From puppy love to true friendship

Words DR RENEE O’DUHRING

Well, I never expected to live through a global pandemic in my lifetime, but hey, life is full of surprises. This crisis has brought some surprising wins amid the chaos, and one of those has been spikes in pet adoption. With people spending more time at home and getting out under the guise of ‘exercising’, there has never been a better time to adopt a pet.

The shelters are now concerned that in a few months they will see a backlash of animal surrenders. After all, cute puppies may not stay cute forever. But they are certainly forever loveable if you raise them correctly. One of the best ways to ensure your new puppy is well socialised, well mannered and well adjusted to life in a human domain is to start out on the right foot (or paw). Enter puppy kindy!

We launched puppy kindy at The Natural Vets at the beginning of the year. It has been a gorgeous addition to our service because we get to cuddle all the cute puppies while they become more and more familiar with us, the vet clinic environment, and what is expected of them as a growing dog in a human world. We watch them mature from tiny, excitable (or sometimes timid) fur babies to confident, curious young adults keen to charge through our doors every time they visit. On the other side of those doors lies treats, toys and superhumans that get them – what’s not to love about the vets!

We also covertly train their humans to understand them better, discussing things like where puppies should sleep, how to gently and successfully toilet train, how to prevent separation anxiety, how to promote curiosity, confidence and appropriate social interactions, and how much exercise puppies really need. The puppies also get some rough and tumble time so they can fulfil their natural desire for fun and play.

The added bonus of putting their best paw forward in puppy kindy is that your pup is more likely to enjoy vet visits for the rest of their life. Hallelujah!

Some gems of wisdom from our puppy kindy curriculum:

• Pups may settle in better if you snuggle them in bed for the first few weeks.

• Pups explore the world with their mouths, so make sure you have lots of chew toys on hand.

• Pups are a PACK animal, which means they intuitively need company to feel safe and secure. We do not recommend leaving your pup home alone until they have the skills they need to cope with separations.

• Pups can be safely immunised with a minimal vaccination protocol.

• Pups do best on a raw, natural diet – the diet nature intended them to eat.

If you are one of the lucky ones that has invited a puppy into your family during this time, check out our puppy kindy here: www.thenaturalvets.com.au/vet-sunshinecoast-services/puppy-kindy/