Puppy buyers course revised edition 2015

Offering quality courses since 1980

Buying and Raising a Puppy a course to help new owners

Animal Care College Index House, Ascot. SL5 7ET 01344 636436 www.animalcarecollege.co.uk info@animalcarecollege.co.uk 1

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Welcome to this course provided by the Animal Care College.

We hope that completing it will provide you with an interesting family project and that your ownership of your dog is enhanced because you will know how to choose it and how to care for it.

If you are looking to buy a puppy then you should begin and complete Unit One, going on to Unit Two when you become a proud owner.

If you have already bought a puppy you might find a great deal of interest in Unit One but you would find Unit Two the most useful.

Good luck and enjoy learning more about your ‘best friend’

If you would like to have your work marked and assessed by one of the Animal Care College’s experienced tutors then please just follow the instructions on page 19 at the end of the course.

There is no obligation, but you may like to demonstrate to your friends and family that you have thought carefully about your responsibilities as a dog owner.

The work!

Welcome and we hope that this short course will enable you to fulfil your family’s ambition to buy a puppy and care for it properly throughout its life.

The Animal Care College has been providing courses for enthusiasts and professionals for over thirty years so this is a ‘proper’ course and not just a series of tick boxes in answer to some multiple-choice questions. ‘Proper’ education requires you to think and come to conclusions based on your circumstances and experience.

When it comes to getting a dog there is no ‘one size fits all’. That is why you need to read this text very carefully and do some research using books, the Internet and DVDs. Most important of all is to discuss everything with your family and friends before you begin to answer the questions.

The questions are not easy to answer - if they were, buying and looking after a dog would be easy and we would not have thousands of dogs in rescue kennels. But you should not be put off. A dog makes a huge contribution to all members of the family and it is only difficult if you have not thought through the implications of ownership and spent a little time in ensuring that your dog is trained properly. Of course, owning a dog is a huge responsibility too but it does not have to be difficult and it has been shown that owning a dog has many advantages - one of which is relieving stress!

These notes will not give you all the answers but they will provide you with a series of mental signposts which will ensure you do not waste time.

As far as possible we have directed you to Internet sites which will provide you with a great deal of valuable and useful information but there are some DVDs and books which you might also find useful. These are available on the Animal Care College website and clicking on to the link at the bottom left of the Home page.

You should also read the Student Study Guide on the Student Support page of the College website. Much of the material is not relevant to this course but there is some useful information which will enable you to submit studies which will gain respect (and good grades) from your Tutor should you later 3

decide that you would like your work marked and graded so that you can receive your Certificate of Pet Dog Ownership.

Whether or not you are going to submit your work you should organise it carefully - it will be much more useful to you if you do. Use a word processing programme such as Libre - you can get a free copy by by downloading it from here - although you could use Word or Wordpad. Pages should be numbered, and you should put your name and the course title (Certificate of Pet Dog Ownership) on each page by using the ‘header and footer’ view.

However, we would emphasise that there is no charge for taking the course and answering the questions. We hope that you and your family will enjoy it, learn from it and get more from owning a dog than you would have done otherwise.

However, if you would like to have an Animal Care College Certificate - The Certificate of Puppy Ownership - you (or your family as a group - it makes a great family project) will need to register as a student of the College before we can submit your work to one of our Tutors for marking.

If you do take up this offer: q Your work will be marked by one of our experienced College tutors who will comment on your work, offer advice if needed and grade your submission q you will receive a Distinction, Credit or Pass Certificate depending on the quality of your work q you will be given access to our unique Student discussion group q you will be entitled to a discount on future courses q you will be listed in our regular Newsletter and on the College web site as having completed the course We will contact you by email about five weeks after you have downloaded the course to see if you would be interested in having you work assessed (you will not be telephoned or put under any pressure) but if you are ready sooner just click the link on page 19

Here we go ….

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Resources Throughout this course you will be referred to the following books, DVD and to various web sites. These are the ones we have carefully researched and we can recommend. There are many hundreds of books and DVDs available but many provide a great deal of conflicting information so we really do ask you to stick to these for we know the authors and that they are knowledgeable, sensible and experience.

