Selecting Your New Puppy
The thought of raising a new puppy by yourself can be overwhelming. You need a doggy that can match  wonderfully with your life-style. Your life in Portola Valley, California might be chaotic, you may have a full time job, you may be raising a new family, you may like to travel or may be you just retired. We provide a anxiety free experience to add that  incredible dog to your life.

The Experience Begins With a Assessment
We know it’s very important that you know who you will be dealing with. Building a relationship is tremendously important to us in Portola Valley, California. Our talk starts with basic questions and leads into an in depth discussion, which will give us a much better idea of who you are and what your ideal dog will be. We want to have a excellent working relationship with you. It begins the journey to decide on, teach and raise your puppy.

Picking The Best Breed For Your Household
Once you have decided you are ready to add that amazing dog to your life in Portola Valley, California. You have your heart set on a specific 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 like where you live, your schedule, are raising a  little family, you you may love to go on vacation or maybe you have recently retired. This information will not restrict your choices, yet help clarify your daily life in Portola Valley, CA. We help guide you in the decision making process. As we get to know you better, we can certainly assist you pick what you want and which breed will best accommodate your lifestyle.

Selecting The Best Breeder in Portola Valley, California
We work with responsible breeders who are genuinely interested in improving their breed with good health and fantastic temperament of their pups. The first eight weeks of a new pups life are as significant as to what follows. A excellent breeder is aware of this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have built a relationship with many great breeders. We particularly find breeders who understand the early part they play in a puppies life. They know when one of their pups grows 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 rely on the breeder’s knowledge along with our years of expertise to select the puppy with the best temperament for the potential new family.

The Puppy‘s Training in Portola Valley, California
Training your new puppy is a mixture of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, promoting healthy relationships, in addition to exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all various environments.Such as, we may have the pup stay overnight with various people in various environments; which develops a dog for you who is relaxed and easy to live with because he or she can easily adapt|adjusts} to your lifestyle. As a result of this and exposures to other factors your dog easily connects with you and your family.

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

Training starts the instant a new puppy is in our care in Portola Valley, California. Once we pick the puppy from the litter, the first thing we would like to achieve is developing 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 begin exposing the puppy to its new world. For example, getting him or her to follow us, go up and down stairs, walk over branches, and also get somewhat close 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 extremely aware in those moments it is essential to concentrate more on being a leader and guide as the new pup learns about this new world without having the company of its litter mates or mom.

The Essential 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 will integrate into our techniques. Frequently we make use of specific areas or objects to create an encounter for the puppy. In some cases a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Portola Valley, California. Our choices and creativity are limitless. Every exposure and experience builds upon the prior one. Through all of this, we very closely observe the puppy. We never restrict ourselves to inflexible rules. We try to be more creative, think outside the box, and benefit from occasions that unfold before us. Those opportunities are priceless when it comes to teaching the dog.

Every interaction with the new puppy is a teaching moment. We like to consider it as an early investment in the life of this dog. This is the first time away from their littermates and living with us in Portola Valley, 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 encounter will have a significant influence on their future personalities and decide much of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. Throughout the imprinting stage, every experience is crucial. 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 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 Dog
4 to 6 months 

A trained dog 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 important. In addition, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, along with having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in Portola Valley, CA is equally important.

Our focus is to create a puppy with remarkable manners and social skills. We start by teaching obedience the day we bring them home from the breeder; which continues as we improve the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a strong foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, keeping it a regular request in our daily routine as well as 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 center of our philosophy. Being very clear and consistent is key. We limit 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 Portola Valley, CA
6 months to young adult

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

Working in the Real World in Portola Valley, California 
We work to prevent any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. For instance, we practice recalls when your dog is highly distracted possibly chasing something as common as a squirrel. We test and proof obedience in high traffic locations, around barking dogs, around playgrounds and within public places.

As the puppy goes through the adolescent stage we continue to challenge the dog by putting it in various situations. We consider each situation as a picture. What does that look like to the puppy? How does that picture differ from day to day or location to location. We are striving to teach a dog how to adapt in each new and various environment or situation. We are raising a puppy that isn’t depending on continual commands that control what he or she should and should not do. Rather, we prefer a dog that can make great choices. Our top priority is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to reinforce and fine-tune manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the dog has been living with the trainer in his or her own home. During this time, your puppy will also spend a few days and nights hanging out with another family member or friend. Providing the puppy with this opportunity, encourages your puppy to continue to be confident and comfortable in different environments. This makes sure those habits and good manners will remain when he or she goes on to your house in Portola Valley, CA.