Selecting Your New Puppy
The thought of raising a new young puppy on your own can be stressful. You hope for a puppy that is going to fit  nicely with your lifestyle. Your life in Hinsdale, Illinois might be chaotic, you’ve got a full-time schedule, a young family, you like to travel or you’ve just retired. We provide a stress free experience to add in that  awesome dog to your life.

The Program Starts With a Assessment
We think it is essential that you know who you will be partnering with. Developing a relationship is very important to us in Hinsdale, Illinois. Our discussion begins with straightforward questions and leads into an thorough discussion, which will provide us a clearer idea of who you are and what your ideal dog will be. We would like to have a fantastic working relationship with you. It starts the journey to decide on, teach and raise your pup.

Selecting The Perfect Breed For Your Home
Once you have made a decision you want to include that perfect dog to your life in Hinsdale, Illinois. You have your heart set on a specific breed or maybe you’re interested in one of our pups that are currently in our puppy raising program. There are things to take into account like the type of house you live in, your schedule, maybe you are raising a  little family, you you may love to go on vacation or maybe you have recently retired. All this will not restrict your choices, but instead help clarify your everyday life in Hinsdale, IL. We will help guide you in the decision making process. As we get to know you better, we can assist you pick what you want and which dog will best suit your life-style.

Finding The Best Breeder in Hinsdale, Illinois
We partner with responsible breeders who are truly interested in improving their breed with good health and great temperament of their pups. The initial eight weeks of a new pups life are as important as to what happens after. A great breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have established a relationship with many exceptional breeders. We particularly find breeders who recognize the early part they play in a puppies life. They understand when one of their pups goes through our program, it ensures the puppy will end up having a excellent life.  It’s incredibly important to work closely with the breeder. We rely on the breeder’s feedback and also our years of expertise to pick out the puppy with the best temperament for the potential new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Hinsdale, Illinois
Training your puppy is a combination of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, fostering healthy relationships, and also exposing your dog successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all different types of environments. For instance, we may have the puppy stay overnight with various people in various settings; which in turn creates a dog for you who is relaxed 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 members.

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

Training starts the minute a new puppy is in our hands in Hinsdale, Illinois. Once we select the puppy 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 puppy to its new world. For example, getting him or her to follow us, go up and down 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 at the same time boosting our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet incredibly aware in those moments it is essential to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy learns about this new world without having the companionship 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 integrate into our approaches. Typically we utilize specific areas or objects to create an encounter for the pup. In some cases a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Hinsdale, Illinois. Our choices and creativity are limitless. Every exposure and experience builds upon the previous one. Through all of this, we thoroughly observe the puppy. We never restrict ourselves to stiff rules. We try to get more creative, think outside the box, and take advantage of occasions that manifest 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 about it as an early investment in the life of this dog. This is the first time away from his or her littermates and living with us in Hinsdale, Illinois. 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 experience will have a huge impact on their future personalities and decide 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 phrase ‘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 dog.

A Well-Mannered Pup
4 to 6 months 

A well-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. Furthermore, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, in addition to having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in Hinsdale, IL  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 refine 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 day-to-day routine as well as within each new situation we expose your dog to. We move from shaping to defining 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 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 immediately.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in Hinsdale, IL
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the typical 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 imagine. Many owners hope their canine 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 undesirable behavior more difficult.

Working in the Real World in Hinsdale, Illinois
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 maybe chasing something as common as a squirrel. We practice and proof obedience in high traffic places, 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 it in various situations. We consider each situation as a picture. What does that look like to the dog? How does that picture shift from day to day or location to location. We are aiming to teach a dog how to adapt in each new and different setting or scenario. We are raising a puppy that isn’t reliant on continuous commands that dictate what he or she should and should not do. In fact, we prefer a dog that can make good choices. Our top goal is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will fit into your home.

We continue to strengthen and fine-tune good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the puppy has been living 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 loved one or close friend. Providing the dog with this chance, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in different environments. This makes sure those habits and good manners will remain when he/she moves in to your house in Hinsdale, IL.