Choosing Your Puppy
The idea of raising a new pup on your own may be stressful. You hope for a doggy that is going to fit  wonderfully with your life. Your life in Lake Bluff, Illinois can be busy, you’ve got a full time job, you may be raising a young family, you may like to travel or may be you just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provide s a stress and anxiety free experience to add that  remarkable dog to your life.

The Program Begins With a Assessment
We know it is essential that you know who you will be dealing with. Establishing a relationship is very important to us in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Our conversation begins with basic questions and leads into an thorough conversation, which will give us a much better idea of who you are and what your dream dog would be. We like to have a great working partnership with you. It begins the journey to decide on, teach and raise your puppy.

Finding The Perfect Breed For Your Household
Once you have made a decision you want to add that perfect dog to your life in Lake Bluff, Illinois. You have your heart set on a certain breed or maybe you’re interested in one of our pups that are currently in our puppy raising program. There are things to take into account including the type of house you live in, how much you work, maybe you are raising a young family, you you may love to go on vacation or maybe you have recently retired. This information will not minimize your choices, but instead help shed light on your everyday life in Lake Bluff, IL. We help guide you in this decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can certainly aid you choose what you want and which breed will best match your lifestyle.

Choosing The Best Breeder in Lake Bluff, Illinois
We team up with responsible breeders who are genuinely interested in improving their breed with good health and excellent temperament of their pups. The first eight weeks of a new puppy’s life are as critical as to what comes after. A good breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have developed a relationship with many great breeders. We specifically seek breeders who know 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 excellent life.  It’s really important to work closely with the breeder. We depend on the breeder’s input together with our years of expertise to select the puppy with the best temperament for the potential new family.

The Puppy‘s Training in Lake Bluff, Illinois
Training your pup is a combo of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, promoting healthy relationships, along with exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all various environments.Such as, we may have the puppy stay overnight with various people in various environments; which in turn produces a dog for you who is relaxed 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.

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

Training starts the instant a new puppy is in our hands in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Once we decide on the pup from the litter, the first thing we would like to achieve is building confidence and a bond with this new puppy. We begin our relationship having fun while 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 logs, and even get relatively near to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your dog to the world while at the same time reinforcing our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet significantly aware in those moments it is essential to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy discovers this new world without the companionship of its litter mates or mom.

Crucial time for learning
In the initial few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no limitation as to what we will incorporate into our approaches. Often we take advantage of particular areas or objects to create an encounter for the pup. Sometimes a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Our choices and imagination are unlimited. Every exposure and experience builds upon the previous one. Through all of this, we closely monitor the puppy. We never confine ourselves to inflexible rules. We try to be more creative, think outside the box, and take advantage 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 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 Lake Bluff, Illinois. 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 decide much of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the imprinting period, every experience is crucial. It is important to build their 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 must stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have fun with our new pup.

A Well-Mannered Pal
4 to 6 months 

A well-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 extremely important. Additionally, desensitization, exposure to various distractions and situations, along with having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in Lake Bluff, IL  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 carries on as we refine the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a solid foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, making it a normal request in our everyday routine in addition to 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 core of our philosophy. Being clear and consistent is key. We limit our words when giving 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 immediately.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in Lake Bluff, IL
6 months to young adult

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

Working in the Real World in Lake Bluff, Illinois
We work to prevent any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction locations. Such as, we practice recalls when your dog is extremely 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 dog goes through the adolescent stage we continue to challenge the dog by putting it in various situations. We think of 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 setting or situation. We are raising a puppy that isn’t depending on ongoing commands that dictate what he or she should and shouldn’t do. In fact, we want a dog that can make great decisions. Our number one priority is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to reinforce and refine good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the puppy has been staying with the dog trainer in their individual home. During this time, your puppy will also spend a few days and nights staying with another family member or friend. Providing the puppy with this opportunity, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in different environments. This ensures those habits and good manners will stay when he/she moves on to your home in Lake Bluff, IL.