Selecting Your Young puppy
The idea of raising a new pup by yourself is frustrating. You really want a puppy that will fit  perfectly with your daily life. Your life in El Dorado Hills, California can be hectic, you may have a full time job, you may be raising a new family, you like to travel or you’ve just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provides a worry free experience to add that  incredible dog to your life.

The Process Starts With a Assessment
We know it is important that you know who you will be coordinating with. Establishing a rapport is very important to us in El Dorado Hills, California. Our chat starts with easy questions and leads into an thorough conversation, which will give us a much better idea of who you are and what your perfect dog might be. We would like to have a great working partnership with you. It starts the journey to choose, teach and raise your puppy.

Selecting The Perfect Breed For Your Family
Once you have decided you want to add that perfect dog to your life in El Dorado Hills, California. You may 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. Certainly there are things to think of including where you live, how much you work, are raising a young family, you you may love to travel or maybe you have recently retired. This information will not reduce your options, yet help clarify your everyday life in El Dorado Hills, CA. We help guide you in your decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can aid you decide what you want and which breed will best accommodate your lifestyle.

Selecting The Best Breeder in El Dorado Hills, California
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 follows. A good breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have established a relationship with many fine breeders. We specifically find breeders who understand the early part they play in a puppies life. They know when one of their pups goes through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a good life.  It’s really important to work closely with the breeder. We count on the breeder’s feedback as well as our years of expertise to pick out the puppy with the best temperament for the prospective new family.

The Puppy‘s Training in El Dorado Hills, California
Training your puppy is a mixture of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, nurturing healthy relationships, in addition to exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all different types of environments. For instance, we may have the pup sleep overnight with different 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 way of life. Because of this and exposures to other variables your dog easily bonds with you and your family.

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

Training starts the minute a new puppy is in our hands in El Dorado Hills, California. Once we choose 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 even though we’re 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 various things, and also get relatively near to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your puppy to the world while enhancing our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet remarkably aware in those moments it is essential to concentrate more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy discovers this new world without the companionship of its litter mates or mom.

Most important time for learning
In the first 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 make use of specific spots or objects to create an encounter for the puppy. In some cases a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in El Dorado Hills, California. Our options and imagination are endless. Every exposure and experience builds upon the previous one. Through all of this, we carefully monitor the puppy. We don’t confine ourselves to inflexible 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 living with us in El Dorado 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 time than any other period of time in their lives. The quality and quantity of what they experience will have a huge effect on their future personalities and determine many of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. Throughout the imprinting stage, every experience is critical. It is essential to build their self-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 need to stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have a good time with our new dog.

A Well-Mannered Dog
4 to 6 months 

A well-trained dog is a lot 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 vital. Furthermore, desensitization, exposure to various distractions and situations, along with having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in El Dorado Hills, CA is equally important.

Our focus is to create a puppy with impeccable manners and social skills. We begin by teaching obedience the day we bring them home from the breeder; which continues as we fine-tune the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a strong foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, keeping it a normal request in our regular routine in addition to within each new situation we expose your puppy to. We move 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 immediately.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in El Dorado Hills, CA
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the usual age when many dogs are re-homed or surrendered to animal shelters. The adolescent stage can find your sweet pup becoming a monster. That nice pup can be more mouthy and disobedient than you could ever envision. Many owners hope their dog will grow out of unwanted behaviors. Their dog is testing what is allowed and what is not. Allowing a dog to continue practicing naughty acts makes changing unwanted behavior more difficult.

Working in the Real World in El Dorado Hills, California 
We work to reduce any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. Such as, we practice recalls when your dog is very distracted possibly chasing something like a squirrel. We practice and proof obedience in high traffic locations, around barking dogs, around playgrounds and within public places.

As the dog moves through the adolescent stage we continue to challenge the dog by putting him or her in various situations. We imagine each situation as a picture. How does that look like to the puppy? How does that picture differ from day to day or location to location. We are aiming to teach a dog how to adapt in every new and various setting or scenario. We are raising a dog that isn’t depending on continual commands that determine what he or she should and shouldn’t do. Instead, we desire a dog that can make good choices. Our main priority is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will fit into your home.

We continue to reinforce and fine-tune good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the dog has been staying with the trainer in his or her own home. During this time, your puppy will also spend a few days and nights staying with another loved one or friend. Offering this chance, encourages your puppy to continue to be confident and comfortable in different surroundings. This ensures those habits and good manners will remain when he/she moves on to your home in El Dorado Hills, CA.