Picking Your Young puppy
The idea of raising a new puppy on your own can be frustrating. You need a doggy that will fit  beautifully with your life style. Your life in Agoura Hills, California may be hectic, you’ve got a full-time profession, maybe you’re raising a young family, you like to travel or may be you just retired. We provide a anxiety free experience to add that  spectacular dog to your life.

The Process Starts With a Assessment
We know it is vital that you know who you will be working with. Building a rapport is very important to us in Agoura Hills, California. Our conversation begins with easy questions and leads into an in depth discussion, which will give us a much better idea of who you are and what your perfect dog will be. We would like to have a great working relationship with you. It starts the journey to choose, teach and raise your pup.

Choosing The Best Breed For Your Family
Once you have decided you are ready to include that perfect dog to your life in Agoura Hills, California. You may have your heart set on a particular breed or maybe you want one of our dogs that are presently in our puppy raising program. Certainly there are things to consider such as the type of house you live in, how much you work, are raising a  little family, you love to go on vacation or you’ve recently retired. This information will not minimize your choices, yet help clarify your way of life in Agoura Hills, CA. We help guide you in this decision making process. As we get to know you better, we can help you pick what you want and which breed will best accommodate your life-style.

Choosing The Right Breeder in Agoura Hills, California
We partner with amazing breeders who are genuinely interested in improving their breed with good health and great temperament of their puppies. The initial eight weeks of a new puppy’s life are as vital as to what follows. A good breeder is aware of this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have established a rapport with many exquisite breeders. We specifically find breeders who are aware of the early part they play in a puppies life. They know when one of their pups grows through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a fantastic life.  It’s quite important to work carefully with the breeder. We rely on the breeder’s knowledge along with our years of knowledge to pick the puppy with the best temperament for a potential new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Agoura Hills, California
Training your new puppy is a combo of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, fostering healthy relationships, in addition to exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all types of environments.For example, we may have the pup stay overnight with various people in different environments; which creates a dog for you who is relaxed and easy to live with because he or she can easily adapt|adjusts} to your lifestyle. 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 care in Agoura Hills, California. Once we decide on the pup from the litter, the first thing we would like to accomplish is developing confidence and a bond with this new puppy. We begin our relationship having fun even though we’re always teaching. Under our close guidance, we start exposing the puppy to its new world. For instance, getting him or her to follow us, go up and down stairs, walk over branches, and also get relatively near 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 extremely 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 having the presence of its litter mates or mom.

The Essential time for learning
In the initial few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no limit as to what we may incorporate into our methods. Often we use certain places or objects to create an encounter for the puppy. Occasionally a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Agoura Hills, California. Our options and creativity are unlimited. Every exposure and experience builds on the prior one. Through all of this, we very closely supervise the puppy. We do not confine ourselves to stiff rules. We try to get more creative, think outside the box, and make the most of occasions that unfold before us. Those opportunities are priceless when it comes to teaching the pup.

Every interaction with the new pup is a teaching moment. We often think about it as an early investment in the life of this dog. This is the first time away from their littermates and staying with us in Agoura Hills, 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 encounter will have a huge impact on their future personalities and determine many of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. Throughout the imprinting phase, every experience is important. It is essential to build their 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 pup.

A Well-Mannered Puppy
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 very important things to learn. Good manners, great social skills and a healthy relationship with his or her family are critical. Furthermore, desensitization, exposure to various distractions and situations, in addition to being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Agoura Hills, 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 solid foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, keeping it a regular request in our daily 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 very clear and consistent is key. We limit our words when giving 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 Agoura Hills, CA
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 turning into a monster. That nice pup can be more mouthy and disobedient than you could ever picture. Many owners hope their puppy will outgrow unwanted 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.

Working in the Real World in Agoura Hills, California 
We work to stop any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. For instance, we practice recalls when your dog is highly distracted perhaps chasing something as common as 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 him or her in various situations. We consider 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 every new and different setting or scenario. We are raising a puppy that isn’t reliant on constant commands that control what he or she should and shouldn’t do. Instead, we desire a dog that can make great choices. Our main goal is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to reinforce and refine manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the dog has been living with the trainer in his/her personal home. Throughout this time, your puppy will also spend a few days and nights hanging out with another loved one or close friend. Offering this chance, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in new environments. This makes sure those habits and good manners will stay when he or she moves on to your home in Agoura Hills, CA.