The Puppy Group
Our ethos when working with puppies is firstly to build a strong & trusting bond between dogs and their owners, then to let the puppies explore and learn about the environment around them and how to interact with people and other dogs. When we have achieved these goals the puppies will be relaxed and in the perfect state of mind for learning and training. Overall our aim is to prepare the puppies for life, learning through having fun.
Since our first classes we have had well in excess of 1,000 puppies pass through our classes. Some have gone on to work as assitance dogs, or have success in events such as obedience, heelwork to music, flyball or agility, but, most importantly, all have been helped to become loving, loyal and well-behaved pets.
We aim to keep all the puppies busy throughout the 45 minute sessions. We limit indoor sessions to six puppies and usually have at least three instuctors in attendance, so help is always on hand if needed.
Buriton Village Hall - Thursday evenings 6.30pm
As Meon Valley Dog Training Club, we have been successfully running our puppy classes in Buriton since 2001. We have always used only positive reinforcement, reward based methods. Back when we began the clicker was sometimes viewed as a fad, but is now widely regarded as a vital training tool. We are lucky to have six experienced and qualified volunteer instructors on hand, so there is always help available if needed. The course is run over 6 weeks and is limited to 6 puppies (although we can sometimes accept more during the summer months as we have more space on the field).
The fee for the course is £65 per puppy, and this includes a welcome pack containing a clicker, toy, treat pouch, training booklet and other goodies. The class is open to all puppies aged under 5 months at the start of term.
Anyone is welcome to come along to watch a session before enrolling.
Waggy Tails Dog Training Centre, Hambledon - Wednesdays 6pm
Our daytime class on a Wednesday has similar content to the Buriton course, but is run on a weekly drop-in format so there is no need to commit and pay for a number of weeks. All subjects are covered regualarly and each week's class is tailored for the needs of the puppies in attendance on that day.
The class is open to any puppy up 6 months of age and the cost of each hour-long session is £10.
The syllabus partly working on the Kennel Club's Good Citizen Scheme Puppy Assessment.
First Time At Club
The first week is an induction session. The focus will be on getting the dogs (and handlers!) to relax in each other’s company and very little productive training can be done until the dogs are happy in their surroundings, which usually takes a couple of weeks.
Please remember to bring the following with you:-
· Your puppy’s favourite toy (a quick game is the ideal way to get your dog to relax and enjoy their training).
· Some tit-bits (very important for training, especially in the early days, as food is both a reward and lure for the dogs. Bits of cheese or hot dog sausages make good and cheap tit-bits) We recommend you reduce the amount of food in your puppy's meals on days you are training so as not to over-feed them.
· Your dog’s vaccination certificate.
All training equipment required will be included in your welcome pack.