The books can be obtained through the Animal Care College web site, click here to go straight to the Animal Care College bookshop. You might also find them in your local library, bookshop or pet store.

The recommended books are: Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Before and After Getting your Puppy by Ian Dunbar 21 Days to Train Your Dog by Colin Tennant Complete Puppy and Dog Care by Bruce Fogle The Dogs Mind by Bruce Fogle (quite advanced but an excellent read)

None are essential but anyone with an interest in dogs should have them on their bookshelves. Ÿ Complete Puppy Care (This DVD is only available direct from the Animal Care College. Please send a cheque for £13.99 (including postage and packing) to Animal Care College, Index House, Ascot SL5 7ET or telephone 01344 636436 to order using your credit card) There are also useful publications available at your local newsagents. Click on the links for details: Dogs Monthly, Your Dog, and (more specialised) Our Dogs , Dog World Throughout the course we will be recommending suitable web sites where you will find a great deal of useful information. We have researched all of them carefully and you can be assured that they are safe, reliable and the information they provide is accurate and sensible.

The Internet is an amazing resource but be aware that to get the best from it you have to be very discriminating - there is a great deal of rubbish out there so for reliable information we suggest you stick with our recommendations.

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Unit 1 Your best friend Dogs are wonderful companions for everyone from tiny children to the old but getting the right one is not a matter of luck it is a matter of research. It is all too easy to be tempted by a puppy from a mongrel litter bred by accident from a family round the corner (there is nothing wrong with a litter bred round the corner or the puppies, necessarily, but you should be should still be sure that this is precisely what you want before you make any decision).

A good place to start is to understand a little about dogs and their place in society. There is an excellent booklet published by the Pet Care Trust which you can see here. Dogs are good for us in all sorts of ways and have been close to mankind or many hundreds of thousands of years. They are part of the cultural fabric of our society and over the last 200 years amazing changes have taken place so that there is now a dog to suit every lifestyle and every pocket.

In Bruce Fogle’s book, The Dog’s Mind, he divides dogs into an unusual but very useful classification - not by what they look like but by their temperament. If you want your dog to herd sheep or cattle on your country estate you would not be sensible to buy a Pekingese, neither would it be sensible to buy a guard dogs such as a Doberman or a Rottweiler. It is perfectly possible to have these and other large breeds in a flat but it requires a huge logistics operation both in terms of their size in a small place and the amount of exercise that they require. Choosing the breed that will suit you is a key decision you and your family should make together and it requires considerable discussion within your family.

If you live on your own, you should still think about your choice carefully. You may love at the idea of a Dalmatian or a Boxer and they are very beautiful in their own unique ways but if you do not enjoy or are not capable of long walks, it is not fair on either you or the dog. You will need a dog such as a Tibetan Spaniel or a Japanese Spitz which enjoys exercise but does not need it and is happy to sit beside you all day with the occasional walk down to the shops. If you have a young family who are full of energy and love to run in the park (but not so small that they are going to get knocked over by a boisterous dog), a Dalmatian or Boxer would be fine. There is an excellent article by Frank Jackson here which you might find interesting and useful.

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We have used pedigree dogs in these simple examples not because we are prejudiced against crossbred dogs or mongrels but because pedigree dogs have characteristics which many people know and can easily understand.

There is a fashion for specially bred (and very expensive) crossbreeds such as Labradoodles and the Tramp in ‘Lady and the Tramp’ is the epitome of a joyful, lively mongrel. All of them are dogs and will provide pleasure and companionship but all of them, like people, will have different temperaments, and make different demands: these need to be carefully assessed by you as the potential owner.

There is an increasing and erroneous assumption that pedigree dogs are in some way less healthy than mongrels and it is important to realise that although there are some specific problems in some pedigree breeds this has been greatly exaggerated and the vast majority have the advantage that they have been carefully bred and reared and that when you buy them as a puppy you have a good idea of their size, shape, colour and temperament. Mongrels and crossbreeds are subject to genetic deficiencies too - as are humans of course.

