Puppy Steps Training PrograM
ABOUT OUR PUPPY STEPS TRAINING PROGRAM:
Our Puppy Steps Training Program is designed to help your puppy get the best start in training as possible, while learning to adapt to daily family life.
This is carried out by training in a loving home environment, both as a group and one-on-one each day, as well as by socializing every puppy with a variety of people and animals on a daily basis. Each day includes visits throughout the day to the puppy play yard area, including first thing in the morning so they all get used to going potty outside.
Our trainer, Debbie, uses the positive reinforcement Clicker Training method, which you can read more about at this link. It is very effective with our young puppies who are very intelligent and eager to learn.
Training starts when puppies turn 8 weeks old and can continue with us up until 12 weeks of age. In general, the trainees from any given litter will start with training on the same day as the litter’s 8-week Go Home Day. While we allow a flexible time-frame, we definitely recommend the 4 weeks of training to maximize what your puppy will learn during their time with us.
While further training after completing 4 weeks will still be needed as 12 week old puppies are still quite young, our program gives young puppies a foundation for learning that cannot be found many places.
Cost: $300 a week or 4 week package for $1,000.
*Please note that as soon as the puppy enters our training program, the training program fees are non-refundable.
Thank you.
What is included in our Puppy Steps Training:
FOR Continuing your TRAINING!
Order: Clicking With Your Dog
By: Karen Pryor
Complete Nighttime Crate Training
Beginning Housebreaking (While we work on this daily and have positive feedback from our trainees’ families, we cannot expect our puppies to be completely housebroken by the end of training at 12 weeks. Our training gives them a fantastic start but complete reliability with housebreaking often isn’t achieved until later in puppyhood. Housebreaking work will still need to be done when the puppy comes home at 12 weeks.)
Indoor Paper Training/Litter Box Training
Basic Command Training: Come, Down, Sit, Wait, Bed (We can't guarantee your puppy will know all of these commands flawlessly, but the training will be started and he/she will have several of them down very well.)
Puppy Learns His/Her Name
Leash Walking
Basic Obedience and Manners, no chewing/biting (bite inhibition)
Puppies are kept up to date on shots and de-worming treatments during the training period
Puppies receive Life's Abundance puppy food and Nu Vet Supplements daily, both of which you should order before welcoming your new puppy home, as part of the program to keep him/her on the road to good health.
SUMMARY OF weekly training GOALS:
WEEK 1: During the first week of training, the puppies spend a lot of time playing with our trainer, getting to know her and her them, and learning what the sound of the clicker means. The clicker activity is done as a group several times a day for a couple days. Once this foundation is laid, the puppies begin working on the come and sit commands. These skills are taught in daily individual training sessions. The puppies will recognize their names by the end of this first week of training. Once your puppy is coming when called during their private training session, they head out on their first loose leash walk. This generally happens by the middle of the first week of training. Each puppy will be sleeping in its own crate all night every night during the duration of the training program.
WEEK 2: During the second week, the puppies continue daily training walks along with working on name recognition, come and sit. All puppies master sit by the end of the second week of training. During this week, they are introduced to their crate routine. This routine includes walking into a crate on command, learning to wait inside the crate, and coming out when called. They also practice the command wait in the open doorway after every training walk. It is during this week that the puppies start spending some time in their crate during the day. They start with an hour, progressively getting longer throughout the rest of training (but never to exceed two to three hours during the daytime). The puppies will also be familiarized with potty bells during playtime. For families wanting beginning bell training, that would start during the second to third week of training.
WEEK 3: In the third week of training, the puppies continue working on all of the above and reinforce what they have learned. In addition, they begin working on the down command.
WEEK 4: The puppies continue working on the crate routine and down, in particular, along with daily practice of all other skills during the fourth week. Also during this week, each puppy has the opportunity to go on one or more car rides. If your puppy will be flying home to you, it will be introduced to being in a flight carrier during the car ride(s) to help prepare for the flight.
** Please remember that the pace at which puppies learn varies from puppy to puppy.
buyer TestimonialS:
"Hi! Debbie did a wonderful job during the two weeks he spent in training with her. He is super sweet, smart, was an amazing passenger on the long ride home, totally potties outside, walks on his leash like a pro (even after he started off with Debbie pulling backwards), and best of all...he gives kisses galore! Thanks for helping us make this happen." ~Sandy