There are very few things in this life better than bringing a puppy into your life, but giving one a home also comes with a lot of responsibility. One of the best things you can do to cope with that responsibility is take your new dog to puppy school.

Here are just five reasons why it's a great idea.

1. Builds Trust and Enhances Your Bond

It isn't exactly hard to bond with your puppy, but going through puppy school together can really cement the connection. At first, puppies can be a little unsure, but when you teach them tricks alongside other dogs and put them through the rudiments of basic obedience, they'll understand how much fun it is to be around you. Obedience training will also help them learn that you are their master, which will give them more confidence in you and make them feel more comfortable.

2. Lifesaving Skills in the Perfect Environment

It's always cool to have a dog that will bark on command, sit still instead of trying to leap up and eat your dinner, or even bring you your slippers. However, the basic commands are more than convenient – they can save your dog's life. If your dog won't listen to your commands, they could run in front of a car or put themselves in some other kind of dangerous situation. It can be hard to teach these skills properly at home since there won't be any distractions, but you don't want to take your dog off the leash where they could get themselves in trouble before you know they can respond to commands. At puppy training, they will have to learn to deal with the distraction of other dogs and people, but the environment will still be perfectly safe.

3. Chance for Healthy Socialisation

Every puppy should learn early to cope with having other dogs around. However, this too can be quite hard. You don't want to bring another dog into your home right away because it will feel like that dog is invading the territory. At the same time, you don't want first meetings to be in an uncontrolled environment with fully-grown dogs. Puppy training will let your puppy get used to the presence of other dogs in a controlled environment. Playing with other dogs their own age is a great way to get socialised. You might even find yourselves making friends with other owners while your dog makes friends with their puppy. Your dog could then have a friend to play with for life, and you'll be able to walk or look after each other's dogs when the other is busy.

4. Professional Healthcare Advice

When you go to puppy school, you'll be expected to learn just as much as your new pooch. As well as the fundamentals of training, your instructor will often provide basic healthcare advice. Such knowledge can get you up to date on when to bring your dog to the vet and what to do in certain emergency situations. Learning this information can mean catching health issues early or represent the difference between a fatal injury and one your dog survives.

5. PUPPIES!

You know what's better than hanging around with one puppy? Hanging around with a room full of puppies! At the end of the day, taking your puppy to puppy school is great fun. You'll get to meet all manner of other little pups, and that can be worth the effort all by itself.