There is a good discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of pedigree and mongrel dogs here. This site has other interesting links but please be aware that they have not been assessed by the Animal Care College.

To begin at the beginning: the cost of owning a dog is considerable over its lifetime and it is important that you take this into account because for most dogs the initial purchase price is only a small proportion of the total. Feeding, maintenance (grooming, vaccination, feeding and kennel fees when you are on holiday for instance) and veterinary fees will be considerable. Small dogs are less expensive to run than large ones it is true that there is still a cost involved and whether you choose a pedigree dog, a ‘designer’ crossbred dog or a mongrel there are costs involved.

You may also consider buying a dog from a rescue organisation. There are many throughout the country and almost all pedigree breeds have their own rescue organisations. For this reason, you will find few pedigree dogs in rescue kennels other than the really difficult wants to rehome such as Staffordshire Bull Terriers and various types of what had become known as ‘status’ dogs which are variations of American and Pit Bull Terriers. Rescue organisations provide an excellent service but it is important to understand

that a dog that is already mature and has had to be rescued is unlikely to have had a stable background. For those people and families buying a dog for the first-time it is much better for them to buy a puppy, of whatever breed, cross breed or mongrel, because they will be able more easily integrated within their family and to train it in a way that will ensure that he does not cause problems as it matures.

A good source of information is the Kennel Club web site which gives details of every breed. You can access their general advice not just about pedigree dogs at about rescue and mongrel dogs by clicking here and find the details of individual breeds by clicking here. Again there is a lot of general advice but you will see that the dog breeds are divided into seven different groups which are based primarily on the work that they did originally. Once you have surveyed what is available we can then set about deciding where best to find one or a cross breed or mongrel very like it.

When you access the site of any breed through this page there is a link on the left hand side of the page giving more information about the breed. They are worth checking out - especially the link that that says ‘Breedwatch’. Clicking on this link will take you to a page which explains whether there are any health and welfare issues about the breed you should be aware of.

You also need to decide whether you would like a dog or a bitch. There is no ‘right’ answer - both are marvellous companions but, like people, they have different temperaments. Some people say bitches are easier to manage and dogs are more affectionate - but others say that a dog is more biddable while a bitch can be more trouble. There is a good discussion here which could help you make up your mind but it probably won’t - you will have to decide for yourself.

Question time We have now reached the point at which you need to begin to answer the questions at the end of this Workbook Completing them should help you choose what sort of dog you want - large, medium or small, terrier type, hound type, fluffy, wire haired or smooth coated, dog or bitch - the list is endless. Start with Questions 1 to 4 on page 16.

Finding a Puppy The best place to look when choosing a pedigree dog is the Kennel Club web site and we will look at it again and n more detail later. But first let us look at your local area because for many people this is the obvious place to go.

There will be advertisements in your local newsagent’s window’s and local newspapers for dogs of all breeds, crossbred and mongrels too. Now that you have a clear idea of the sort of dog you want it will be much easier to assess whether those puppies are going to suit you. Of course, you will need to see the litter and the mother and you are perfectly entitled to do this. You should insist upon it. If it is not possible do not be tempted - go somewhere else. There are always plenty of puppies available.

There is nothing wrong with using the Internet for your initial research. The key element is that you should be cautious and use your common sense. The same applies to the major classified advertising papers such as an Ad Trader and Exchange and Mart. But when it comes to choosing your puppy it is absolutely essential that you should visit personally and not rely on somebody being prepared to meet you at a motorway service station - or a dog show for that matter. Many puppies are sold through what are called ‘Trading Kennels’.

They have to have a Pet Shop License so they are often lumped in with pet shops but they are usually rather different. Few high street pet stores sell puppies and kittens (about 2%) but the ‘Trading Kennels’ usually concentrate on selling puppies - and some sell dozens every week. Few breed any puppies themselves and they buy them in from puppy farms so there is no opportunity for you to see the mother or the other puppies in the litter. There is often a shortage of paperwork (we will get onto ‘paperwork’ later) and although some of the Trading Kennels work very hard to ensure that the quality of their stock is good, it is clearly much more difficult for them to look after several hundred puppies properly than the breeder of the litter who is not into mass-market production and generally will provide an excellent after sales service. This is not to say that all breeders are good: once again we must emphasise that you should use your common sense and let your head rule your heart and not the other way round!

