Before your puppy even comes to you, a lot of the dog they will grow to be will have been shaped by their genetics and their very early experiences. This is why starting off with the right breeder is key! I always recommend looking for breeders through reputable, knowledgeable and regulated sites and organisations such as The Kennel Club, where breeders are evaluated and inspected. There are some key questions you’ll want to ask as part of this process - all of which are things I can help you with!

There are many different breeds of dog to choose from and researching the ones you’re interested in is key. Matching up your lifestyle and what you can offer a dog is just as important as choosing a dog based on what they can offer you. As a dog owner, it is your legal responsibility to meet all of your dog’s needs, including their dietary, exercise, enrichment and social needs. It’s also worth considering common health problems of different breeds and potential vet costs of these. I can help you to find the breed that best suits you and your home!

It’s not all about meeting lots of dogs! There’s an important time in a puppy’s development where they are learning everything about the world around them - including what is scary and what isn’t. This is called the Sensitive Period for Socialisation (SPS) and it lasts from 3 weeks old to around 14 weeks old. By the time your puppy arrives home, you will only have a few weeks of this period left, before their brains are less ‘sponge-like’ when it comes to new experiences, so approaching it in the right way is key and something I can help with!

One of the biggest things to remember when it comes to bringing home your puppy, is that they’re just a baby! They are still developing, both mentally and physically, and a lot of what they do simply comes from not knowing better. They never act out of spite, out of stubbornness, or to try to annoy you. They are simply still learning about the world and how things work. Even when your puppy is fully grown in size, they’re not yet fully developed in their brains, so try to keep your expectations reasonable.

Puppies will often get things wrong, especially while they’re still learning. How we respond to those mistakes and how we train them will help to shape the dogs they become. This is why the methods we use while training are so important. Using pain, fear or intimidation on any dog can have a significant negative impact in many different ways, however, when it is used with puppies it can have even more negative impact on your bond with them, their way of seeing the world and their way of coping with stressful situations.

I believe that training and enrichment are key in giving the dog your puppy will grow into the best life possible however, It’s important to know what kind of training and enrichment your puppy will need at each stage of their development. Puppies definitely don’t need strict training drills and hour long practice sessions. Instead, puppies will learn best with small amounts of simple training, ideally intertwined in play, and the introduction of key concepts such as ‘settle’. This is why having a professional on board is key!