In a first time initiative Dogs Trust Malta is proud to enrol the support of The Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, the Malta Kennel Club, The Maltese National Canine Federation, and all the dog shelters on the Maltese Islands in launching The Puppy Plan © in Malta and Gozo.

The Puppy Plan © is to dogs exactly what school is to people. A 16 week socialisation and habituation plan that follows the puppies natural development, exposing the puppies to audio, visual, physical and social stimuli in a comprehensive, step-by-step and formalised way.

It is an initiative of Dogs Trust UK and The Kennel Club that has successfully been launched in the UK. Head of Dogs Trust Malta, Sarah De Cesare Dunkerley said, “Dogs Trust Malta recently concluded a Dog Training Made Easy campaign. The information collected about behaviour problems found that many of these problems, such as fear of visitors to the home and noise phobias (fireworks), could have easily been prevented in the first 16 weeks, or earlier, of the puppies’ life.

“It has also highlighted that many breeders and puppy carers have been trying in their capacity to fulfil these tasks with little formal structure and knowledge. This plan will give a formal way for others to recognise all the work breeders do to produce the very best puppies and for rescue centres, it is vitally important as the bad start a puppy has often leaves them ill-prepared for life with a family, perhaps even destined to return into rescue. This plan will instead help to reduce the stray population,” Sarah De Cesare Dunkerley said.

After successfully giving out 3,500 free clicker packs, offering support and advice through www.dogtrainingmadeeasy.org, and delivering educational workshops in school about the power of positive reinforcement training, Dogs Trust Malta is shifting its focus on preventing the afore mentioned problems.

Dogs Trust Malta will be holding a seminar for breeders, puppy carers and shelter staff about this socialisation and habituation plan for the first 8 weeks of a puppy’s life, which will also be enriched with talks about nutrition, genetics and hereditary diseases and pet insurance.

New owners are expected to continue the plan for the following 8 weeks which Dogs Trust Malta will later launch.

The complementary whole day seminar is being held on Sunday the 13th of October 2013 at Borg Cardona & Co. Ltd, Ta’ Qali. Delegates will receive an introductory pack including The Puppy Plan © booklet and DVD, clicker pack, and a samples bag. Key note speakers will include Christina Pace (Dogs Trust Malta), Fiona Picton (Borg Cardona & Co. Ltd.), Dr. Victoria Bondin (Happy Paws Charity Clinic), Joe Avellino (Allcare Insurance) and Miriam Casha (SPCA).

For further details kindly contact Dogs Trust Malta on Tel: 21 421500 / 777 111 00 or alternatively by email on office@dogstrustmalta.com.

Dogs Trust Malta said that it will continue its efforts in educating the public through their school workshops and face to face contact with the general public. Dogs Trust’s Education Officers have spoken to more than 36,000 children to date and continue to be active in that respect.

They will also continue offering free neutering and microchipping to owned dogs for people on benefits, hunters and farmers alongside shelter dogs. The free neutering and chipping campaign has seen some 13,000 dogs neutered and microchipped for free since 2009.

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