One useful service is called Puppy Index. This is an accessible database run by the Pet Care Trust in association with the Kennel Club’s Accredited Breeder scheme (of which more later). Many pet stores will have the Puppy Index File where you can look at photographs and summaries of the breed and most pet 9

store owners are very knowledgeable . In fact, Pets at Home have specially trained Puppy Advisers who can help you in your search. Puppy Index has over 5,000 breeders on its books and the pet store can give you the names and contact details of those nearest you who have puppies that might be suitable.

You can get the name of stores which use Puppy Index by clicking here. Just put in your nearest town and access the ‘retailer’ list before clicking ‘search’.

Probably the largest group breeders in any one place is to be found on the Kennel Club site. The Kennel Club launched an Assured Breeders Scheme several years ago and many breeders have signed up to it. You can find a list of breeders in your area by clicking here. Just click on the breed and that the list of breeders who have puppies will be shown for you.

Finally in this section we should talk about paperwork. If you approach a rescue centre you will be asked many questions, many of which you will be able to answer easily if you have completed this course, and you will be asked to sign much documentation promising to look after the dog properly. Some rescue centres will require a donation (it is supposed to be voluntary but don’t you believe it!). They do not sell you the puppy: you adopt it. Some organisations have re-homing advisers who can give you much excellent advice and can visit you either because you ask for them to call or because they wish to check to make sure that your premises are suitable. Either way there are lots of boxes to check and details to give.

Trading kennels and the lady round the corner whose Border Collie bitch has just had a litter require little in the way of personal details but if you buy a pedigree dog you should expect the breeder to ask you plenty of questions too.

And you should have questions of your own. A good breeder will have the full pedigree form and other paperwork for the puppy available for you and you should make it clear that you will not take or pay for the puppy unless you have it in your hand. Do not be put off by excuses that it has ‘not come through’ - a good breeder will be well organised and you are entitled to have the registration and transferred documentation. It is part of the premium you pay for having a pedigree dog.

Question time Time for some more questions. Go to Page 17, open your own word processing file and see how you get on with Question 5 to 7. Just a tip: if you can write down the answers in a few minutes you are unlikely to have done enough work!

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Unit 2 Care and Training Whether you buy crossbred puppy or a pedigree puppy makes no difference to its need for care and for training You also need to ensure that everything is prepared before you bring your puppy home and you will find that the breeder of your puppy or your local pet store will be very helpful with advice on care, feeding and exercise. You should also play the DVD, ‘Puppy Care’ with your family.

For the first day or two a new puppy should be allowed to find out about its surroundings at its own pace so it is best not to spend a lot of time picking him up, carrying him around and encouraging him to play (we use ‘he’ and him’ for convenience: we are not prejudiced against girls!). He will be energetic enough within a day or two so there is no need to rush.

Your puppy’s ‘home’ We recommend that you keep your puppy in the kitchen or an easily cleaned area of the house and that you buy a crate which can be its home. It is best to have one of the opaque soft crates so that your puppy has a safe and comfortable ‘home’. You can also use a collapsible metal, mesh cage (less likely to be chewed!) but cover the top and sides, other than the front, with a blanket. Some people think that this is in some way cruel but we can absolutely assure you that puppies are happiest when they have their own space to which they can go to rest and sleep. Most of the time the door to the crate will be left open but once the puppy is used to it you will have no problem in closing it overnight or temporarily for it is useful when you want to keep him out from under your feet. Getting him used to being ‘crated’ will make future training much easier and travelling in a car simpler too.

A crate also enables the puppy to feel safe overnight and you can put him in it (after taking him out for a late comfort break) knowing that he will be clean (because even baby puppies do not like to soil their own bedding area) and quiet. If he whimpers or howls for the first night or two, do not be tempted to go down and try and comfort him. This will only teach him that whimpering and howling gets attention and he will simply do it all the more. Puppies do like company and very often leaving the radio switched on at a low level preferably with speech rather than music, will help him feel safe.

