The ideal venue for a puppy party is, space permitting, the surgery premises. If you have a dedicated training / meeting room, so much the better. Otherwise a larger consulting room or the waiting room (outside consulting times) should be OK for a small group.

The benefits of using surgery premises as the venue for your puppy parties are as follows:

• Familiarises clients (and their puppies) with the premises
• Access to merchandise
• Other members of staff there to help out if needed
• First aid and toilet facilities
• Insurance cover

If you are going to run a series of parties for the same group, subsequent classes can be held in a nearby park. This is ideal for training sessions with a well-behaved group, but unsuitable for an unruly, over-excited rabble. The reputation of your practice is at stake here!

Important tips:

• Ensure there is enough space for your guests and their puppies. Often you'll find that more than one person will accompany each dog, so be sure to get numbers beforehand.
   
• Stringent hygiene is essential. Disinfect all areas to which the puppies will have access.
   
• Provide comfortable seating for clients and Vetbeds for the puppies.
   
• Provide a table for refreshments, high enough to be out of reach of inquisitive noses (both puppies' and children's).
   
• Make sure there is sufficient room to display information and/or relevant products.
   
• Have weighing scales handy.
   
• Most puppies will have already learned to urinate on newspaper. Allocate an area for this, but remember that accidents can and will happen. Be prepared with cleaning materials!
   
• Ensure that "Public Access Prohibited" signs are displayed on the doors of any areas that your puppies and owners are not permitted to enter.
   
• If you do hold the party in the waiting room, ensure that this is at a time when the surgery is normally closed, so that the door can be locked. You don't want passers-by opening the door and 8 excited puppies tearing off down the main road!
   
• Prepare plenty of SAFE toys (Kongs and Raggers are excellent). From experience, never use squeaky toys unless you want to have to shout!