Puppy Development Programme
Here at The Dog Den we place HUGE emphasis on positive puppy development. Our Puppy Development Program gives local pups the opportunity to gain positive life experiences and interactions, and build confidence under the supervision of our trained staff. Puppies need lots of exposure to new environments & situations and we love to help with that.
Puppy Socials run once a week on Friday’s between 10am and 12pm
Puppy Groom Training is also available.
We encourage puppies to join as soon as they are fully vaccinated as the younger they are, the more open and accepting they are of new experiences
Puppies must be under 6 months old, fully vaccinated, de-flead, and de-wormed to be eligible for our Puppy Development Programme.
Puppy Socials
Puppy Socials are will run between 10am and 12pm on Fridays.
We will carefully match your puppy with appropriate partners, and during their time, we aim to build confidence, experience new things, and make furry friends - all in a positive and supportive environment. We also work on basic manners like not jumping up or mouthing and practice getting them to come to their name when called. It's a fun and educational experience all round.
Puppy Socials are a great way for pups to practice socialising appropriately with other pups their age as well as gentle adult dogs we find suitable. We endeavour to maintain a safe and fun environment for social exploration, and minimise opportunity for injury by tailoring our facility to avoid any big jumps off furniture or play equipment that may impact fragile puppy joints.
Our Puppy Social graduates develop into confident dogs with strong socialization skills.
We will provide you with a Report Card after each visit, to let you know how they got on.
* Puppy Socials are FREE and do not include any additional services, taxi, late pick up, grooming, feeding etc
* Puppies must be under 6 months old
* Drop off is strictly between 945am to 10am, and pick up is between 12pm and 1215pm. We cannot offer this service outside this day/time
* Early drop offs and late pick ups will incur a minimum charge of $10. If time exceeds 10 minutes, we will need to use our regular daycare, and a minimum fee of $42 will be charged.
* Your puppy must be enrolled as per our Daycare Enrolment Form https://www.thedogden.co.nz/new-customer-enrolments/
* Bookings are essential as numbers are limited.
* Please let us know if you’re running late or unable to attend.
* Puppies must be fully vaccinated, including booster shots as required by your vet (Bordetella, Leptospirosis and DHPPI/5 in 1), flea’d and wormed
* If your puppy is unwell please keep them at home
Puppy Groom Training
It is important to introduce grooming to our pups at a young age so that they may be comfortable and learn that being groomed is a part of everyday life.
This package is 4 weeks duration and includes one-on-one positive puppy learning with our Senior Groomers.
During their stay we will ease them through essential handling, bathing and grooming practices, to help puppies learn to feel calm and confident in a salon environment. We aim to develop a positive foundation for all types of handling which is important for raising well rounded doggy-citizens - whether they require ongoing grooming or not, it is essential for all puppies to learn to not be frightened of being handled by strangers like groomers and vets.
By signing up to our Puppy Grooming Training sessions your pup will gain confidence, by learning salon manners and vet handling, but also the handling of sensitive areas (paws, ears / tail etc.) by people other than Mum and Dad in a fun and supportive learning environment.
The Groom Training sessions take around 60 minutes and we practice the same things every week while also tailoring the program to each individual puppies needs - every puppy is different with what they need to work on most. Puppies are sent home smelling delicious after their bath and blow-dry with a report card detailing their progress with all aspects of the training.
Positive reinforcement is a big part of our puppy groom package and we achieve this by rewarding the good attributes we are seeing in your pup as they progress through the 4 weeks. Rewards include positive fuss and yummy treats. If your pup has a treat they particularly enjoy or are on a special diet we encourage you to bring along a goodie bag for their grooming sessions.
Your pup will receive a graduation certificate and photo on week 4 of their Puppy Grooming Package.
The cost of these training sessions is heavily discounted. It is important to us to make it affordable so that we can help as many puppies as possible to become confident in all these important life skills.
4 sessions cost:
* $160 for small and medium breeds
* $200 for large and giant breeds
Puppy Groom Training Conditions:
* Puppies must be under 6 months old
* Sessions are 1 - 1.5 hours long and must all be pre-booked in 4 consecutive weeks. 1 session per week.
* You will need to complete a Grooming Authorisation Form for your puppy Grooming Authorisation Form
* Puppies must be fully vaccinated (Bordetella, Leptospirosis and DHPPI/5 in 1), flea’d and wormed
* Most puppies need only one round of 4 sessions whereas some others may do 2 rounds - it really depends on how fast they build their confidence in the different aspects we work on. Puppies get a report card after each visit that outlines their progress.
What will they learn?
Bath & Blowdry
We bath and blow dry the puppies every week, getting them used to being bathed and learning that the dryers aren't scary. For the noisy high velocity dryer they wear earmuffs and in the cabinet dryer we let them have peanut butter and treats to bribe them into liking the experience.
Nail Trimming
We trim the nails every week and if there is nothing to trim off we practice the motion anyways and pretend like we are trimming the nails so that the puppies get completely used to it and aren't scared of having their nails trimmed. We heavily bribe them with cuddles and treats for this.
Clipper and Scissor Practice
Learning to tolerate clippers and scissors on their body is not only essential for future grooms but also handy for vet visits. We don't actually cut or clip the hair - we just pretend that we are doing it, for practicing purposes.
Brushing & Table Manners
We brush the puppies, helping them learn to accept being brushed all over their bodies while also getting them used to being on a grooming table. It's important for puppies to learn to behave on a table (not try to jump off) - not just for the groomers but also for future vet visits.
Handling Practice
We teach the puppies to accept being handled (touched) all over their bodies (ears, face/mouth, tail, feet, etc) This is very important as all dogs need to learn to be comfortable with being handled to make future vet visits less stressful as well as prevent them getting frights when children accidentally touch them in sensitive areas they are not used to.
Tooth Brushing
We brush their teeth every week with yummy dog toothpaste so that the puppies get used to it and aren't scared of having their teeth brushed and their mouths handled.
Puppy Social Enrolment Form
Please complete our Daycare Enrolment form to enrol for Puppy Socials https://www.thedogden.co.nz/enrol-now/
Grooming - Existing Customer - already enrolled for day care https://www.thedogden.co.nz/grooming-authorisation-form-existing-customer/
Grooming - New Customer - grooming customer only https://www.thedogden.co.nz/new-customer-grooming-authorisation-form/