Choosing Your Young puppy
The thought of raising a new pup by yourself may be stressful. You hope for a puppy that can match  very well with your way of life. Your life in Lake Almanor West, California is fast paced, you’ve got a full time profession, you may be raising a young family, you may like to travel or may be you just retired. We provide a worry free experience to add that  incredible dog to your life.

The Program Starts With a Consultation
We know it is vital that you know who you will be partnering with. Establishing a rapport is exceptionally important to our team in Lake Almanor West, California. Our chat starts with easy questions and leads into an in detail discussion, which will provide us a much better idea of who you are and what your dream dog would be. We want to have a fantastic working relationship with you. It begins the journey to choose, teach and raise your puppy.

Picking The Best Breed For Your Home
Once you have decided you want to include that amazing dog to your life in Lake Almanor West, California. You may have your heart set on a certain breed or maybe you want one of our pups that are presently in our puppy raising program. There certainly are things to think about like the type of house you live in, maybe you work full time, are raising a young family, you you may love to travel or maybe you have recently retired. All this will not limit your choices, but instead help shed light on your everyday life in Lake Almanor West, CA. We help guide you in the decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can aid you choose what you want and which breed will best match your life-style.

Picking The Right Breeder in Lake Almanor West, California
We collaborate with responsible breeders who are truly interested in improving their breed with good health and great temperament of their pups. The initial eight weeks of a new pups life are as essential as to what follows. A great breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have developed a rapport with many amazing breeders. We particularly seek breeders who recognize the early part they play in a puppies life. They understand when one of their pups grows through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a wonderful life.  It’s very important to work closely with the breeder. We count on the breeder’s knowledge together with our years of expertise to choose the puppy with the best temperament for the potential new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Lake Almanor West, California
Training your puppy is a mixture of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, promoting healthy relationships, together with exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all various environments. For instance, we may have the pup stay overnight with different people in different environments; which in turn develops a dog for you who is comfortable and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your lifestyle. Because of this and exposures to other factors 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 moment a new puppy is in our hands in Lake Almanor West, California. Once we select the puppy from the litter, the very first thing we want to accomplish is building confidence and a bond with this new puppy. We start our relationship having fun even though we’re always teaching. Under our close guidance, we start exposing the puppy to its new world. For example, getting him or her to follow us, climb stairs, walk over branches, and also get relatively near to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your dog to the world while at the same time building up our bond. We are huge dog lovers, but still significantly aware in those moments it is essential to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy learns about this new world without the company of its litter mates or mom.

Most important time for learning
During the initial few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no limitation as to what we may integrate into our techniques. Often we utilize particular locations or objects to create an experience for the pup. In some cases a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Lake Almanor West, California. Our options and creativity are endless. Every exposure and experience builds on the previous one. Through all of this, we carefully observe the puppy. We never confine ourselves to rigid rules. We try to be more creative, think outside the box, and make the most of events that manifest before us. Those opportunities are priceless when it comes to teaching the dog.

Every interaction with the new puppy is a teaching moment. We often think about it as an early investment in the life of this dog. This is the first time away from their littermates and staying with us in Lake Almanor West, 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 a number of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the imprinting period, every experience is important. It is essential to build their confidence. The expression ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ does not apply to their early interactions. Because puppies are taking in 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 Pup
4 to 6 months 

A trained puppy is 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 vital. Additionally, desensitization, exposure to various distractions and situations, as well as having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in Lake Almanor West, CA is equally important.

Our focus is to create a puppy with impeccable manners and social skills. We start 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 strong foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, keeping it a normal request in our regular routine as well as within each new situation we expose your dog to. We go from shaping to defining commands and proofing 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 right away.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in Lake Almanor West, CA
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the normal age when many dogs are re-homed or surrendered to shelters. The adolescent stage can find your sweet pup turning into a monster. That nice puppy can be more mouthy and disobedient than you could ever picture. Many owners hope their puppy 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 challenging.

Testing in the Real World in Lake Almanor West, California 
We work to prevent any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction areas. For instance, 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, 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. What does that look like to the puppy? How does that picture change from day to day or location to location. We are working to teach a dog how to adapt in every new and various setting or situation. We are raising a puppy that isn’t dependent on continuous commands that dictate what he or she should and shouldn’t do. Rather, we desire 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 good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the dog has been residing with the trainer in his or her personal home. During this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights staying with another relative or friend. Giving this opportunity, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in new settings. This makes sure those habits and good manners will stay when he or she moves in to your home in Lake Almanor West, CA.