Puppy School Course costs £180 and you can book here.
Private Puppy Training
You may feel that group classes aren't for you or you may want a more tailored training course for your pup so you'll be pleased to know that Private Puppy Training with Lady and The Hound is also available via Zoom.
These one to one sessions are for puppies of any age and last for 4 weeks, following an initial consultation.
The basic training covers the same key areas as Puppy School but with a more tailored
approach to meet your puppies needs and the ability to focus on particular problem areas such as destructive behaviour or recall.
The whole family is once again encouraged to take part to make the experience fun for you and your pup.
If your dog still has or develops any issues as he progresses into adulthood, you can book further private consultations via Zoom.
The 4 week course costs £300 and can be booked here.
For further information on training courses from Lady and The Hound visit their website which also includes a roadmap of plans for recommencing face to face training.
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