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Those of you that have
owned your dog from a puppy will be aware of how important it is to
start educating your dog from a young age. Before your puppy
settles in to a new environment and starts setting the ground rules,
it is vital to provide him or her with an interesting and
educational learning programme. This can set the foundations for
the future and help you live a happy life with your new family
member. How
will the course be conducted? The Puppy Foundation Assessment
will be based on the puppy and its owner's attendance at the
training classes. It is not an award that is conducted on a
one-test basis. The thinking behind the Puppy Foundation Assessment
is that puppies learn on a gradual basis, over a period of time.
This way a puppy will have time to settle into a new class and
gradually build up solid foundations for the future. Upon enrolment
onto a course your puppy will receive an introduction pack including
the Puppy Foundation Syllabus, a Puppy Foundation diary and a Canine
Code.
How old does my
puppy have to be? The minimum puppy age limit is at the
discretion of the training course provider and will be based on the
premises and environment used for puppy training. Some clubs may
enrol puppies from as young as 10 weeks, others may ask that puppies
have completed their second vaccination whilst other training clubs
may like your puppy to be older still. The maximum age for a puppy
to enrol will again depend on the individual training club, but will
not exceed 12 months old.
How long does it
take to complete the course? Each dog training club or
organisation will set their own duration for the courses e.g. 6 - 8
weeks, but puppies must attend for a minimum of 4 weekly sessions.
What does my
puppy have to do? As part of any normal dog training
process, training the owner is as important as training the puppy,
therefore both owners and puppies are assessed. The course includes
12 different exercises and each exercise will be covered as part of
each training session. They are: -
Responsibility &
Care
Cleanliness &
Identification
Attentive Response
To Name
Puppy Play
Socialisation
Handling &
Inspection
Puppy Recall
Basic Puppy
Positions
Walking in a
Controlled Manner
Stay for
approximately 10 seconds
Take Article Away
from the Puppy
Food Manners (take
a treat without snatching)
Is there an
examination at the end of the course? NO - this programme
has been designed to lay the foundations in a puppy’s education and
therefore assessment will take place over the duration of the course
and not on one occasion.
What does my
puppy get when he or she passes assessment? In addition to
laying the foundations for a well-behaved dog, puppies who
successfully complete the Puppy Foundation Assessment course will be
awarded their very own rosette and KC Good Citizen puppy
certificate. |
