DEAR Jasminda,

I have a new puppy and I recently took him to Puppy School.

I feel as though the woman running it took an instant dislike to my dog.

She said the breed was known to misbehave.

When we were told to let the dogs play together, my boy got a bit boisterous and had to be removed from the floor.

I don’t know if I want to go back, but I want my dog to be socialised.

Alana P.

Dear Alana,

Puppy school is a bit like preschool.

There’s the kid who hides behind his parents then sobs when they leave, there’s the child with advanced socialisation skills who forms a friend group in the first five minutes.

Then there’s the kid who is a bit of a bully, chucking sand and pelting his new friends with bean bags. There is also the next generation of road ragers, hooning around on three-wheel cycles and tail-gating toddlers.

It sounds to me as though you have a hooner/bully in dog form, which is fine when your puppy is playing with others of the same breed and temperament, but a nightmare when it is in a group with a sooky Maltese Terrier and an aloof Whippet.

There are certain dog breeds that have strength and dexterity from a very young age.

They aren’t intentionally mean, they just want to share their exuberance with others who may not be as keen.

The other problem here is the judgy trainer.

No one wants their pup to be the one designated as the class bully.

Perhaps you could ask around your local community for other people who have pups from similar robust breeds.

You could then have get-togethers at the local dog park until your dogs learn some basics such as sit, stay, down, and ‘Barbarian, please remove Petunia’s fluffy foot from your mouth or there’ll be no pig ears for morning tea.’

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.