Signing up for puppy class is one of the most useful things a new owner can do. A good class teaches the basics, from sit and stay to walking nicely on lead, and it gives your puppy a supervised chance to meet other young dogs. It also brings up a surprising number of questions about gear. Here are the ones new owners ask most.
When should my puppy start classes?
Many trainers in Singapore take puppies once their first vaccinations are under way, but every school sets its own rules. Ask the trainer before you sign up, and bring your vaccination records to the first session.
What should I bring on day one?
- Small, soft treats your puppy loves, cut into tiny pieces.
- A treat pouch, so both hands stay available.
- Water and a travel bowl.
- A collar and lead your puppy is already used to at home.
Why does the collar matter so much in class?
In a room of eight wriggling puppies, trainers and classmates need to learn names quickly. Your puppy will hear its own name again and again as it learns to respond to it. Here the Little Red Cute personalised dog collar earns its keep: your puppy’s face and name sit inside the printed artwork that runs round the strap. Classmates and trainers can read the name in a glance, and nothing metal, plate or tag, clinks during exercises.
Will it fit a growing puppy?
The collar is cut from PU leather at 47 cm by 1.9 cm, in one size with a multi-hole buckle. Puppies grow fast, and small breeds stay small. If you have doubts, run a tape round your puppy’s neck and pass the figure on to the shop before you order. That way you know where the buckle will sit now.
How do I keep it clean after a muddy session?
Training fields can be grassy and wet. Wipe the collar with a damp cloth after class. It is not for the washing machine. Its artwork goes in by sublimation, pressed into the material with heat rather than stuck on.
How does ordering work?
Upload one picture of your puppy and pick a style; the shop then illustrates your puppy from it. When the finished collar design shows up on screen, you can approve it and then pay, and the workshop waits for that approval before making anything. Each collar is produced to order in Singapore, so order before the course begins if you want it ready for the first lesson.
Any tips for the photo of a wriggly puppy?
Patience and a treat. Sit low, near a window in daylight, and hold a treat beside your phone so your puppy looks roughly towards the camera. You need the face clear and visible. A phone photo is fine. Take twenty shots and keep the sharpest one.
Then head off to class. By the end of the course, your puppy will know its name perfectly, and so will everyone else in the room.
