Key Details:
Sunday mornings, 9-9:45am | Mapledurham Parish Hall, RG4 7UA | £10 per session.
Open to puppies under 16 weeks, including those still waiting on their second vaccination
You’ve been told to socialise your puppy early. You’ve also been told to wait until after their second vaccination. You’re not sure where you can safely take them, how to help them meet other dogs, or what good socialisation actually looks like.
And underneath all of that - you’re worried about getting it wrong.
Will they be overwhelmed? What if another dog frightens them? What if you’re already making mistakes and don’t even know it?
These are the questions we hear every single week. You don’t need to figure this out alone. That’s what we’re here for.
Our Sunday morning sessions at Mapledurham are a short drive from Reading, Tilehurst, Caversham and Henley - and we regularly welcome puppies from further afield, including Thatcham, Basingstoke and Maidenhead.
You’ve been told to socialise your puppy. Nobody’s told you how to do it safely.
These sessions are for you if:
• You’ve been told to socialise early but aren’t sure how
• You want to head off anxiety around people or dogs before it starts
• You’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and want to get this right
• You’d like to meet other local puppy owners
• You want expert guidance that’s supportive, not judgemental
“My partner and I loved Sunday’s puppy socialisation and honestly I was so relieved when you helped Sunny do so well. Thank you for understanding him so well and showing us the beginnings of how to really advocate for him. We have booked onto the next session and will be booking onto puppy training too.” - Natalie & Sunny
What happens in puppy socialisation classes:
Calm, guided exposure to other puppies, new people, and novel sights and sounds. Real play, but supported - matched by size and style, not a scrum. Space to retreat when they need it. And gentle work on focus and attention, so your puppy learns the world is interesting and you’re still worth paying attention to.
You’ll also start reading your own puppy. What relaxed play looks like, what overwhelm looks like, when to step in and when to let them work it out. That’s the skill that keeps paying off long after the session ends.
If you’ve taken your puppy to a free session somewhere and come away with a knot in your stomach, you’re not alone. A lot of well-meaning sessions are really just a room full of puppies let loose to get on with it - and that can do more than nothing. The confident ones barrel about, the quieter ones get overwhelmed, and a soft puppy can come away having learnt that other dogs are a bit frightening.
One puppy came to me after exactly that. She’d spent a session at a local pet store hiding under a chair while nine other puppies charged around. Her owners had done everything they’d been told to do - someone said “get her socialised,” so they did. Nobody had told them what to look for, or that their puppy was already frightened.
Over three Sundays with us, she went from frozen in the corner to playing with the others, loose and happy.
Here, every interaction is guided. Nervous puppies start behind a playpen or barrier, taking it all in from somewhere safe and coming forward at their own pace - never thrown in and hoped for. Confident puppies learn that calm gets noticed too. And running through all of it is the thing a lot of socialisation forgets entirely: your puppy learning to check in with you, even with other puppies in the room.
What good socialisation looks like:
“We’ve had such a brilliant experience with Dogs Be Dogs. Our puppy Loomie simply wouldn’t be the confident little pup he is today without Tash and Sarah. At our very first session my little pup was absolutely howling at the situation, and by the time we moved up to puppy classes he was like a completely different dog. The change in him was amazing to see.” - Catherine & Loomie
The natural first step towards puppy classes:
Most puppies who come to socialisation go on to our Level 1 Puppy Classes - same approach, same foundation. Most owners stay with me until their puppy’s had the all-clear for walks, then move up to Level 1. Socialisation is where it starts.
And it’s often where friendships start too. When I spot two puppies with a similar play style who live near each other, I’ll say so - plenty of owners go on to arrange their own walks and playdates from here.
Book one session or come every week. No block booking needed.
Puppies travel to us from across Reading, Caversham, Henley and the surrounding Berkshire and South Oxfordshire villages.
“Tash is absolutely amazing. We’ve been attending puppy socialisation classes for a few weeks now, and her advice is amazing. We’ve now signed up for regular puppy classes as well" - Petra & Tessa
Frequently asked questions:
Is puppy socialisation safe before the second vaccination?
Yes. The risk is very low - comparable to bringing something in on the soles of your shoes. The key risk for an unvaccinated puppy is going somewhere unvaccinated dogs may have fouled, and an indoor hall isn’t that. I hold these sessions in a clean indoor venue and sanitise the floor regularly with a parvocide. If you’re ever unsure, your vet knows your puppy and your area best.
How old does my puppy need to be to attend puppy socialisation?
Under 16 weeks, including puppies still waiting on their second vaccination. This is deliberately the window where early, guided experiences matter most.
Do I need to book a block?
No. Come to one, come to several. It’s £10 a session and you book as you go.
Is this just puppy playtime?
No. There’s play, but it’s guided and matched to each puppy. Just as much of the session is about calm, confidence, and your puppy learning to focus on you around distraction.
What if my puppy is nervous?
That’s exactly who these sessions are built around. Nervous puppies start with the protection of a playpen or barrier and come forward at their own pace. Confidence is built, not forced.
Puppy Classes
We’re not going to teach your puppy to sit - you’ve probably already done that. We focus on the skills that make real life easier: coming back when you call, walking without pulling, and giving things up instead of running off with them. The real goal? Becoming the centre of your puppy’s world, so they actually want to listen.
Puppy 1-2-1 Training
The early weeks are chaos - the biting, the crying at night, the feeling you’re getting it all wrong. Most of it is completely normal, and all of it is easier with someone alongside you. We come to you, at home, and help you lay the foundations while your puppy is still young enough for it to stick - so the habits forming now are the ones you actually want
Off Lead Puppy Recall
Letting your puppy off the lead for the first time can feel terrifying. What if they run off? What if they ignore you and every other dog and smell wins instead?
This is where they learn that coming back is worth it - in a secure 15-acre field in Mapledurham, with real distractions and expert guidance, so the first time off the lead isn’t a leap of faith.