The Dogfather's do's and don'ts

WHO doesn’t love a puppy, eh?

- By MIKE WARD

Puppies are cool. The only snag, as new owners discover, is they don’t come with an instruction manual. Not even one in Chinese that you can run through Google Translate.But don’t panic. Legendary trainer Graeme “The Dogfather” Hall, host of Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly on 5, is here to help. Ahead of his new series, Graeme gives us his 10 essential puppy training do’s and don'ts.

DO:

1. Socialise them extensively.

You can’t do too much socialisation. It’s not just about meeting other dogs, it’s getting them used to everything they’ll encounter in life. The aim is to teach them that new things are normal, not to be afraid of. If you're nervous, the dog will pick up on it, so keep a “business as usual” demeanour.

2. Teach basic commands to build a bond.