Picking Your New Puppy
The idea of raising a new puppy on your own can be overwhelming. You need a doggy that will match  nicely with your daily life. Your life in Ridgefield, Connecticut possible is hectic, you may have a full time schedule, you may be raising a young family, you may like to travel or may be you just retired. We provide a worry free experience to add that  outstanding dog to your life.

The Experience Starts With a Assessment
We know it’s vital that you know who you will be working with. Building a relationship is very important to our team in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Our conversation starts with basic questions and leads into an detailed discussion, which will provide 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 begins the journey to choose, teach and raise your pup.

Finding The Perfect Breed For Your Family
Once you have made a decision you want to add that amazing dog to your life in Ridgefield, Connecticut. You have your heart set on a certain breed or maybe you want one of our dogs that are presently in our puppy raising program. Certainly there are things to consider including the type of house you live in, your schedule, maybe you are raising a  little family, you you may love to travel or maybe you have recently retired. All this will not minimize your options, but instead help shed light on your daily life in Ridgefield, CT. We help guide you in this decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can certainly aid you pick what you want and which puppy will best suit your life-style.

Finding The Perfect Breeder in Ridgefield, Connecticut
We collaborate with amazing 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 puppy’s life are as important as to what comes after. A good breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have established a rapport 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 grows through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a great life.  It is extremely important to work closely with the breeder. We rely on the breeder’s input along with our years of expertise to pick out the puppy with the best temperament for the prospective new family.

The Puppy‘s Training in Ridgefield, Connecticut
Training your puppy is a mixture of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, promoting 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 have the pup sleep overnight with different people in various environments; which in turn creates a dog for you who is comfortable and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your way of life. As a result of this and exposures to other variables your dog readily connects with you and your family.

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

Training starts the moment a new puppy is in our care in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Once we select the puppy from the litter, the first thing we want to achieve is developing 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 pup to its new world. For instance, getting him or her to follow us, climb stairs, walk over branches, and maybe even get relatively 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 pup learns about this new world without having the company of its litter mates or mom.

The Essential time for learning
During the initial few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no restriction as to what we will incorporate into our strategies. Typically we use certain places or objects to create an encounter for the pup. Sometimes a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Our decisions and vision are unlimited. Every exposure and experience builds upon the previous one. Through all of this, we thoroughly supervise the puppy. We never restrict ourselves to rigid rules. We try to get more creative, think outside the box, and make use of activities that unfold before us. Those opportunities are priceless 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 dog. This is the first time away from their littermates and staying with us in Ridgefield, 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 time than they can learn in a lifetime. The quality and quantity of what they encounter will have a huge effect on their future personalities and determine a lot of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the imprinting period, every experience is vital. 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 taking in every experience like a sponge, we need to stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have fun with our new puppy.

A Well-Mannered Puppy
4 to 6 months 

A trained dog is much 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, in addition to being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Ridgefield, CT  is equally important.

Our focus is to create a dog 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 normal request in our day-to-day routine as well as within each new situation we expose your dog to. We go from shaping to defining 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 mean 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 Ridgefield, CT
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the typical age when many dogs are re-homed or given up to rescues. 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 envision. Many owners hope their dog will outgrow unfavorable behaviors. Their dog is testing what is permitted and what is not. Allowing a dog to continue practicing naughty acts makes changing unwanted behavior more difficult.

Working in the Real World in Ridgefield, Connecticut
We work to stop 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 as common as a squirrel. We test and proof obedience in high traffic locations, around barking dogs, near 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 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 adapt in every new and various setting or scenario. We are raising a puppy that isn’t reliant on continuous commands that control what he or she should and should not do. Rather, we want a dog that can make great decisions. Our number one goal is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will fit into your home.

We continue to strengthen and refine good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the dog has been living with the dog trainer in his or her personal home. During this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights hanging out with another loved one or friend. Providing the dog with this opportunity, encourages your puppy to continue to be confident and comfortable in new surroundings. This ensures those habits and good manners will stay when he or she moves in to your home in Ridgefield, CT.