Puppy Boot Camp

The first 12 weeks are the most important.. Make them count!!

Do you have or want a puppy but don’t have the time or knowledge to train them?

Have a Puppy Who Needs Training?

If you think you’ll have the time and the environment to get them through puppyhood successfully then I recommend you take them home at 8 weeks. If you’re afraid you’re not going to have the time or the skills to do it then we recommend a puppy with the 4 weeks of training and socialization. It’s well worth it..

This is a great program for new and first time puppy owners who have a new puppy at home but don’t have the experience or the extra time it takes to properly train and socialize a new puppy. At Dreamydoodles “Puppy Boot Camp” your new puppy will get what they  need during this very important stage of development. Puppy socialization! Potty Training, doggy door training, introduction to the leash, car rides, strangers, little kids, teenagers, big scary men, loud noises, other dogs, packs of dogs, house rules as well as an introduction to the basics like sit, down, back, leave it etc.

We offer 1 or 3 spots in each one of our litters for our 4 week puppy training program and when we have room we accept puppies that were not bred here as long as they have a vet clearance and are up to date on their vaccinations, flea medication and wormed. This program includes potty training and basic obedience and more importantly extensive socialization. After all you can easily teach a 1 year old dog with limited training to go outside but you can not so easily socialize them to like kids or car rides if they’ve had little to no experience with these things as puppies. EARLY Socialization is key to a happy, healthy family dog.

Early socialization not only helps to build up their confidence but it helps to eliminate the chances of phobias and even aggression developing as adults. The most common cause of unprovoked dog aggression is the lack of proper early socialization during the most crucial time of a dogs life.. the first 3 months of age.

Window of Opportunity

Puppies are most accepting of new experiences between 3 and 12 weeks old. After that age, they become much more cautious of anything they haven’t yet encountered. From about 12 to 18 weeks old the opportunity to easily socialize the puppy ends-and with each passing week it becomes harder to get a young dog to accept and enjoy something that he’s initially wary of. After 18 weeks old, it’s extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to teach a dog to like something new, or help him become comfortable with something he finds frightening.

We use Dr. Sophia Yin’s Puppy Socialization List in our program in order to make sure that your puppy is introduced to all kinds of new experiences in a positive way. At the end of the program we provide you with a printout of all the new exposures we introduced them to and how they reacted to them, this is meant to help you to learn what your puppy might need to work on more in their future. All puppies are different.

Perhaps surprisingly, failure to properly expose a young puppy to certain situations or types of people during this brief period can result in his being forever fearful of them as an adult. Early socialization—or the lack of it—is a vital determinant of a dog’s lifelong behaviors. Without proper socialization, it is unlikely that a pup will become the adult dog he could have been, whether as a competitor in canine events or as a happy, well-adjusted family pet.

“Basically, an adult dog’s temperament and behavior habits, both good and bad, are shaped during puppyhood—very early puppyhood,” says veterinarian and leading animal behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar, author of Before & After Getting Your Puppy. Further, Dunbar notes that behavior issues are the number-one cause of dogs being relinquished to shelters.

If you have a new puppy but not the time.. then you should sign them up for some sort of puppy training ASAP or puppy play dates with all kinds of different people and dogs.. do it either with us or with another program either way… just do it. As a dog lover and dog breeder I can not express the importance of this..it really is worth the investment in the long run. Picking the perfect puppy is just step one.

If you have a new puppy in need of training and socialization..

Please contact us for more information

In regards to training we begin the sit, down and leave it commands and walking on a leash as well as basic puppy manners in our home and family atmosphere.

Training with Hand Signals

A dog can express more with his tail in minutes, than his owner can express with his tongue in hours.
- Author Unknown

Dogs communicate with each other using body language so it makes perfect sense that hand signals is a great way to teach and communicate more effectively with your dogs.

We like to use a hand signal paired with the verbal command and I’ve found that dogs and puppies understand and obey the hand signal much faster than they will a verbal command alone so it’s a great way to teach them and pretty soon they can understand what you’re asking of them with just the verbal command or just the hand signal. This is also a great way to train deaf dogs.

We always start with the easiest commands to get puppies excited about learning. For example the handshake, sit and down commands.. these commands may not sound like much but they provide a firm foundation for you to build on later and to get them used to training in general. It is important to make it fun and rewarding and to keep the training sessions short and always end on a positive note, after they’ve succeeded and been rewarded. Training needs to be a positive experience or it will be a frustrating experience for you both.

Puppy Boot Camp is either 2 weeks for $400 which includes basic crate training and socialization or 4 weeks of crate training, house manners, socialization and basic obedience training. The 4 week program costs $1000 for the full 4 weeks OR $250 a week.

Puppy Boot Camp is $1000 for 4 weeks of house training and socialization

Hand Signals & Verbal Comprehension – Training Dogs with Dr. Ian Dunbar

A dog can express more with his tail in minutes, than his owner can express with his tongue in hours.
- Author Unknown

Our Training List

Below is my training list of things I will be working on with your puppy.

Training Tools

• Collar
• 6 ft leash
• Treats
• Clicker

Beginning Obedience Commands

• Sit
• Down
• Stay
• Back-up
• Crate
• No jumping up

Home and Community Training

• Potty Training
• Crate Training
• Driving in a car
• Using the Doggy Door (Woodland Location Only)

Socialization

The goal is to remain calm and confident in new situations..

• Meeting strangers
• Public places – People with  hoods, hats, umbrellas, loud noises..etc
• Meeting new dogs in a controlled setting
• Kids
• Men
• Teenagers

Please understand that these puppies will have a good start on their training, however they will not be trick dogs or be able to hold a down stay for an hour at a time or never chew anything in your house ever again or be accident free.. they are still puppies but we’ve had great success with our puppy boot camp graduates and we believe in the value of this program. You will still need to continue their training as an ongoing process for the rest of their lives. In regards to potty training we can usually get them 95% potty trained but there will always be a short transition period  into their new homes and how it works in a your home environment.

 

Puppy Boot Camp Graduates

Oh boy what a difference 4 weeks makes!

The list below includes several reasons why teaching your faithful fur friend a few dog tricks can be extremely beneficial:

1. Training gives puppies and dogs a sense of purpose and can help with boredom.
2. Practicing and teaching your dog tricks can help you form that tight bond that most dog owners desire.
3. Teaching your puppy simple tricks can also encourage obedience and ensure that you have his or her undivided attention.
4. and #1 Dogs enjoy learning!!

 

Pictures from our Home and our Puppies…

Check out our Blog  for tons of tips and information and especially the posts on Socialization and New Puppies.

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