✔ Evidence-based guidance covering all key stages of puppy ownership, from preparation through adolescence.
✔ Clear, practical instruction on health, training, socialisation, safety, and daily routines, supported by printable tools and planners.
✔ Humane, welfare-focused approach designed to prevent common problems and support confident, well-adjusted adult dogs.
£25.00
Owning a Puppy: The Complete Guide to Your Puppy’s First Year is a comprehensive, step-by-step course designed to support puppy owners through every stage of their puppy’s first year of life. From choosing the right puppy and preparing your home, to socialisation, training, health care, safety, and navigating adolescence, this course provides clear, practical guidance grounded in modern welfare standards and real-world experience.
Across thirteen detailed modules, the course covers every essential aspect of responsible puppy ownership – including ethical sourcing, owner responsibilities, health and preventative care, feeding and nutrition, toilet training, sleep routines, enrichment, safety, travel, and behaviour development. Each module is structured to help owners make informed decisions, avoid common mistakes, and raise a confident, well-adjusted adult dog.
The course combines welfare-focused education with highly practical tools such as checklists, planners, trackers, and templates that can be printed and used at home. Content is written in plain, supportive language, making it accessible to first-time owners while remaining detailed enough to support aspiring canine professionals.
Delivered through online distance learning, this course can be completed at your own pace. Learners may work through it before their puppy arrives, follow it alongside their puppy’s development, or return to individual modules whenever challenges arise during the first year.
Owning a Puppy: The Complete Guide to Your Puppy’s First Year is designed for anyone preparing for, or currently raising, a puppy.
It is ideal for:
First-time puppy owners seeking clear, reliable guidance
Families preparing to bring a puppy into their home
Owners who want a structured, up-to-date refresher
Foster carers or rescue volunteers working with young puppies
Aspiring dog walkers or pet professionals wanting a strong foundation
No prior experience is required. Everything is explained from the ground up, with a strong emphasis on welfare, safety, and responsible ownership.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Prepare their home, routine, and lifestyle before bringing a puppy home
Understand and fulfil their responsibilities as a dog owner
Source a puppy ethically and avoid irresponsible breeding practices
Create healthy routines for feeding, exercise, sleep, and enrichment
Toilet train, socialise, and train puppies using kind, evidence-based methods
Keep puppies safe at home, in vehicles, and in public environments
Recognise early signs of health and behaviour concerns
Navigate adolescence and continue developing a calm, confident adult dog
Learners finish the course with a clear roadmap for raising a healthy, well-adjusted dog through puppyhood and beyond.
Module One: Are You Ready for a Puppy? Lifestyle, Cost & Long-Term Commitment
Assessing readiness, realistic time and financial commitments, and choosing the right puppy for your lifestyle.
Module Two: Finding a Puppy Ethically & Responsibly
How to source a puppy safely, recognise red flags, and choose ethical breeders or rescue organisations.
Module Three: Owner Responsibilities & Welfare Foundations
Understanding core welfare needs, identification, public responsibility, and safe ownership practices.
Module Four: Preparing Your Home – Puppy-Proofing & First-Day Setup
Creating a safe, structured environment and planning the first days and nights.
Module Five: Puppy Health – Vets, Vaccinations & Preventative Care
Health planning, vaccinations, parasite control, illness recognition, and insurance considerations.
Module Six: Feeding Your Puppy – Diet, Growth & Gut Health
Choosing appropriate diets, feeding routines, safe transitions, and growth management.
Module Seven: Toilet Training & Sleep Routines
Clear strategies for toilet training, managing accidents, crate use, and healthy sleep patterns.
Module Eight: Socialisation – Raising a Confident, Stable Dog
Safe, structured exposure during key developmental periods.
Module Nine: Training Foundations – Life Skills, Not Tricks
Reward-based training for recall, lead skills, calm behaviour, and problem prevention.
Module Ten: Enrichment, Play & Mental Stimulation
Meeting mental and behavioural needs through appropriate play and enrichment.
Module Eleven: Safety – Home, Children & Public Spaces
Risk management, equipment use, and accident prevention.
Module Twelve: Travel, Vehicles & New Environments
Helping puppies become confident, safe travellers and explorers.
Module Thirteen: Adolescence, Behaviour Changes & Ongoing Training
Understanding teenage behaviour, adjusting routines, and planning for adulthood.