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Toilet training For the first few days especially, make sure somebody gets up very early and picks up the pup and takes him outside to urinate and defecate, not allowing him back until he has done his business. In the same way he should be taken outside immediately after any rest period or after eating. In this way he will very quickly learn that the whole of the house is his ‘sleeping area’ so he will not soil it. If your puppy does have an accident in the house scoop him up and take him outside immediately. You have to do it quickly and there is no point in shouting, taking him back to the accident and pointing it out because he simply will not understand what you are talking about. Keep a close eye and immediately he starts to squat take him quickly outside.

Incidentally, there is no point in getting angry with your puppy. Dogs do not understand human anger and it will only encourage him to be frightened of you and avoid coming to you. Coming to you or other members of the family must always be a pleasurable experience.

Don’t forget ‘poo’ bags when you take your dog out - it has to be done!

Feeding The subject of canine nutrition is huge. The Animal Care College has a whole course devoted to it but this is for specialists. All you need to know is that your dog must constantly have fresh water available and be fed a good quality dog food. Dog food comes in all sorts of forms - canned, moist, frozen and ‘dry’. The range is amazing but find something that your puppy enjoys and stick to it. The ‘dry’ foods are complete (nothing needs to be added) and some dogs take to one rather than another so you might need to experiment.

It will do no harm and make dry food more palatable if you just mix it with some gravy. The dry foods are what are termed ‘complete’ but adding a little will certainly do no harm.

It is important that your puppy gets enough to eat and just as important that it does not get too much. The breeder should give you advice here and a great deal depends on the eventual size that your puppy will grow to. You should remember that the amounts recommended by the pet food manufacturers tend to be on the high side.

Puppies should be fed three times a day and you should put food down for ten minutes and then pick it up again. If any is left you are feeding a little too much: if the bowl is clean you should give a little more next time. Do not

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leave the dog bowl down with food in it between feeds: this is the fastest way to ensure that you have a fat dog.

At about fourteen weeks you can reduce feeding to twice a day. Again, use the same system. If the bowl is empty after ten minutes feed a little more next time. It does not really matter if any is left (except that you are wasting food) so long as the bowl is picked up and not left on the floor.

You can continue to feed twice a day if you wish using the same principle but the metabolism of most dogs is geared to one meal a day and so an evening meal is usually more than adequate although many breeders recommend that very large dogs are better off with two.

There are a wide variety of treats and dental sticks on the market and there is no reason at all why your dog should not have these or a good marrow bone occasionally. The important thing is, like children, they should not be overindulged!

Vaccination and health check Your breeder will advise you as to whether the puppy has been partly or fully inoculated but in any case it is a good idea to take him to your local veterinary surgeon for a check-up and to begin any vaccination programme that is recommended.

Neutering Some veterinary surgeons will immediately suggest that your puppy is neutered. Take no notice. There is no reason why your dog should not be neutered if this is more convenient for you and your family but it should not be until either a bitch has had her first season and the dog is sexually mature - usually at around seven months. You should also consider that in the long-term, if you become involved in the world of dogs through training, agility, heelwork to music or even showing, you may regret having your puppy neutered for you might eventually want to have a puppy from her or be asked if your dog can be used at stud. There is some useful discussion about the issue here and here.

Training You can start to train your puppy within a day or two of it arriving at its new home. Many people might tell you that you have to wait until it is older but we can assure you that the this is not the case. You can teach your puppy to ‘come’, ‘sit’, and lie ‘down’ through play and by using a treat (treats can be a toy or simply a stroke from you - it does not have to be edible) when it behaves as you want it to. Use these commands carefully and say them 13

distinctly and clearly. There is no point in saying ‘come along, there's a good boy, good boy (or girl of course), well done’ because your puppy simply will not understand it - to him it is just a noise. But when you are holding a treat and he starts to move towards you, saying ‘come’ each time, he will quickly learn to come towards you whenever you give the command.

A well behaved and well socialised puppy which grows into an adult dog you can be proud of, is a delight to almost everyone so making sure that from an early age your puppy gets used to many different sounds and sights and is stroked and petted by as many different people as possible, will greatly help him to cope with the wider world when he grows up.

