The Life Span Cycle Of Vet Care For Dogs

Two Situations in Which Your Vet Might Encourage You to Attend a Puppy Training Class

28 January 2022 by Leonard Wallace

Here are two situations in which you might receive encouragement from your vet to go to a behaviour training class with your puppy.

Your Puppy Has Finished Teething but Is Still Biting

It is normal for puppies to nip and bite people and objects whilst they're teething. However, if your vet has confirmed that your puppy is no longer teething, but he or she is still nipping at the vet's arms during examinations and sinking their teeth into every household object they encounter at home, then your vet might encourage you to have your puppy undergo some training.

While this behaviour doesn't necessarily mean your puppy will bite people and be dangerous when they grow up, it could make your life with them very stressful. For example, even if their bites don't really hurt or do damage to your skin, they might end up ruining the sleeves of your tops each time they try to bite your arms and might damage your furniture's legs or feet when they sink their teeth into them. Furthermore, even if they mean no harm when they bite, other people who don't know your dog might get frightened if he or she jumps up and bites them.

This is why it's important to go to a puppy behaviour training class now, whilst your puppy is still young and easy to train. The teacher of this class will be able to retrain your puppy so that they no longer associate biting people or objects with having fun, and instead associate it with something mildly unpleasant (such as you using a stern tone of voice or ignoring them.)

Your Puppy Is Reacting Aggressively to Other Dogs in the Vet Clinic

If your vet has commented on the fact that your puppy appears to react aggressively to other dogs in the vet clinic during his or her visits, then they might encourage you to take them to a puppy training class. The reason for this is that if a puppy is not adequately socialized when they're young, and continues to view other dogs as a threat as they grow up, they may become dangerously aggressive towards them when they reach adulthood.

This could make your dog walks very difficult, as you may have to avoid routes and parks where there are other dogs, and you might be unable to allow your dog-owning visitors to bring their pets to your home, in case your dog attacks them.

It is vital to address this now. A puppy training class is the perfect place to resolve this issue, as not only will the teacher gently correct (and have you correct) your puppy each time he or she demonstrates any aggressive behaviour, but the teacher will also encourage you to walk your puppy around the classroom with other dogs and to play with them in this controlled setting, where there is very little chance of your puppy causing any harm to the other animals. This should gradually eliminate their aggression and ensure that they start to feel relaxed and safe around other dogs.

For more information, contact somewhere that offers a puppy behaviour training class near you.

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