THE PUPPY PROGRAM

For a new dog, the first few months are crucial when it comes to teaching the key elements of good future behavior: basic obedience, good manners and socialization.

A puppy’s young, impressionable mind absorbs everything. They learn, form habits and make long-lasting associations. But well-meaning new dog owners can sometimes create behavioral issues down the road. For example, cute behaviors like jumping up when greeting or chewing a favorite toy may be tolerated or even inadvertently rewarded, which can then become problematic when the puppy grows up.

Some of these common behavioral issues we see at The Dog Wizard include:

• Biting: Like babies, one of the ways puppies learn and explore is by putting things in their mouths. At first, you may find this sweet, but it’s less cute as the puppy gets its adult teeth. When they’re grown, this can develop into destructive biting or chewing of slippers, furniture, etc.

• Jumping: Coming home to your puppy jumping up to greet you is heartwarming. Still, while it’s endearing and cute when they’re little, as the puppy grows, this can get overwhelming. In fact, a grown dog that jumps up is one of the main things non-dog owners, particularly children, are wary of.

• Potty training: Probably a new owner’s number one priority, effectively potty training a puppy requires time, dedication and patience. Many family pets have become rescue dogs due to neglected toilet training. All dogs’ learning curve with toileting varies, but this is one issue you absolutely need to get right.

• Whining: While this is normal and expected from puppies when they’re hungry, thirsty or a bit lonely, if unchecked, it can turn into a dealbreaker for a lot of owners. This is particularly true for dogs that suffer from separation anxiety, which is another trait typically resulting from early-stage experiences.

Let’s be clear here: These behaviors aren’t really bad. They represent the natural, normal development stages of dog training. Nevertheless, the foundation built in these times will help shape your adult dog’s personality, prevent behavioral issues and improve your owner-pet bond.

Sadly, it’s a fact that most adult dogs with significant problems have had some kind of bad experience early in life. Dog training from when they are born up until 16 weeks, good or bad, will last a lifetime, so it’s vital you get it right.

This ultimately means focusing on three key areas in depth of training:

• Basic obedience

• Socialization

• Good manners

Basic training helps your pet learn its role, both in your family and in the world around it. Done right, it will teach your dog the skills it needs to interact with other dogs and people inside and outside your home. Recognizing its name, to come, to sit and down as well as how to properly walk on or off-leash are all vital commands.

Socialization is the process of teaching a puppy that its world is safe and that dogs and people come in all shapes and sizes. Socialization will also help your puppy react properly in various situations, such as being gentle with children, riding in vehicles calmly and behaving appropriately with visitors.

Good manners mean training your puppy to not jump up on people, to eliminate only outside, to “leave it” and to not bark excessively. Other behavior problems like nipping may also need to be addressed.

Our Puppy Jumpstart Program should result in you walking out with an obedient, confident and well-mannered puppy. While pups are adorable, mischievous behaviors such as puppy biting need to be addressed by puppy owners before they get older and more difficult to manage.

• Obedience and impulse control. Basic skill classes instill obedience commands such as sit, stay, come and leash walking. A well-trained pup is more likely to respond to commands, making it easier to manage and control and preventing future behavior problems.

• Socializing your puppy. Exposing puppies to people, animals and different locations in a controlled and positive manner teaches them to appropriately interact with other dogs and other people. Early socialization is important to help reduce the likelihood of anxiety or aggression in the adult dog. The younger a puppy is, the easier it is to socialize. It’s important to start socialization classes as early as possible during the first year of the puppy’s life.

• Loose leash walking. Walking your dog should be a pleasurable activity for both of you. Loose leash training ensures puppies learn how to behave outside the home without pulling, barking at other dogs or cats or crossing in front of you. Not only is leash training important for bonding, it’s also crucial to keeping your puppy safe when out on walks.

• Housebreaking your puppy. Teaching your new puppy where it’s appropriate to relieve itself should start from the minute you introduce your new puppy into your home.

To ensure the happiness and health of your puppy, our board and train for puppies provide the key foundations needed to make sure they’re on the right track to becoming a pleasant, well-mannered family pet.

As expert dog trainers, Canine Community works with you and your puppy. Through our experience, we get these important foundations down correctly for further training sessions and a future happy life.

Program Details:

• We keep your puppy for 14 days in our home

• Start the foundation of training and practice forming habits

• Off-Leash Foundation Work

What’s Included:

• Leash & collar recommendation

• 14 day board and train

• Consultation at pick-up to teach you what your puppy has learned

• 1 Follow Up Lesson to make sure you are maintaining your training

What We Teach:

• Basic obedience training

• Socialization

• Housebreaking/crate training

• Problem-solving such as jumping, play biting, barking, etc.

• Object socialization/confidence building

Perfect For:

• Any puppy 8 weeks to 16 weeks old

• Anyone who wants a lasting positive relationship with their puppy

• Anyone who wants to prevent behavioral problems from forming

• Anyone going out of town and wants to make sure their puppy is learning