We recommend that you take your puppy to a training class once he is about twelve weeks. You can find contact details at your veterinary surgery or local pet store or here). However under no circumstances should you join any class unless you have personally attended and observed the class in action first.

Not to put too fine a point on it, some are little short of chaotic! Some organisations, veterinary surgeries and charities hold what they call Puppy Socialisation Classes, but we would recommend that you find a formal Puppy Training class. You should find a class where there are not too many puppies (six to eight is a reasonable number), where the trainer and the owners remain calm, where puppies (and children) are removed from the group if they are too lively and boisterous and where you can see that real training is going on.

Certificates, diplomas and memberships of training organisations held by the trainer can only indicate that the trainer has effectively studied. This is is all to the good and the Animal Care College is one of the organisations that helps trainers understand the way in which the dogs mind works. But the proof of this particular pudding is absolutely in the ‘teaching’ and the expertise of the trainer can only be demonstrated in the class. You have to be comfortable with your puppy will be cared for, respected and trained using methods based on encouragement rather than punishment. This is not to say that you cannot give a sharp ‘No!’ to a dog or a low growl when you want to stop him behaving in a way that is damaging to him, you, your family or your furniture! He must understand ‘No!’ Just as he understands ‘Come!’

Within your household, you and your family must be the ones in charge of the dog. If you do not want your dog to go onto the furniture you must never let him onto the furniture. He must learn that it is not allowed. If you do this from the time he is a puppy he will have no problems - but you must be consistent. Set the boundaries of behaviour - and stick to them!

Dogs love to learn for they have pleasure in responding to humans and being directed by them buried deep within their DNA. When you are training your 14

puppy you are using those evolutionary traits to ensure that he does what you want him to do rather than what he wants to do.

There are hundreds of sites which will provide very good advice about training your puppy. The Animal Care College recommends the Guild of Dog Trainers and you can find a number of very useful articles here

What next Most people want a family dog as a pet and most dogs live long and healthy companionable lives, enhancing and contributing to the lives of their families.

However, if you have had the enthusiasm and dedication in completing this short course it may be that you would like to do more with your dog. Dogs love to be involved in activities: they will be happy with regular walks and being played with by the family but they can do more - much more.

There are innumerable pleasures in dog ownership outside having a dog as a pet. You might consider Obedience, Agility (which is becoming increasingly popular) Flyball, Showing,, Handling and Heelwork to Music. If you click here there are some ideas which you might find interesting.

Some people turn their pleasure into dog ownership into their profession and there are numerous opportunities within the charitable organisations, the forces (including the police) and in dog training, home boarding, veterinary work and even pet bereavement services. Some idea of the range which is available is in the Animal Care Colleges booklet Careers in Animal Care which you can access from here.

Help and advice We are always pleased to help at the Animal Care College but most people automatically assume that their local Veterinary Surgeon is the best place to go. This is not always the case: if you join a good Training Club there will be many people who will be willing to offer good advice and your local pet store will certainly have colleagues and contacts which you will find useful and helpful.

Final question time Time for the final questions. Go to page 17, open a new word processing file and see how you get on. Just a tip: as before, if you can write down the answers in a few minutes you are unlikely to have done enough work!

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The Questions The work to be completed for this course can be that of one person or a whole family working together and making suggestions. If you decide that you would like the Animal Care College to mark and assess the work and provide you with a certificate this can be in the name of who ever completed it or the family as a whole.

Open a new document. Go to ‘View Header’ and put your name (or all the members of your family) at the top and then your e-mail address and telephone number. Go back to ‘Normal View ‘and then and copy and paste the question from the workbook.

If you click here this will take you to the Student Study Guide of the Animal Care College which will give you some ideas on the way in which we like questions to be answered. The questions are what educationists call ‘open ended’ which means there is a wide variation both of the answer itself and the way in which you address it. Some people like to write an essay (concise and succinct is always good!) while others prefer to set out their answer in a series of bullet points. The Tutors at the College are used to all manner of approaches so you should choose the method which suits you and your family best

Unit 1 Question One Set out in a few words why you and/or your family want a dog?

