Choosing Your Pup
The idea of raising a new puppy by yourself might be stressful. You need a dog that can fit  nicely with your life style. Your life in Northbrook, Illinois is busy, you may have a full-time profession, 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 in that  spectacular dog to your life.

The Process Begins With a Assessment
We think it is vital that you know who you will be working with. Building a relationship is extremely important to us in Northbrook, Illinois. Our discussion starts with basic questions and leads into an in depth conversation, which will provide us a better idea of who you are and what your dream dog will be. We want to have a fantastic working partnership 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 perfect dog to your life in Northbrook, Illinois. You may have your heart set on a particular breed or maybe you want one of our pups that are presently in our puppy raising program. There are things to take into account for example, where you live, maybe you work full time, maybe you are raising a young family, you love to go on vacation or you’ve recently retired. This information will not reduce your options, but instead help shed light on your life-style in Northbrook, IL. We 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 accommodate your lifestyle.

Choosing The Perfect Breeder in Northbrook, Illinois
We work with responsible breeders who are truly interested in improving their breed with good health and great temperament of their puppies. The initial eight weeks of a new pups life are as critical as to what happens after. A great breeder understands this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have developed a relationship with many great breeders. We specifically pursue breeders who understand the early part they play in a puppies life. They understand when one of their puppies grows through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a wonderful life.  It is incredibly important to work carefully with the breeder. We count on the breeder’s knowledge together with our years of knowledge to select the puppy with the best temperament for the prospective new family.

The Puppy‘s Training in Northbrook, Illinois
Training your puppy is a mixture of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, encouraging healthy relationships, along with exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all different types of environments.Such as, we may have the pup sleep overnight with different people in various settings; which produces a dog for you who is relaxed and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your way of life. As a result of this and exposures to other variables your dog readily connects with you and your family.

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

Training starts the instant a new puppy is in our care in Northbrook, Illinois. Once we decide on 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 even though we’re always teaching. Under our close guidance, we start exposing the pup to its new world. For example, getting him or her to follow us, go up and down stairs, walk over logs, and also get relatively near to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your dog to the world while reinforcing our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet extremely aware in those moments it is imperative to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy discovers this new world without the presence of its litter mates or mom.

Most important time for learning
During the first few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no restriction as to what we will integrate into our approaches. Often we utilize certain spots or objects to create an experience for the pup. In some cases a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Northbrook, Illinois. Our decisions and vision are unlimited. Every exposure and experience builds on the last one. Through all of this, we thoroughly monitor the puppy. We don’t restrict ourselves to stiff rules. We try to become more creative, think outside the box, and take advantage of events that unfold before us. Those opportunities are invaluable when it comes down to teaching the dog.

Every interaction with the new pup is a teaching moment. We like to 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 staying with us in Northbrook, 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 they can learn in a lifetime. 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 course of the imprinting stage, every experience is critical. It is important to build their self-confidence. The phrase ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ does not apply to their early interactions. Because puppies are taking in every experience like a sponge, we must stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have a good time with our new puppy.

A Well-Mannered Dog
4 to 6 months 

A trained pup is far 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 paramount. Additionally, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, in addition to being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Northbrook, IL  is equally important.

Our focus is to raise a puppy with impeccable manners and social skills. We begin 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 strong foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, making it a standard request in our regular routine as well as within each new situation we expose your dog to. We move 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 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 Northbrook, IL
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the normal age when many dogs are re-homed or surrendered to rescues. The adolescent stage can find your sweet pup developing 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 unwanted 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 Northbrook, 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 highly distracted possibly chasing something as common as a squirrel. We practice 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 scenarios. We think of each situation as a picture. How does that look like to the dog? How does that picture differ from day to day or location to location. We are working to teach a dog how to cope in every new and various setting or scenario. We are raising a puppy that isn’t dependent on continuous commands that determine what he or she should and should not do. Instead, we prefer a dog that can make good choices. Our number one priority is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will fit into your home.

We continue to strengthen and fine-tune manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the puppy has been living with the trainer in his or her personal home. During this time, your puppy will also spend a few days and nights staying with another loved one or friend. Giving this chance, encourages your puppy to continue to be confident and comfortable in brand-new surroundings. This ensures those habits and good manners will remain when he moves on to your home in Northbrook, IL.