Dr. Ian Dunbar wrote Before You Get Your Puppy in 2001 to help provide puppy owners with some basic tools to help prepare for the arrival of their puppy. Check out this free eBook before you get your puppy, to help start you both off on the right paw!

Dr. Ian Dunbar wrote After You Get Your Puppy as a continuation of his first eBook. This book focuses on your puppy’s first three months home with you. Check out the free eBook and reach out to your trainer if you have any questions!

“Stop fear before it starts.” - Dr. Sophia Yin

Dr. Sophia Yin created a Puppy Socialization Checklist for things we should expose our puppies to. We recommend that every puppy owner work through this checklist, to help set yourself up for a confident, well adjusted puppy. You can use the checklist as a base for training, but can add things to fit your individual needs.

As always, if you have any questions, check with your trainer!

Puppies love to interact and explore their environments with their mouths (and teeth). This is a completely normal activity and may seem cute when your puppy first comes home - but let us assure you, it absolutely won’t be cute when your puppy is growing (and certainly would be problematic in an adult dog)!

Clicker training is a science based method of communication. You can clicker train any type of animal at any age. You do not need to use one, but it is both an effective training method and also an easier method to learn than standard command-based training!

The key things you’ll need when house training your puppy are; consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement! While your puppy is learning, don’t panic if there is a setback. If you’re consistent and patient with your training, you will succeed!

Having a crate trained puppy (or adult dog) has so many practical uses, but remember to never use your crate as punishment and work towards an end goal of phasing out your crate when your pup is ready.

Crate training is a valuable skill just like many other behaviours that we teach our dogs!

Loose leash walking can be a very frustrating concept for both you and your dog! Try and remember these key points;

• reward, reward, reward

• as long as the leash is loose, we can be moving forward

• if there is tension on the leash, stop moving

Teaching your dog or puppy how to relax is one of the greatest things that you can teach them (for both of your sakes)!

Dr. Karen Overall developed the Protocol for Relaxation, a step by step training regimen to help teach your dog how to relax in a variety of scenarios.

The World Health Organization estimates that dogs bite tens of millions of people per year, mainly children. It’s important to learn what we can do to prevent dog bites, advocate for our dogs and not have a loved one become a dog bite statistic.

An age appropriate vaccination schedule is very important for a dog of any age!

Ask your veterinarian about titer testing as an option to make sure your pup is covered against certain diseases.

Part of being a responsible pet owner is to ensure our pets are vaccinated and spayed/neutered.

When is the right time? Does it depend on the breed that you have? What about a male vs a female?

Please talk to your veterinarian about what is best for your pup!

A balanced diet is critically important to your dog’s maintenance, growth and overall health (not to mention their behaviour too)!

A good diet will contribute in prolonging your dog’s life, while also improving their quality of life while keeping them healthy and strong.