Question Two Assess the environment in which your dog will live. This will include your home your garden, local amenities for exercise - and your family life and the way it is likely to affect your dog. For instance, if the whole family is out from eight o'clock in the morning until six o'clock at night then you should perhaps ask whether you should have a dog at all although some families are able to make suitable arrangements with friends, their extended family or even professional dog walkers.

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Question Three What are the characteristics that you believe a dog should have to fit in with you and your family's lifestyle? This is the point at which you assess the temperament size and type you feel your dog should have. For instance some people like Bull Terriers, others like the look of breeds such as Siberian Huskies while others will like Lhasa Apsos, Whippets, Irish Wolfhounds, Lurchers, Jack Russells (you see it does not have to be a pedigree dog) or Cocker Spaniels. Try to narrow the field down to the sort of dog that you would like. Once you have chosen you do not have to have that particular breed but whether you go to a rescue centre, a breeder of pedigree dogs or a litter of mongrel puppies, you will know whether or not it will suit you and your family.

Question Four Weigh up the pros and cons of buying a mongrel, crossbred or pedigree puppy

Question Five If a friend came to you and ask you for your advice about where best to buy a puppy what would be your reply?

Question Six Write out a list of the questions that you think you would need to ask the person who had a puppy for sale.

Question Seven What paperwork would you expect to be given by a breeder selling you a Kennel Club Registered puppy

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Unit 2 Please open a separate word processing file for the Unit 2 answers. If you submit your answers for assessment each Unit is marked separately and perhaps by a different Tutor.

Question One Explain how you would make sure that you puppy was collected, brought home and acclimatised to his new surroundings

Question Two Explain how you can encourage a puppy to behave as you want him to and in what ways can you stop him doing what you do not want him to.

Question Three There are many television programmes on training. They include work by Caesar Milan, Victoria Stilwell and Mic Martin (once a student with the Animal Care College, incidentally) of Dogs Borstal. Watch several programs. What did you learn from them?

Question Four Explain what food you have chosen for your puppy. Why have you made that choice?

Question Five Set out the pros and cons of neutering

Question Six Research local puppy training classes (you can find contact details at your veterinary surgery or local pet store or here) and compare and contrast them.

Which do you think is most effective and why?

Question Seven What other canine activities do you think you and your family might enjoy and why?

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Is there anything more we can do to help you?

We hope you have enjoyed this course and if you have followed through on all the questions then you should have a very sound foundation on which to build a wonderful relationship with your dog.

If we have been able between us to ensure that your dog leads a long, healthy and happy life without you being run ragged because it misbehaves or having to let it go to a rescue organisation then certainly we at the Animal Care College have achieved our objective.

However you may like to demonstrate to your friends and family what you have achieved and to tell your friends on Facebook (or any other social networking site) and share your success.

The Animal Care College runs lots of courses which, if you want to do more with your dog, you might find browsing the courses on our website useful but in the meantime we would be happy to submit your work to one of our experienced tutorial staff for them to assess and grade it. We will then be able to issue you with an Animal Care College ‘Distinction’, ‘Credit’ or ‘Pass’ certificate, add your name to our database of successful students on our web site and send you our regular Newsletter. You will also have access to our private web site where, if you have any problems you would like to discuss, they can be brought to the attention of our current and previous students.

If you would be interested in taking this route please click here for Unit 1 and here for Unit 2. These links will take you to our secure web site where you can sign up and copy and paste your final answers from your completed word processing file. This will start the process immediately and we usually expect to get back to our students within ten working days.

There is absolutely no obligation. We hope you, your family and your puppy have benefited from course but please let us know if we can be of any further help.

Very best wishes and good luck.

David Cavill (Principal, Animal Care College) 19

Animal Care College Index House, Ascot. SL5 7ET 01344 636436 www.animalcarecollege.co.uk info@animalcarecollege.co.uk

© This ‘Buying and Raising a Puppy’ course is the copyright of the Animal Care College.

The course may not be distributed and if short quotes are used from the text for educational reasons their source must be quoted