You’ve brought your sweet new puppy home. And now you’ve got to socialise them to teach them the world isn’t scary. Socialising your puppy can feel like there’s a ticking clock. You’ve only got a few short weeks when they’re in their socialisation period and less likely to think new things aren’t scary. But for most of that time your puppy won’t be fully vaccinated and so they can’t walk on the ground in public. You want to do the best for your puppy, but it’s really stressful and confusing to know what’s best when you feel like you’ve got to choose between risking your puppy getting ill or developing serious behaviour problems.

Getting a dog is super exciting, but it’s also a big decision. There are over 200 breeds of dogs here in the UK, and once you add in the many common cross breeds that means there’s A LOT of choice. And this is a decision you should spend A LOT of time on. Getting the right dog for your home, family and lifestyle will make living with a dog as joyful and easy as possible. But choosing the wrong breed can cause unnecessary stress and heartache.

Puppies chew on everything. Their toys, your cushions, your shoes, your table and chair legs, your hands and feet… Living with a puppy often feels like living with a chaotic landshark intent on destroying everything for absolutely no reason at all. But there’s always a reason, there’s actually 5 different reasons puppies bite. And understanding why your puppy is biting is the key to reducing their biting and enjoying their puppyhood.

Getting to finally take your puppy out for walks is super exciting. It’s also super confusing. Your puppy needs walks to keep them fit, socialise them and stop them getting bored. But your puppy is also growing rapidly and it’s important not to over-exercise them. So how much exercise is too much?

Bringing your new puppy home is an exciting day. But it can also be a very stressful one. Suddenly everything is real - you’re now responsible for this tiny, furry baby and it’s very normal to start to worry whether you’ve made a big mistake. Being prepared before you pick up your puppy and having a plan for their first day in their new home allows you to relax and focus on building your relationship with your new best friend.

You’ve chosen your puppy and you’re fizzing with excitement for the day you get to bring your new best friend home. It feels like all you’ve got to do now is wait. But there’s so much you can do right now to make your first few weeks with your new puppy go as smoothly as possible.

After weeks preparing for your puppy, they’re finally home. You’ve bought all the cute toys, chosen their adorable first collar and EVENTUALLY everyone’s agreed on your puppy’s name. You had an amazing first day with your puppy. They’re sweet and cuddly and playful and perfect. You’re way more in love than you ever thought possible. But now it’s 2am. And your puppy’s been crying for hours. You’re feeling exhausted and you’re starting to wonder whether you’ve made the worst mistake ever…

One of the first questions many people ask when they start training their dog is ‘when can I stop using treats?’. And I completely understand why. A lot of people have concerns about the cost of constantly buying dog treats, whether their dog will become overweight and the impracticality of always carrying treats. We’re also all told by society that dogs should respond to trained cues ‘just because they’re told’ without expecting rewards.

You’re excited about bringing your new puppy home and you’re reading everything you can because you want to get your puppy’s training right from the start. But you’re so confused about how you’re supposed to toilet train your puppy because all the advice assumes you have access to a garden. But you live in a flat…

Don’t stress - you don’t have to choose between teaching your puppy to toilet inside and risking them getting ill by taking your puppy outside to toilet before they’re fully vaccinated. Toilet training a puppy in a flat isn’t massively different to toilet training in a house with a garden. You just need to make a few small changes to your toilet training plan.

No dog is perfect. We all have things we wish our dogs would stop doing. Your dog might be pulling on-lead, not coming back when you call or jumping up at visitors. Or maybe they’re stealing and destroying your stuff, digging at your carpet or eating things they shouldn’t. You could just punish your dog to try and stop the problem behaviour. But that’s going to affect your dog’s welfare and damage your relationship with them. And it’s not going to deal with the root cause of the behaviour so it’s unlikely to work long term.