Deciding on Your Young puppy
The thought of raising a new pup on your own is overwhelming. You want a dog that can match  wonderfully with your daily life. Your life in Clayton, California can be stressful, you may have a full time schedule, a new family, you may like to travel or you’ve just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provides a stress free experience to add that  incredible dog to your life.

The Experience Starts With a Assessment
We know it’s important that you know who you will be coordinating with. Developing a relationship is very important to our company in Clayton, California. Our talk starts with easy questions and leads into an in detail discussion, which will give us a clearer idea of who you are and what your ideal dog will be. We want to have a fantastic working partnership with you. It starts the journey to pick, teach and raise your puppy.

Choosing The Perfect Breed For Your Household
Once you have made a decision you want to include that amazing dog to your life in Clayton, California. You may have your heart set on a particular breed or maybe you’re interested in one of our dogs that are presently in our puppy raising program. There certainly are things to think about including the type of house you live in, your schedule, are raising a  little family, you you may love to travel or maybe you have recently retired. All this will not restrict your choices, but instead help clarify your life-style in Clayton, CA. We will help guide you in your decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can aid you decide what you want and which dog will best fit your life-style.

Selecting The Right Breeder in Clayton, California
We team up with responsible breeders who are truly interested in improving their breed with good health and fantastic temperament of their puppies. The initial eight weeks of a new puppy’s life are as crucial as to what happens after. A good breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have built a rapport with many fine breeders. We specifically search out breeders who recognize the early part they play in a puppies life. They understand when one of their pups goes through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a good life.  It is very important to work carefully with the breeder. We depend on the breeder’s input together with our years of knowledge to pick out the puppy with the best temperament for a potential new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Clayton, California
Training your new puppy is a mixture of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, encouraging healthy relationships, together with exposing your dog successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all various environments.For example, we have the puppy stay overnight with various people in different environments; which develops a dog for you who is comfortable and easy to live with because he or she can easily adapt|adjusts} to your way of life. Because of this and exposures to other variables your dog easily connects with you and your family members.

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 Clayton, California. Once we choose the pup from the litter, the very first thing we would like to accomplish is building 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, go up and down stairs, walk over various things, and even get somewhat close to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your puppy to the world while enhancing our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet very aware in those moments it is essential to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new pup learns about this new world without the presence of its litter mates or mom.

Most important time for learning
In the first few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no limit as to what we will incorporate into our approaches. Frequently we take advantage of particular areas or objects to create an experience for the pup. At times a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Clayton, California. Our decisions and imagination are limitless. Every exposure and experience builds upon the previous one. Through all of this, we thoroughly observe the puppy. We don’t confine ourselves to rigid rules. We try to get more creative, think outside the box, and benefit from 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 like to think about it as an early investment in the life of this dog. This is the first time away from his or her littermates and living with us in Clayton, 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 time than any other period of time in their lives. The quality and quantity of what they encounter will have a significant effect on their future personalities and determine a number of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the course of the imprinting phase, every experience is critical. It is essential to build their self-confidence. The phrase ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ does not apply to their early interactions. Because puppies are soaking up every experience like a sponge, we need to stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have fun with our new pup.

A Well-Mannered Dog
4 to 6 months 

A well-trained dog is far more than just obedient. Knowing how to sit, stay or walk nicely on a loose leash are very important things to learn. Good manners, great social skills and a healthy relationship with his or her family are critical. Furthermore, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, in addition to being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Clayton, CA is equally important.

Our focus is to raise a puppy with impeccable manners and social skills. We begin by teaching obedience the day we bring them home from the breeder; which continues as we refine the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a stable 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 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 restrict our words when giving commands. We want your dog to understand what we want when we give them the command. When we say ‘come’ or ‘here’ we expect 100% response immediately.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in Clayton, CA
6 months to young adult

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

Working in the Real World in Clayton, California 
We work to prevent any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. For example, we practice recalls when your dog is extremely distracted maybe chasing something as common as a squirrel. We test and proof obedience in high traffic places, 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 situations. We imagine each situation as a picture. How does that look like to the dog? How does that picture differ from day to day or location to location. We are aiming to teach a dog how to cope in every new and various environment or situation. We are raising a puppy that isn’t dependent on continuous commands that control what he or she should and shouldn’t do. In fact, we desire a dog that can make good choices. Our number one priority is to have a well-balanced dog, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to reinforce and refine good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the puppy has been residing with the trainer in their own home. Throughout this time, your puppy will also spend a few days and nights hanging out with another relative or close friend. Providing the dog with this opportunity, encourages your puppy to continue to be confident and comfortable in different surroundings. This ensures those habits and good manners will remain when he or she moves in to your house in Clayton, CA.