Selecting Your Young puppy
The thought of raising a new puppy by yourself might be overwhelming. You want a dog that will fit  nicely with your life-style. Your life in Atherton, California possible is chaotic, you’ve got a full time job, a new family, you like to travel or may be you just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provides a stress free experience to add that  incredible dog to your life.

The Experience Starts With a Consultation
We think it is vital that you know who you will be working with. Establishing a relationship is very important to our company in Atherton, California. Our chat starts with straightforward questions and leads into an thorough conversation, which will give us a clearer idea of who you are and what your perfect dog will be. We would like to have a excellent working partnership with you. It begins the journey to select, teach and raise your puppy.

Finding The Perfect Breed For Your Household
Once you have decided you want to include that amazing dog to your life in Atherton, California. You have your heart set on a certain breed or maybe you want one of our dogs that are currently in our puppy raising program. There certainly are things to take into account including the type of house you live in, how much you work, are raising a young family, you love to go on vacation or you’ve recently retired. All this will not minimize your options, but instead help shed light on your life-style in Atherton, CA. We help guide you in the decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can certainly aid you decide what you want and which breed will best accommodate your lifestyle.

Finding The Perfect Breeder in Atherton, California
We team up with responsible breeders who are truly interested in improving their breed with good health and exceptional temperament of their puppies. The initial eight weeks of a new puppy’s life are as significant as to what follows. A great breeder is aware of this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have built a relationship with many exceptional breeders. We specifically pursue breeders who comprehend 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 good life.  It is 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 the prospective new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Atherton, California
Training your puppy is a combo of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, encouraging healthy relationships, in addition to exposing your dog successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all various environments.Such as, we have the pup stay overnight with various people in various environments; which develops a dog for you who is comfortable and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your lifestyle. As a result of this and exposures to other variables your dog readily bonds with you and your family.

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

Training starts the minute a new puppy is in our care in Atherton, California. Once we select the puppy from the litter, the very first thing we would like to accomplish is developing confidence and a bond with this new puppy. We begin our relationship having fun while always teaching. Under our close guidance, we start exposing the puppy to its new world. For instance, getting him or her to follow us, go up and down stairs, walk over branches, and even get somewhat near to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your dog to the world while at the same time boosting our bond. We are huge dog lovers, but still extremely aware in those moments it is imperative to concentrate more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy learns about this new world without having the company of its litter mates or mom.

The Essential time for learning
In the initial few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no restriction as to what we will integrate into our methods. Often we take advantage of specific places or objects to create an encounter for the puppy. Occasionally a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Atherton, California. Our options and imagination are limitless. Every exposure and experience builds on the prior one. Through all of this, we closely supervise the puppy. We do not limit ourselves to stiff rules. We try to become more creative, think outside the box, and take advantage of events that manifest before us. Those opportunities are priceless when it comes to teaching the pup.

Every interaction with the new puppy is a teaching moment. We often think of it as an early investment in the life of this puppy. This is the first time away from their littermates and living with us in Atherton, California. 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 period than any other period of time in their lives. The quality and quantity of what they experience will have a significant influence on their future personalities and decide many of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the imprinting stage, every experience is vital. 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 fun with our new dog.

A Well-Mannered Puppy
4 to 6 months 

A trained puppy is so much more than just obedient. Knowing how to sit, stay or walk nicely on a loose leash are necessary things to learn. Good manners, great social skills and a healthy relationship with his or her family are paramount. In addition, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, along with being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Atherton, CA is equally important.

Our focus is to raise a dog with remarkable manners and social skills. We begin by teaching obedience the day we bring them home from the breeder; which carries on as we improve the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a strong foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, making it a normal request in our daily routine in addition to within each new situation we expose your puppy to. We go from shaping to formalizing 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 Atherton, CA
6 months to young adult

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

Working in the Real World in Atherton, California 
We work to stop any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction areas. Such as, we practice recalls when your dog is extremely distracted maybe chasing something as common as a squirrel. We practice and proof obedience in high traffic areas, around barking dogs, around playgrounds and within public places.

As the dog goes through the adolescent stage we continue to challenge the dog by putting it in various scenarios. We imagine each situation as a picture. How does that look like to the puppy? How does that picture change from day to day or location to location. We are striving to teach a dog how to adapt in each new and different environment or situation. We are raising a puppy that isn’t depending on constant commands that dictate what he or she should and shouldn’t do. In fact, we desire a dog that can make good choices. Our top goal is to have a well-balanced dog, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to reinforce and refine manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the dog has been living with the trainer in his/her personal home. Throughout this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights hanging out with another family member or close friend. Providing the puppy with this opportunity, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in brand-new settings. This ensures those habits and good manners will remain when he or she goes on to your house in Atherton, CA.