WEEKLY TRAINING SCHEDULE

 

AFTER 10 WEEKS THE TRAINING IS OFFERED AT INCREASING LEVELS OF "CROWNS" (I.E. SILVER, GOLD, DIAMOND).  THE TRAINING LEVEL IS  TYPICALLY ACCOMPLISHED IN THE CORRESPONDING WEEKS SHOWN BELOW BUT COULD BE MET SOONER OR MAY AT TIMES TAKE LONGER.  

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Weeks 5-8

• Crate Training (napping in their crates from 6 weeks of age) 

• Potty training started at three weeks of age, foundational training to pellets and dog door  

• Early Socialization, inside readiness, manners including working on house manners, mouthing, and jumping

• Introduction to using front clip harness and leash.

• Introduction to learning with treats and luring into positions for sit, down, place, off, look, touch, and free

• Sensory experiences and exercises to work through fear periods. Introduction to many household sounds and sights; such as vacuums, dishwashers, hair dryers and loud children, etc.  City and outside sounds are introduced and, of course, thunder and lightning.

• Socialization with older dogs and different sizes and shapes of children and adults and costume/disguise parades

• Field trips to the vet, neighbors' horses, and of course, CATS!  

• Grooming to include baths, cutting nails, cleaning ears, brushing teeth, and coat

• Water Introduction through the use of kiddie pools (weather permitting)

• Resource guarding/pack manners 

 

Weeks 8-9

•  Proper collar handling, harness wearing (Dress) and, leash work 

•  Continued harness and leash training – leash movement without chewing

•  Foundational Recall when called

•  "Sit/Stay" cue - learning to increase time on cue using treats/praise

•  "Down" cue - learning to increase time in down position on cue

• "Place" cue - learning to increase time on a raised bed on command

• "Look" and "Touch" with extended attention

• "Off" cue - learning to not jump on people and things

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Weeks 9-10

• Positive reinforcement of cues (sit/stay, down, come, place, wait, off, look, touch, heel, Free, etc.) through exercises and games.

• "Settle" – Dealing with the "Puppy Crazies" and learning to "chill out" as needed

•  Introduction to waiting at doorways – paying attention through passages 

•  Recall and Loose-Leash Walking – learning foundation to walk on a leash with a harness with increased duration.

• "Leave it" – Intro to ignoring objects on the ground when asked

• Daily house visits for manners training

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Weeks 10-11 

• Leash work with an introduction to the Heel Position 

• Recall – Learning to come when called by name

• Positive reinforcement of cues through games and exercises

• Add distractions – Pups are introduced to listening to commands with added distractions

• Several daily house visits for in house manner work

• Sleeping through the night (6-8 hours) in their crate starts at 12 weeks of age

• Individualized training starts, tailored to each puppy's personality

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Week 11-12 (Silver Crown Reserve)

•  Increasing duration for "focus" and "sit/stay" cues

•  Continued learning to focus and walking in heel position.

• Field trips to outside activities/adventures after 2nd vaccine is in place at 12 weeks

•  Manners: Learning to sit politely to be greeted, walking through distractions/crowds.  inside manners including countertop surfing, couch-jumping, etc

•  Problem-Solving Introductions: Barking, Jumping, etc

• Safety: Distraction and focus control. 

• Sleeping through the night (6-8 hours) in their crate starts at 12+ weeks of age

• Continued expectations for stronger potty training skills and dog door use 

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Weeks 14 and Beyond (Gold-Diamond Crown Reserve)

• All of the above will continually be worked on with added duration and experience.

• Living in-home with the trainers on a nightly basis.  Sleeping in a crate for up to 8 hours at night with no whining or accidents.

• Increase distance and duration with cues for obedience and loose leash walking

• Distractions increased at local stores, parks/public areas, while still performing learned commands.

• Driving in vehicles with increased time and exposure

• Training on and off-leash, indoors and outdoors

• Commands worked with distractions and advanced training (will vary per dog)

 

Cues: SIT/STAY, DOWN, COME, LOOK, TOUCH, PLACE, HEEL, WAIT, OFF, SETTLE, GET IT/BRING IT/GIVE IT/ DROP IT, LEAVE IT

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Puppies 16 weeks of age or older will have what they need to be certified Canine Good Citizen (CGC).  Some will already be certified.

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Added and Extended Cues beyond 16 weeks (as requested) and for Service/therapy candidate puppies: (Additional fees will apply)

Sit/Stay, Down, Look, Touch, Come, Off, Wait, Up (Hug), Place, Car, Let's Go,

Lap*, Kennel*, Visit*, Here*, Nudge*, Get it/Bring it Here/Give, Drop it*, Lay On*, Shake*, Roll*, Jump On*, Tug*, Go Get Help*, Stand*, Stronger Heel, etc. 

*Commands can always be tailored to your specific needs as applicable and will vary per dog.

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 IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PUPPY AS A SERVICE TRAINING CANDIDATE, WE OFTEN CHOOSE THOSE FROM OUR 14-WEEK-OLD PUPPIES OR OLDER. AFTER OBEDIENCE TRAINING HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND PUPPIES HAVE HAD A FULL EVALUATION FOR EFFECTIVENESS/TRAITS NEEDED FOR SERVICE TRAINING.

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Please contact us for more information about our professional training program. 

Every dog deserves to be a good dog!