Animal Behavioural Services

At Wingham and Valley Vets, we offer Puppy Preschool, Family Dog Classes, Individual Training & Behaviour Sessions and Veterinary Behavioural Consultations. Our classes are conducted by highly experienced trainers who have completed further study in animal behaviour and Fear Free handling techniques.

Our staff at Wingham & Valley Vets undergo fear-free accreditation to ensure our patients have the best possible experience at the hospital, to minimise their fear and anxiety. We utilise only positive reinforcement training techniques with proven efficacy, to help you develop a calmer, happier pet.

Our training courses have proven to be invaluable for our patients and their owners, resulting in calmer, happier family members and a stronger human-animal bond. Your relationship with your dog is something that can bring immense joy and strengthening that bond and giving your pup or adolescent dog the best foundation for success contributes to ongoing happiness for many years.

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Our Classes

Puppy Preschool

Age: 8-16 weeks

Duration: 4 x consecutive 1 hour lessons, once weekly

Time: Saturday mornings

If your puppy is aged between 8 and 16 weeks and you would like to learn how to have a happy and well-mannered family member, then Puppy Preschool is for you! It is vital that your puppy’s first experiences and interactions are happy and positive, to avoid negative associations developing that could lead to fearfulness or anxiety. A carefully managed Puppy Preschool that is conducted by experienced and trained staff is paramount. Classes take place during a critical socialisation period for puppies, and our puppy preschool experience is a wonderful way to positively influence your pup’s future. Our Puppy Preschool classes are run on-site in a fully-enclosed undercover area in our Equine Hospital complex, where there is plenty of space and no crowding, to ensure puppies feel safe and secure.

Family Dog Classes

Age: 6 months - Adult

Duration: 6 x consecutive 1.5 hour lessons, once weekly

Time: Wednesday Evenings

Our Family Dog Program is specially designed for adolescent and adult dogs aged from six months of age. Adolescence is a critical developmental period where difficult behaviours can emerge and without appropriate intervention, these behaviours become reinforced as the dogs enter adulthood. Our Family Dog Program aims to give owners the tools to prevent these behaviours developing in the first place and to help manage and reduce them when they do occur.

Our Family Dog Program is a fantastic training foundation if you and your dog missed Puppy Preschool, or for owners who have recently adopted an adolescent or adult dog. It can also be a great follow on for dogs that have attended Puppy Preschool and it is a fantastic opportunity for owners to continue training and socialising their dog in a calm, supportive and controlled environment. Our Family Dog Program teaches owners how dogs think and learn, and also provides education on the skills necessary to keep dogs calm, engaged and focused. In this class owners learn how to build a long lasting, trusting relationship with their canine friends.

Dog Sports

Once the Family dog course is completed, you then have the option to continue training and having fun with your dog at Dog sports held every second Sunday morning. This includes agility, games and learning new behaviours and practicing behaviours already learnt. Dog sports is not compulsory, you can join us whenever you are able.

Call 6557 0000

Personalised Training and Behaviour Solutions

Wingham and Valley Vets also offers individual training and behaviour sessions to help develop a deeper understanding between you and your dog. Our aim is to make living with your dog more enjoyable for all.

These sessions cater for owners who are struggling with general training issues or for more serious behavioural issues. They can help dogs learn new skills, overcome behavioural issues with modification and build confidence.

The sessions can be scheduled at a time that suits you, cover whatever is most important to you at the time, and generally last for an hour and a half. Follow up sessions can be provided as required and at your convenience.

Veterinary Behaviour Consultations

If you are experiencing more serious behaviour problems with your cat or dog, a Behavioural consultation can also be scheduled with our Behaviour Veterinarians.

These are generally longer consultations and may cover such topics as fearfulness, dog aggression, resource guarding, urine spraying in cats, storm phobias and separation anxiety. Behavioural modification and in some instances, medication, can make a significant difference to your pet’s comfort and quality of life.