Why is puppy socialisation important?
Puppies have a critically sensitive period at the start of their lives. We call this the period of socialisation and habituation. During this time they learn to mix with other animals and normalise things around them so they are not afraid of them in later life. This window of opportunity is from weaning to around 16 weeks of age. Anything that is encountered during this time will be accepted as normal and even enjoyed. It is important that you offer your puppy a wide range of experiences. After the window closes; unfamiliar people, other animals, objects and experiences are approached with caution and dogs may become unsociable, defensive and ultimately display fear aggression .
What is a puppy party?
St. Martins Veterinary Clinic's puppy parties are rightly famous as we have many years of experience in running them. We aim to always have a different mix of puppies and people, although numbers attending will inevitably vary. At the parties we will help you to begin the socialisation process and allow your puppy to meet others in a safe environment while it is still too young to go out-of-doors. Puppy parties are always very successful for both puppies and owners.
Puppy parties are run on a 4 week course basis and cost £20 for the course. They are presently held at the clinic on Saturday mornings. Puppies can attend as soon as they have had their first vaccination. For your money you will receive advice on basic care while your puppies benefit from inter-reaction with each other. Subjects covered typically include: vaccination, worming, flea treatment, diets, neutering and many other topics. You will also receive goody bags each week containing some of the necessities for basic puppy care. As well as learning to socialise with other puppies, your puppy will learn that coming to the vets can be an enjoyable experience. This experience will last for life. Our puppy graduates typically drag their owners to the vets - not past it!
Puppy parties are not training classes, indeed the process is deliberately loosely structured to allow puppies to play and socialise together in a similar way to children in play school. However, many puppies graduate from puppy parties so well balanced that they need very little further formal training.
Children are welcome to come to puppy parties with their parents as this helps the habituation process but we ask that a maximum of two people per puppy is respected to avoid overcrowding.
Puppy parties are primarily designed for our own clients but we can generally accept a small number of puppies that are registered elsewhere.
Puppy parties are subject to availability and a number of puppies of the correct age being able to attend at the same time.
