Choosing Your Pup
The thought of raising a new young puppy by yourself may be overwhelming. You hope for a pup that can match  beautifully with your life. Your life in Essex, Connecticut possible is stressful, you’ve got a full-time job, maybe you’re raising a new family, you like to travel or you’ve just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provide s a worry free experience to add in that  awesome dog to your life.

The Program Begins With a Consultation
We think it is important that you know who you will be dealing with. Developing a rapport is tremendously important to us in Essex, Connecticut. Our conversation starts with simple questions and leads into an in detail discussion, which will give us a much better idea of who you are and what your perfect dog might be. We want to have a excellent working partnership with you. It starts the journey to choose, teach and raise your puppy.

Finding The Perfect Breed For Your Home
Once you have determined you want to include that amazing dog to your life in Essex, Connecticut. You have your heart set on a certain breed or maybe you’re interested in one of our dogs that are currently in our puppy raising program. There are things to take into account for example, the type of house you live in, how much you work, maybe you are raising a young family, you love to travel or you’ve recently retired. All this will not minimize your choices, yet help shed light on your everyday life in Essex, CT. We will help guide you in this decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can certainly assist you choose what you want and which puppy will best suit your lifestyle.

Picking The Perfect Breeder in Essex, Connecticut
We team up with responsible breeders who are genuinely interested in improving their breed with good health and fantastic temperament of their pups. The first eight weeks of a new pups life are as crucial as to what comes after. A excellent breeder is aware of this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have established a relationship with many great breeders. We particularly find breeders who recognize the early role they play in a puppies life. They know when one of their puppies goes through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a fantastic life.  It is quite important to work closely with the breeder. We depend on the breeder’s feedback along with our years of experience to select the puppy with the best temperament for a potential new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Essex, Connecticut
Training your new puppy is a mixture of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, nurturing healthy relationships, in addition to exposing your dog successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all types of environments.For example, we have the pup stay overnight with various people in different environments; which creates a dog for you who is comfortable and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your way of life. Because of this and exposures to other factors 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 hands in Essex, Connecticut. Once we select the pup from the litter, the first thing we wish to accomplish is building confidence and a bond with this new puppy. We start our relationship having fun while 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 logs, and maybe even get somewhat near to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your dog to the world while strengthening our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet incredibly aware in those moments it is imperative to concentrate 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 first few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no limit as to what we may integrate into our methods. Often we utilize specific areas or objects to create an encounter for the puppy. Sometimes a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Essex, Connecticut. Our decisions and creativity are unlimited. Every exposure and experience builds upon the last one. Through all of this, we thoroughly supervise the puppy. We do not confine ourselves to stiff rules. We try to be more creative, think outside the box, and take advantage of events that manifest before us. Those opportunities are invaluable when it comes to teaching the puppy.

Every interaction with the new pup 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 Essex, 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 any other period of time in their lives. The quality and quantity of what they experience will have a massive impact on their future personalities and determine a lot of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. Throughout the imprinting stage, every experience is vital. It is essential to build their self-confidence. The expression ‘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 Pup
4 to 6 months 

A trained dog is far 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 paramount. In addition, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, along with being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Essex, CT  is equally important.

Our focus is to raise a puppy with impeccable manners and social skills. We start 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 regular request in our everyday routine as well as within each new situation we expose your puppy to. We go from shaping to formalizing commands and testing them with distractions, duration and distance. Communication is at the core of our philosophy. Being very clear and consistent is key. We restrict our words when providing commands. We want your dog to understand what we mean when we give them the command. When we say ‘come’ or ‘here’ we expect 100% response immediately.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in Essex, CT
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 developing into a monster. That nice pup can be more mouthy and disobedient than you could ever envision. Many owners hope their canine will grow out of undesirable 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.

Testing in the Real World in Essex, Connecticut
We work to reduce any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction areas. For instance, we practice recalls when your dog is extremely distracted perhaps chasing something like a squirrel. We practice and proof obedience in high traffic places, around barking dogs, around playgrounds and within public places.

As the puppy 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 dog? How does that picture shift from day to day or location to location. We are working to teach a dog how to cope in each new and different setting or scenario. We are raising a dog that isn’t reliant on ongoing commands that control what he or she should and should not do. In fact, we want a dog that can make good choices. Our main goal is to have a well-balanced dog, who will be comfortable 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 residing with the dog trainer in his or her individual home. Throughout this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights staying with another relative or close friend. Giving this opportunity, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in different areas. This makes sure those habits and good manners will remain when he/she moves on to your house in Essex, CT.