Puppy Training
By my own standards, puppies are young dogs aged from 8 weeks old when they finish weaning or come home from the breeder to 6 months old when they’ve finished teething. During this stage of a dog’s life, they are exploring the world, discovering everything for the first time, and maturing physically and sexually. The first 18 weeks of a puppy’s life are crucial in terms of socialization and developing a confident, well-adjusted, happy dog. You want to expose your puppy to all the possible environments, people, medical exams, grooming, other dogs and animals, sounds, and life they might experience combined with a positive association. Exposure is NOT good socialization if the puppy isn’t having a good time! Initially generally very social and outgoing, they go through fear periods where their self-preservation instincts come on in stages. They become afraid of things seemingly overnight. You can read this Puppy Fear Periods article published by the AKC, though I have seen as many as 3-4 fear periods in one puppy before.
My puppy program focuses on helping you to begin forming the essential bonds of a lifelong partner in your new puppy. We introduce basic obedience, housetraining, socialization, establishing routines for leaving the house and sleeping overnight, as well as setting the stage for any future goals you may have when your puppy grows up. While I don’t have a puppy class at this time, I highly recommend attending even one of the big box store puppy classes for off-leash puppy play time in a sterile environment with other puppies who have all had a negative fecal test and are up-to-date on current vaccinations. If needed, my own dogs can be excellent puppy socializers.
We will primarily hold sessions in your home. Until all shots are finished, around 16-20 weeks old depending on your vet’s protocol and your puppy’s vaccination history at time of adoption/purchase, I do NOT recommend exposure to environments or animals who may have come in contact with contagious diseases. Dogs who have been vaccinated can ABSOLUTELY be carriers for disease. So for outings, I recommend purchasing a carrier or stroller to prevent contact with commonly-frequented doggie and/or wild animal areas.
You can sign up for a training consult by clicking below.