Deciding on Your Young puppy
The idea of raising a new young puppy by yourself might be frustrating. You need a dog that will fit in  nicely with your life. Your life in Santa Rosa Valley, California might be stressful, you’ve got a full time schedule, maybe you’re raising a young family, you like to travel or you’ve just retired. We provide a anxiety free experience to add in that  spectacular dog to your life.

The Program Begins With a Assessment
We think it is vital that you know who you will be dealing with. Developing a rapport is incredibly important to our team in Santa Rosa Valley, California. Our conversation begins with simple questions and leads into an thorough 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 great working partnership with you. It begins the journey to pick, teach and raise your puppy.

Finding The Best Breed For Your Family
Once you have determined you want to add that amazing dog to your life in Santa Rosa Valley, California. You have your heart set on a specific breed or maybe you want one of our pups that are presently in our puppy raising program. There certainly are things to consider for example, the type of house you live in, how much you work, maybe you are raising a young family, you you may love to travel or maybe you have recently retired. This information will not limit your options, yet help clarify your life-style in Santa Rosa Valley, CA. We will help guide you in your decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can certainly aid you decide what you want and which breed will best suit your life-style.

Finding The Right Breeder in Santa Rosa Valley, California
We team up with amazing breeders who are truly interested in improving their breed with good health and exceptional temperament of their pups. The first eight weeks of a new puppy’s life are as essential as to what happens after. A excellent breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have established a rapport with many fine breeders. We particularly find breeders who are aware of 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 terrific life.  It’s extremely important to work closely with the breeder. We count on the breeder’s knowledge together with our years of experience to select the puppy with the best temperament for the potential new family.

The Puppy‘s Training in Santa Rosa Valley, California
Training your pup is a mixture of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, fostering healthy relationships, together with exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all types of environments. For instance, we have the puppy stay overnight with different people in different environments; which in turn produces a dog for you who is relaxed and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your way of life. Because of this and exposures to other variables your dog readily bonds with you and your family.

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

Training starts the moment a new puppy is in our hands in Santa Rosa Valley, California. Once we choose the pup 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 while always teaching. Under our close guidance, we start exposing the pup to its new world. For example, getting him or her to follow us, climb stairs, walk over logs, and also get relatively near to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your puppy to the world while strengthening our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet remarkably aware in those moments it is essential to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new pup discovers this new world without the presence 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 may integrate into our methods. Typically we utilize specific spots or objects to create an encounter for the puppy. In some cases a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Santa Rosa Valley, California. Our choices and creativity are unlimited. Every exposure and experience builds on the previous one. Through all of this, we thoroughly observe the puppy. We do not confine ourselves to inflexible rules. We try to become more creative, think outside the box, and make the most of events that unfold before us. Those opportunities are invaluable when it comes to teaching the dog.

Every interaction with the new pup is a teaching moment. We often think of it as an early investment in the life of this pup. This is the first time away from his or her littermates and living with us in Santa Rosa 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 experience will have a significant effect on their future personalities and decide many of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the course of the imprinting period, every experience is crucial. 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 must stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have fun with our new puppy.

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 important things to learn. Good manners, great social skills and a healthy relationship with his or her family are very important. Furthermore, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, along with being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Santa Rosa Valley, 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 improve the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a stable foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, making 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 formalizing commands and proofing them with distractions, duration and distance. Communication is at the center of our philosophy. Being very 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 Rosa Valley, 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 turning into a monster. That nice pup can be more mouthy and disobedient than you could ever imagine. Many owners hope their dog will outgrow unfavorable behaviors. Their dog is testing what is permitted and what is not. Allowing a dog to continue rehearsing naughty acts makes changing unwanted behavior more challenging.

Testing in the Real World in Santa Rosa Valley, 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 perhaps chasing something like a squirrel. We test and proof obedience in high traffic places, 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 him or her 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 every new and various environment or situation. We are raising a puppy that isn’t depending on constant commands that control what he or she should and should not do. Rather, we desire a dog that can make good choices. Our number one goal is to have a well-balanced dog, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to strengthen and refine good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the puppy has been living with the trainer in his/her own home. During this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights hanging out with another loved one or friend. Offering this chance, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in different settings. This makes sure those habits and good manners will stay when he/she moves in to your home in Santa Rosa Valley, CA.