The secret to a well-behaved puppy might be a man with a moustache

The secret of how to make puppies well-behaved has finally been found, and it involves stroking them with a toothbrush and exposing them to men with moustaches.

The charity Guide Dogs, which trains 1,300 puppies a year, has created the first programme which is scientifically proven to have a long-term, positive impact on a dog's behaviour, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Key to its success is allowing puppies to experience as many new environments and people as possible within their first six weeks of life so they are not startled, excited or scared by the strangers, or odd scenarios, when they venture outside.

Puppies are born blind and deaf, so the first two weeks of the programme centre on touch. Handlers offer comforting strokes, cuddles and comb their fur with a soft toothbrush to help them to bond with humans.

They are also wrapped in different materials to become familiar with fabrics like wool, fleece and nylon.

Between two and four weeks, the puppies undergo a rapid period of physical development so training moves to practicing walking on different floor surfaces such as concrete and rubber.

At this stage they are also encouraged to listen to everyday sounds such as mobile phones, TV and washing machines. In week five and six, the puppies are allowed outside to begin exploring, and also meet men with beards, moustaches, as well as people wearing hats and sunglasses.

Trainers also open and closed umbrellas in front of the dogs so they became used to the bewildering action, and they are also placed in front of mirrors to become acquainted with their own reflection.

Lead researcher, Helen Whiteside, from Guide Dogs said: "What we've shown is when we do these little games with them from birth they are much more confident, they are willing to engage with the environment. At eight months these puppies are excelling.

"Dogs who do not receive this kind of socialisation as puppies can grow up to be anxious and scared, so this is an important breakthrough for breeders all over the world.

"This is the first time we have actually been able to scientifically prove that what we do with our puppies and when we do it can have a long term impact on their well-being and behaviour.

"A lot of it is about opening up their world and discover what other things there are in their environment."

The programme was created and tested at the charity's National Breeding Centre in Warwickshire by evaluating six litters of puppies. Each litter was divided into two groups with one receiving the existing socialisation training and the rest getting the new enhanced training.

The puppies were then reviewed at six weeks and eight months old, where they were tested on a battery of traits including excitability, separation anxiety, and distractibility.

At six weeks the puppies on the enhanced training were already showing increased responsiveness and confidence with people and by eight months they had less separation anxiety and were less easily distracted.

Dogs with high confidence and low anxiety levels are known to be more easy to train and make better guide dogs and more sociable pets.

The programme is published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science and the authors said they were hoping it could help prevent dog attacks.

"Undesirable behaviors in the dog population are on the increase. Up to 90 per cent of dogs exhibit behaviors that owners find unacceptable," the authors wrote.

"Perhaps of greatest concern is the increase in dogs with behavioral problems that pose a serious risk to public health and safety. The dramatic rise in the number of on both humans likely reflects the increase in reported dog aggression problem.

"This is the first socialization program tailored to the developmental stage of puppies from birth to six weeks of age to demonstrate measurable, long-term effects on individual dog behavioral traits."