Picking Your Puppy
The thought of raising a new pup by yourself may be stressful. You need a pup that will fit  very well with your lifestyle. Your life in Park Ridge, Illinois might be fast paced, you may have a full-time schedule, a young family, you like to travel or you’ve just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provide s a stress and anxiety free experience to add in that  remarkable dog to your life.

The Program Starts With a Consultation
We think it’s vital that you know who you will be dealing with. Building a rapport is tremendously important to our company in Park Ridge, Illinois. Our talk begins with basic questions and leads into an detailed discussion, which will give us a better idea of who you are and what your perfect dog would be. We want to have a fantastic working relationship with you. It starts the journey to pick, teach and raise your pup.

Selecting The Best Breed For Your Household
Once you have made a decision you want to add that amazing dog to your life in Park Ridge, Illinois. You may have your heart set on a particular breed or maybe you’re interested in one of our pups that are currently in our puppy raising program. There certainly are things to consider such as the type of house you live in, maybe you work full time, maybe you are raising a young family, you you may love to go on vacation or maybe you have recently retired. This information will not restrict your choices, yet help shed light on your life-style in Park Ridge, IL. We help guide you in your decision making process. As we get to know you better, we can aid you pick what you want and which dog will best suit your lifestyle.

Finding The Best Breeder in Park Ridge, Illinois
We coordinate with responsible breeders who are genuinely interested in improving their breed with good health and great temperament of their pups. The first eight weeks of a new puppy’s life are as significant as to what follows. A good breeder knows this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have established a rapport with many outstanding breeders. We particularly pursue breeders who are aware of the early role they play in a puppies life. They know when one of their puppies goes through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a great life.  It’s quite important to work carefully with the breeder. We count on the breeder’s input together with our years of expertise to select the puppy with the best temperament for a potential new family.

The Puppy‘s Training in Park Ridge, Illinois
Training your pup is a mixture of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, fostering healthy relationships, and also exposing your dog successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all different types of environments.Such as, we have the puppy stay overnight with various people in various settings; which creates a dog for you who is comfortable and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your way of life. Because of this and exposures to other factors your dog readily connects with you and your family members.

Imprinting Good Behavior ~Birth to 16 Weeks
Picking up your puppy from the breeder

Training starts the minute a new puppy is in our hands in Park Ridge, Illinois. Once we decide on the pup from the litter, the first thing we wish to accomplish is developing confidence and a bond with this new puppy. We start our relationship having fun while always teaching. Under our close guidance, we start exposing the puppy to its new world. Such as, getting him or her to follow us, climb stairs, walk over branches, and maybe even get relatively close to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your puppy to the world while at the same time building up our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet significantly aware in those moments it is imperative to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy discovers this new world without having the companionship of its litter mates or mom.

Most important time for learning
During the first few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no limitation as to what we may incorporate into our methods. Often we utilize particular locations or objects to create an encounter for the pup. Sometimes a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Park Ridge, Illinois. Our choices and vision are endless. Every exposure and experience builds upon the prior one. Through all of this, we closely observe the puppy. We do not limit ourselves to rigid rules. We try to get more creative, think outside the box, and benefit from events that unfold before us. Those opportunities are priceless when it comes to teaching the dog.

Every interaction with the new pup is a teaching moment. We like to think about it as an early investment in the life of this puppy. This is the first time away from his or her littermates and living with us in Park Ridge, Illinois. Puppies have a small window of time during brain development when they are most impressionable. This is called the imprinting also known as the critical learning period. Puppies learn more during this time than they can learn in a lifetime. The quality and quantity of what they encounter will have a substantial impact on their future personalities and decide a number of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the course of the imprinting phase, every experience is crucial. It is essential to build their self-confidence. The expression ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ does not apply to their early interactions. Because puppies are absorbing every experience like a sponge, we need to stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have a good time with our new pup.

A Well-Mannered Pal
4 to 6 months 

A trained puppy is far more than just obedient. Knowing how to sit, stay or walk nicely on a loose leash are important things to learn. Good manners, great social skills and a healthy relationship with his or her family are critical. Additionally, desensitization, exposure to various distractions and situations, as well as having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in Park Ridge, IL  is equally important.

Our focus is to raise a dog with impeccable manners and social skills. We start by teaching obedience the day we bring them home from the breeder; which carries on as we fine-tune the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a strong foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, keeping it a standard request in our regular routine as well as within each new situation we expose your dog to. We move from shaping to defining commands and testing them with distractions, duration and distance. Communication is at the core of our philosophy. Being clear and consistent is key. We limit our words when providing commands. We want your dog to understand what we mean when we give them the command. When we say ‘come’ or ‘here’ we expect 100% response immediately.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in Park Ridge, IL
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the typical age when many dogs are re-homed or surrendered to shelters. The adolescent stage can find your sweet pup becoming a monster. That nice pup can be more mouthy and disobedient than you could ever picture. Many owners hope their puppy will grow out of unwanted behaviors. Their dog is testing what is permitted and what is not. Allowing a dog to continue practicing naughty acts makes changing undesirable behavior more challenging.

Working in the Real World in Park Ridge, Illinois
We work to reduce any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. For instance, we practice recalls when your dog is very distracted perhaps chasing something as common as a squirrel. We test and proof obedience in high traffic locations, around barking dogs, near playgrounds and within public places.

As the puppy goes through the adolescent stage we continue to challenge the dog by putting him or her in various scenarios. We imagine each situation as a picture. How does that look like to the dog? How does that picture change from day to day or location to location. We are aiming to teach a dog how to cope in each new and different environment or scenario. We are raising a dog that isn’t depending on continual commands that determine what he or she should and should not do. Rather, we prefer a dog that can make good decisions. Our main priority is to have a well-balanced dog, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to reinforce and fine-tune manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the puppy has been living with the trainer in his/her individual home. During this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights staying with another loved one or friend. Offering this chance, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in brand-new surroundings. This makes sure those habits and good manners will remain when he/she moves in to your house in Park Ridge, IL.