Training Programs

Raise a new puppy in a structured environment by using a crate or a safe area. Constant supervision of the puppy helps to create a foundation, and establishes the new owner as the authoritative figure and guide. These methods also help to assist in house-breaking and raising your pups with acceptable behavior for their new home. For example, a pup that has good manners toward guests and strangers should not mouth or jump, which are things they practice with their litter mates. The puppy program also covers different aspects of behavior, obedience and socializing to build stability in your puppy.

This program shows the owner how to become a confident guide, for their dog to recognize as an authoritative figure. By being firm but fair, the program explains how to work with your dog, to help the dog become a relaxed follower and a good citizen. The owner will learn that using their demeanor, voice and the techniques of the program will help the dog understand what you want in order to execute obedience, exercises through commands. For example, sit, down, off, recall and stay in a fun and pleasurable manner. This helps the dog gain trust in you, which can lead to more advanced and proof training of you and your dog. Proofing consists of using distractions by introducing a bouncing ball, a jogger or a bicyclist moving by when an obedience exercise such as a stay command is being performed.

As you and your dog progress and display a solid understanding of communication with on-leash training commands, then you can move into proofing which is mentioned in “On Leash Training”. After they are able to work through distractions, some dogs and owners will develop the skills and confidence to move onto off-leash training. This is where your dog learns to work off of your voice and hand signals. This is an aspect of communication that I think is an impressive and beautiful display of harmony between the human and animal.