All the steps to get your pup ready for the great outdoors

Before your puppy can enjoy public spaces like parks, it's essential to ensure it has received all its routine vaccinations. These vaccinations help protect from infectious diseases. A single vaccine, commonly known as the C3 vaccine covers all three main infectious diseases - distemper virus, adenovirus and parvovirus. Check with your veterinarian to confirm when your puppy will be fully vaccinated and safe to visit public places.

Before your puppy is fully vaccinated, you can still take it out, but it should be carried to limit exposure to potential sources of infection.

Learning to walk on a leash is a fundamental skill for any puppy. Before taking your pup for its first walk, ensure it's comfortable with the collar or harness as this may take a few days.

Introduce the collar or harness by letting it sniff and see it.

Reward it for allowing the collar or harness to be near with some tasty food treats. This helps to associate the collar or harness with positive things.

Start by placing the collar or harness on your puppy for short periods, gradually increasing the duration as it becomes more comfortable.

Always reward it with treats and praise to reinforce the positive association.

Once your puppy is at ease with the collar or harness, encourage it to walk beside you without the leash in an enclosed area, offering treats when it stays by your side.

This practice helps it to understand the concept of "loose leash" walking.

When your puppy is ready for leash walks, begin with short sessions at a walking pace. If your puppy sits or lies down during the walk, allow it to rest and wait until it is ready to continue.

Over-exercising can harm your puppy's developing bones and muscles, particularly in large and giant breeds.

Always permit some time for sniffing plants, posts, and other things as this is a very important natural behaviour that it needs to engage in and really enjoys.

In safe, enclosed environments like your backyard or a designated dog park, your puppy can enjoy off-leash exercise.

This freedom allows it to regulate its own activity level, resting when needed.

However, avoid excessive ball throwing and activities that involve leaping or sudden twists, stops and starts, as these can lead to injuries.

It is important to avoid forced exercise with puppies, such as jogging, fast-paced or long walks.

Dogs should not be exercised immediately before or after eating as this can cause problems such as bloat (which can be fatal), particularly in large and deep-chested dogs.

Additionally, attending a puppy preschool that only uses reward-based methods will help your puppy learn how to interact in a friendly way with other dogs and puppies it meets when out exercising.

It is very important to start classes as soon as you can (talk to your veterinarian about when your puppy can start) to help prevent potential behaviour issues later on.