Deciding on Your Puppy
The thought of raising a new young puppy on your own can be frustrating. You need a pup that can match  nicely with your life-style. Your life in Lyme, Connecticut might be hectic, you may have a full-time job, a new family, you may like to travel or may be you just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provide s a anxiety free experience to add that  spectacular dog to your life.

The Program Starts With a Assessment
We think it’s crucial that you know who you will be working with. Building a relationship is exceptionally important to us in Lyme, Connecticut. Our chat begins with easy questions and leads into an thorough conversation, which will provide us a much better idea of who you are and what your dream dog will be. We would like to have a great working partnership with you. It starts the journey to select, teach and raise your pup.

Finding The Best Breed For Your Family
Once you have determined you want to add that perfect dog to your life in Lyme, Connecticut. You have your heart set on a certain breed or maybe you want one of our dogs that are currently in our puppy raising program. There certainly are things to think about like the type of house you live in, your schedule, maybe you are raising a young family, you love to travel or maybe you have recently retired. All this will not minimize your choices, yet help shed light on your everyday life in Lyme, CT. We help guide you in the decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can certainly assist you decide what you want and which breed will best fit your lifestyle.

Picking The Best Breeder in Lyme, Connecticut
We work with responsible breeders who are truly interested in improving their breed with good health and exceptional temperament of their puppies. The initial eight weeks of a new pups life are as significant as to what comes after. A good breeder understands this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have developed a rapport with many exquisite breeders. We particularly seek breeders who recognize 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 terrific life.  It’s quite important to work carefully with the breeder. We count on the breeder’s feedback in addition to our years of knowledge to choose the puppy with the best temperament for the prospective new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Lyme, Connecticut
Training your dog is a combo of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, promoting healthy relationships, along with exposing your dog successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all types of environments.Such as, we may have the pup sleep overnight with various people in different settings; 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 bonds with you and your family.

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

Training starts the moment a new puppy is in our hands in Lyme, Connecticut. Once we decide on the pup from the litter, the first thing we would like 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 begin exposing the pup to its new world. For instance, getting him or her to follow us, climb stairs, walk over logs, and even get somewhat near to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your puppy to the world while boosting our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet significantly aware in those moments it is imperative to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new pup learns about this new world without having the presence of its litter mates or mom.

Most important time for learning
During 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 take advantage of specific locations or objects to create an encounter for the pup. At times a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Lyme, Connecticut. Our options and vision are limitless. Every exposure and experience builds on the previous one. Through all of this, we very closely monitor the puppy. We never confine ourselves to rigid rules. We try to become more creative, think outside the box, and benefit from activities that unfold before us. Those opportunities are invaluable when it comes down to teaching the pup.

Every interaction with the new puppy is a teaching moment. We like to think of it as an early investment in the life of this puppy. This is the first time away from their littermates and staying with us in Lyme, 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 significant influence on their future personalities and decide many of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. Throughout the imprinting period, every experience is critical. It is important 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 must stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have fun with our new puppy.

A Well-Mannered Dog
4 to 6 months 

A well-trained puppy is so much more than just obedient. Knowing how to sit, stay or walk nicely on a loose leash are necessary things to learn. Good manners, great social skills and a healthy relationship with his or her family are extremely important. Furthermore, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, in addition to being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Lyme, CT  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 carries on as we refine the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a stable 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 clear and consistent is key. We restrict 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 Lyme, 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 shelters. The adolescent stage can find your sweet pup developing into a monster. That nice puppy can be more mouthy and disobedient than you could ever picture. Many owners hope their canine 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 undesirable behavior more difficult.

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

As the dog goes through the adolescent stage we continue to challenge the dog by putting it in various scenarios. 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 striving to teach a dog how to adapt in each new and different environment or scenario. We are raising a dog that isn’t depending on continual commands that dictate what he or she should and should not do. In fact, we desire a dog that can make good choices. Our top priority is to have a well-balanced dog, who will fit into your home.

We continue to reinforce and fine-tune manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the dog has been living with the dog trainer in his/her personal home. During this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights staying with another relative or close friend. Providing the puppy with this chance, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in different settings. This makes sure those habits and good manners will stay when he moves in to your house in Lyme, CT.