It is very important that dogs fit into our society by being behaved, able to tolerate other dogs, animals and people.

The process of teaching dogs how to handle this is called socialisation.

This should start from a very young age and then continue throughout their life.

A well-socialised dog is happy and confident in all environments and can communicate well within its group.

A dogs ability to learn how to socialise starts from a young puppy.

This is when they are still with the breeder, interacting with littermates and their mother.

Once a dog has gone to its new owner, the socialisation must continue and a great way to start this is through puppy preschool.

This is held in a safe environment with puppies of all different breeds.

It allows these puppies to interact with each other but also to learn a few skills at the same time.

These classes are also good to let the owners of a new puppy know about all the ins and outs of owning a puppy.

Puppy preschool held at a veterinary hospital allows for a positive attitude for future veterinary visits and allows pup and owner to be able to develop a close relationship with their local health care provider.

Even though the puppy stage is very critical in teaching a dog to cope with different environments and changes that occur, socialisation needs to continue throughout the dogs life.

This is so that they can be taken out in public without fear.

Much of this is done naturally by taking your dog to the park and on a walk near home.