Choosing Your Pup
The thought of raising a new pup by yourself may be overwhelming. You hope for a puppy that can match  nicely with your everyday life. Your life in Santa Clara, California is fast paced, you may have a full time job, you may be raising a young family, you may like to travel or you’ve just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provides a worry free experience to add that  awesome dog to your life.

The Program Begins With a Assessment
We know it’s crucial that you know who you will be coordinating with. Establishing a rapport is incredibly important to our company in Santa Clara, California. Our conversation starts with easy questions and leads into an detailed discussion, which will provide us a better idea of who you are and what your dream dog might be. We want to have a wonderful working partnership with you. It starts the journey to choose, teach and raise your pup.

Finding The Best Breed For Your Household
Once you have made a decision you are ready to add that amazing dog to your life in Santa Clara, California. You may have your heart set on a particular breed or maybe you want one of our dogs that are currently in our puppy raising program. There are things to take into account for example, where you live, your schedule, maybe you are raising a  little family, you love to go on vacation or you’ve recently retired. This information will not minimize your options, but instead help shed light on your way of life in Santa Clara, CA. We will help guide you in the decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can assist you decide what you want and which breed will best match your life-style.

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

We have developed a rapport with many great breeders. We specifically search out breeders who recognize the early role they play in a puppies life. They know when one of their puppies grows through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a wonderful life.  It’s quite important to work carefully with the breeder. We count on the breeder’s knowledge together with our years of experience to pick out the puppy with the best temperament for the prospective new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Santa Clara, California
Training your dog is a combination of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, fostering 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 may 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. Because 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 moment a new puppy is in our hands in Santa Clara, California. Once we decide on the pup from the litter, the first thing we wish to achieve 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 pup to its new world. Such as, getting him or her to follow us, climb stairs, walk over various things, and maybe even get relatively 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, yet incredibly aware in those moments it is imperative to concentrate more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy discovers this new world without having the presence 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 limit as to what we will integrate into our approaches. Often we make use of particular locations or objects to create an encounter for the puppy. In some cases a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Santa Clara, California. Our decisions and vision are unlimited. Every exposure and experience builds on the previous one. Through all of this, we very closely observe the puppy. We never limit ourselves to inflexible rules. We try to become more creative, think outside the box, and benefit from events that unfold before us. Those opportunities are invaluable when it comes to teaching the puppy.

Every interaction with the new puppy is a teaching moment. We like to consider 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 Santa Clara, 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 they can learn in a lifetime. 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. During the course of the imprinting phase, every experience is critical. It is important 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 must stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have a good time with our new pup.

A Well-Mannered Friend
4 to 6 months 

A well-trained dog is a lot 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 paramount. Furthermore, desensitization, exposure to various distractions and situations, in addition to having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in Santa Clara, 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 carries on as we improve the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a solid foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, keeping it a normal request in our day-to-day routine as well as within each new situation we expose your puppy to. We go from shaping to formalizing commands and proofing them with distractions, duration and distance. Communication is at the center of our philosophy. Being clear and consistent is key. We restrict our words when providing 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 right away.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in Santa Clara, 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 animal 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 think of. Many owners hope their dog will grow out of unfavorable 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.

Testing in the Real World in Santa Clara, California 
We work to reduce any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. Such as, we practice recalls when your dog is extremely distracted maybe chasing something like a squirrel. We practice 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 it in various situations. We consider each situation as a picture. What does that look like to the dog? How does that picture differ from day to day or location to location. We are striving to teach a dog how to cope in each new and various setting or scenario. We are raising a dog that isn’t reliant on continual commands that dictate what he or she should and should not do. Instead, we want a dog that can make good choices. Our top goal is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will fit into your home.

We continue to strengthen and refine manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the puppy has been living with the dog trainer in his/her personal home. During this time, your puppy will also spend a few days and nights staying with another relative or friend. Providing the puppy with this opportunity, encourages your puppy to continue to be confident and comfortable in brand-new settings. This ensures those habits and good manners will remain when he moves on to your home in Santa Clara, CA.