Working on positive socialization and exploration at under 16 weeks sets dogs up for success.

Teaching your puppy to settle at an early age is an important skill.

Positive and early exposure to all that life brings, including children, is of utmost importance.

Puppy Start Right Preschool

(Puppies 8-16 Weeks)

The secondary socialization period, spanning from 7 to 16 weeks, isa crucial period in a puppy's development. Events during this time, or the lack thereof, can significantly influence your puppy's future behavior. Positive experiences with various life situations, coupled with foundation behavior training are crucial skills that can help avert future behavioral issues like fear, anxiety, reactivity, and aggression. Please read this article from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior on the importance of early socialization.

As a Puppy Start Right instructor, my program centers on exploration and socialization in a positive way, addressing and preventing common puppy behaviors such as play biting, chewing, and jumping, etc. without the use of force, fear or intimidation, along with basic foundation training, such as "Attention," "Responding to Name and Orienting Sound," "Targeting," "Sit," "Settle on a Mat," "Loose Leash Walking," "Leave It," "Drop It," and "Recall."

With extensive experience and hundreds of puppies trained, I can help you navigate this crucial stage of your puppy's development and ensure your puppy is on the right course for life.

Learning Objectives

Proper socialization of your puppy is crucial as it can prevent numerous future behavioral problems. Behavioral issues in dogs pose a significant threat to the human-animal bond.
Understanding and addressing puppy problems - Familiarize yourself with the A, B, C's (Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence) to tackle nearly any behavioral challenge, including play biting, mouthing, jumping, counter surfing, object theft, chewing, and digging.
Housetraining - Master the five key steps to ensure your puppy relieves itself in the appropriate place.
Independence training - Accustoming your puppy to solitude can avert separation anxiety.
Developmental stages - Discover the importance of each stage in a dog's life for behavioral development and learning.
Explore the concepts of canine domestication, social behavior, senses, communication, and learning processes.
Learn to use a clicker for training behaviors in a fear-free, force-free manner.
Begin teaching your puppy basic skills such as "Attention," "Responding to Name and Orienting Sound," "Targeting," "Sit," "Settle on a Mat," "Loose Leash Walking," "Leave It," "Drop It," and "Recall."

Problem Solving and Prevention Exercises

Train your puppy to be at ease with a collar/harness and leash.
Show your puppy the proper way to interact with people and manage their sharp baby teeth.
Confinement training: Turn solitude into a positive experience rather than a traumatic one.
Food Bowl Exercises: Train your puppy to be calm when people are near their food bowl, which helps prevent resource guarding.
Handling Exercises: Accustom your puppy to being handled, beneficial for veterinary checks, nail clipping, teeth brushing, grooming, etc.
Gotcha Game: Train your puppy to be comfortable with someone holding their collar or harness, so they don't recoil when you reach for them.
Leash Pressure Training: A fundamental skill to stop your puppy from pulling on the leash during walks.
Restraint Training: Make a potentially stressful experience pleasant through desensitization and counterconditioning, valuable for vet visits or when restraint is necessary.
Muzzle Training: Muzzles need not be frightening. In fact, they can be enjoyable and handy. Muzzles are mandatory for travel to certain areas, and if your dog is hurt, a muzzle is beneficial as injured dogs may bite due to pain.

Puppy Start Right is 6 weeks in duration. It begins with a 1 to 1 1/2 hour in home consultation/training session and 5, one hour, weekly training sessions in your home or safe shopping centers near your home.

If you would like to continue with training after Puppy Start Right, I suggest the Puppy Kindergarten package.

Rates:

$250 for initial 1 to 1 1/2 hour in home consultation/training.

$795 for 5 additional one hour sessions. These sessions are held in your home or at safe shopping centers near your home.

Contact Britta

Getting your puppy comfortable with car rides at an early stage, prevents anxiety, stress and reactivity later in life.

Puppy Kindergarten Package

(Puppies 4 to 12 months)

For new puppy parents, the "Puppy Kindergarten Package" is an ideal choice! It's crucial to start both you and your puppy on the right "paw" in life. Or if you've just completed the "Puppy Start Right" program, this package is the perfect next step towards a well-trained puppy.

Puppies as young as a few months old can learn tricks. The beauty of clicker training is that children can teach behaviors.

My curriculum is tailored towards puppies 4 to 12 months and focuses on the following foundation behaviors: “Attention,” “Targeting,” “Sit,” “Down,” “Settle on a Mat,” “Leash Walking,” “Leave It,” “Drop It,” “Recall” and “Place,” as well as problem-solving and prevention strategies for common puppy issues such as chewing, jumping, play biting and mouthing, etc.; positive socialization and exploration of the world, and understanding canine communication (calming signals and signs of stress), in order to prevent fear, reactivity and aggression happening later in life.

Targeting and Attention are fun and useful for behaviors for puppies and adult dogs alike.

With 40 years of experience working in the animal field and 100’s of puppies trained, let me guide you through this very important phase in your puppy’s life.

My Puppy Kindergarten Package is 6 weeks in duration. It begins with a 60 to 90 minute in home consultation/training session and 5, one hour, weekly sessions in your home, parks and shopping centers.

If you would like to continue with training after Puppy Kindergarten, I suggest the Foundation Behavior Training Package.