Selecting Your New Puppy
The idea of raising a new puppy by yourself is overwhelming. You hope for a doggy that can fit in  beautifully with your daily life. Your life in Brookfield, Connecticut possible is chaotic, you’ve got a full-time job, a new family, you like to travel or you’ve just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provide s a stress free experience to add that  amazing dog to your life.

The Program Starts With a Consultation
We know it’s crucial that you know who you will be teaming up with. Building a relationship is very important to us in Brookfield, Connecticut. Our conversation begins with basic questions and leads into an in detail discussion, which will provide us a much better idea of who you are and what your ideal dog would be. We would like to have a great working partnership with you. It starts the journey to choose, teach and raise your pup.

Picking The Best Breed For Your Household
Once you have decided you are ready to include that amazing dog to your life in Brookfield, Connecticut. You may have your heart set on a particular breed or maybe you want one of our dogs that are currently in our puppy raising program. Certainly there are things to take into consideration including where you live, how much you work, are raising a  little family, you you may love to go on vacation or you’ve recently retired. This information will not limit your choices, yet help clarify your life-style in Brookfield, CT. We help guide you in your decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can help you decide what you want and which dog will best match your lifestyle.

Picking The Perfect Breeder in Brookfield, Connecticut
We work with responsible breeders who are genuinely interested in improving their breed with good health and excellent temperament of their pups. The initial eight weeks of a new pups life are as critical as to what comes after. A good breeder knows this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have developed a rapport with many exceptional breeders. We particularly search out breeders who understand the early role 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 feedback together with our years of expertise to choose the puppy with the best temperament for a potential new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Brookfield, Connecticut
Training your pup is a mixture of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, promoting healthy relationships, in addition to exposing your dog successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all various environments.For example, we may have the puppy sleep overnight with different people in various settings; which develops a dog for you who is comfortable and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your lifestyle. Because of this and exposures to other factors your dog readily connects with you and your family members.

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

Training starts the instant a new puppy is in our hands in Brookfield, Connecticut. Once we select the pup from the litter, the very first thing we wish to achieve 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 puppy 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 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 pup learns about this new world without the company 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 limitation as to what we will incorporate into our methods. Typically we utilize particular places or objects to create an experience for the pup. In some cases a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Brookfield, Connecticut. Our decisions and imagination are endless. Every exposure and experience builds on the prior one. Through all of this, we carefully supervise the puppy. We never limit ourselves to inflexible rules. We try to become more creative, think outside the box, and make use of activities that manifest before us. Those opportunities are invaluable when it comes to teaching the dog.

Every interaction with the new puppy is a teaching moment. We often 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 Brookfield, Connecticut. 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 they can learn in a lifetime. The quality and quantity of what they encounter will have a substantial effect on their future personalities and decide many of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the imprinting phase, every experience is crucial. 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 need to stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have a good time with our new dog.

A Well-Mannered Friend
4 to 6 months 

A trained pup is a lot more than just obedient. Knowing how to sit, stay or walk nicely on a loose leash are important things to learn. Good manners, great social skills and a healthy relationship with his or her family are vital. Additionally, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, in addition to having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in Brookfield, CT  is equally important.

Our focus is to create a dog 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 solid foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, keeping it a standard request in our everyday 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 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 Brookfield, CT
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the usual age when many dogs are re-homed or given up to shelters. The adolescent stage can find your sweet pup becoming a monster. That nice puppy can be more mouthy and disobedient than you could ever think of. Many owners hope their puppy will outgrow 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 difficult.

Testing in the Real World in Brookfield, Connecticut
We work to prevent any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction locations. For instance, 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 spots, 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 him or her in various scenarios. 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 aiming to teach a dog how to cope in every new and various environment or scenario. We are raising a puppy that isn’t reliant on continuous commands that dictate what he or she should and shouldn’t do. Instead, we prefer a dog that can make great choices. Our number one goal is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will fit into your home.

We continue to reinforce and refine good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the puppy has been staying with the trainer in his or her individual home. During this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights staying with another family member or close friend. Providing the puppy with this chance, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in different environments. This ensures those habits and good manners will remain when he goes on to your home in Brookfield, CT.