Choosing Your New Puppy
The idea of raising a new young puppy on your own might be overwhelming. You hope for a doggy that can match  beautifully with your daily life. Your life in Inverness, Illinois might be chaotic, you may have a full time schedule, you may be raising a new family, you like to travel or you’ve just retired. We provide a stress and anxiety free experience to add that  awesome dog to your life.

The Experience Begins With a Assessment
We know it is essential that you know who you will be working with. Establishing a relationship is tremendously important to our team in Inverness, Illinois. Our discussion starts with simple questions and leads into an in detail conversation, which will provide us a clearer idea of who you are and what your ideal dog would be. We would like to have a fantastic working partnership with you. It begins the journey to choose, teach and raise your puppy.

Finding The Best Breed For Your Family
Once you have determined you want to include that amazing dog to your life in Inverness, Illinois. You have your heart set on a specific breed or maybe you want one of our pups that are currently in our puppy raising program. There certainly are things to take into consideration including the type of house you live in, how much you work, maybe you are raising a young family, you love to go on vacation or maybe you have recently retired. All this will not reduce your choices, but instead help shed light on your everyday life in Inverness, IL. We help guide you in this decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can certainly help you pick what you want and which breed will best fit your lifestyle.

Selecting The Right Breeder in Inverness, Illinois
We team up with amazing 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 puppy’s life are as critical as to what comes after. A great breeder understands this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have built a relationship with many amazing breeders. We particularly seek breeders who are aware of the early role 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 is really important to work carefully with the breeder. We depend on the breeder’s input and also our years of experience to pick the puppy with the best temperament for the prospective new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Inverness, Illinois
Training your pup is a mixture of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, encouraging healthy relationships, along with exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all types of environments.For example, we may have the puppy sleep overnight with various people in various environments; which develops a dog for you who is relaxed and easy to live with because he or she can easily adapt|adjusts} to your lifestyle. As a result of this and exposures to other variables your dog readily bonds with you and your family members.

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

Training starts the minute a new puppy is in our hands in Inverness, Illinois. Once we choose the pup from the litter, the very 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 puppy to its new world. Such as, getting him or her to follow us, go up and down stairs, walk over logs, and maybe even get somewhat close to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your puppy to the world while enhancing our bond. We are huge dog lovers, but still significantly aware in those moments it is essential to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new pup discovers this new world without the company 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 restriction as to what we may incorporate into our techniques. Typically we take advantage of certain spots or objects to create an experience for the pup. At times a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Inverness, Illinois. Our options and creativity are limitless. Every exposure and experience builds upon the previous one. Through all of this, we very closely monitor the puppy. We do not limit ourselves to rigid 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 down to teaching the dog.

Every interaction with the new puppy is a teaching moment. We often think about 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 Inverness, 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 any other period of time in their lives. The quality and quantity of what they encounter will have a significant impact on their future personalities and determine a number of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the imprinting stage, every experience is critical. 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 soaking up every experience like a sponge, we must stay very aware of all interactions and yet still have a good time with our new pup.

A Well-Mannered Friend
4 to 6 months 

A trained pup is so 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 vital. In addition, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, in addition to being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Inverness, IL  is equally important.

Our focus is to raise 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 refine the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a strong foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, making it a standard request in our everyday 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 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 Inverness, IL
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 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 imagine. Many owners hope their dog will grow out of unfavorable 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.

Working in the Real World in Inverness, Illinois
We work to stop any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. For instance, we practice recalls when your dog is very distracted possibly chasing something as common as a squirrel. We practice and proof obedience in high traffic spots, around barking dogs, near 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 dog? 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 dog that isn’t reliant on continual commands that dictate what he or she should and should not do. Rather, we want a dog that can make great choices. Our number one priority is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to strengthen and improve good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the puppy has been living with the trainer in his or her personal home. Throughout 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 puppy to continue to be confident and comfortable in different settings. This ensures those habits and good manners will remain when he moves on to your home in Inverness, IL.