Picking Your New Puppy
The idea of raising a new young puppy by yourself can be frustrating. You really want a dog that can fit in  wonderfully with your everyday life. Your life in Winfield, Illinois is busy, you may have a full-time profession, you may be raising a young family, you may like to travel or you’ve just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provide s a worry free experience to add that  remarkable dog to your life.

The Experience Begins With a Consultation
We think it’s important that you know who you will be dealing with. Developing a relationship is tremendously important to our company in Winfield, Illinois. Our talk starts with easy questions and leads into an thorough discussion, which will give us a better idea of who you are and what your dream dog will be. We like to have a fantastic working relationship with you. It begins the journey to decide on, teach and raise your puppy.

Picking The Best Breed For Your Family
Once you have determined you are ready to include that perfect dog to your life in Winfield, Illinois. You have your heart set on a particular breed or maybe you want one of our dogs that are currently in our puppy raising program. Certainly there are things to think about for example, where you live, maybe you work full time, are raising a  little family, you you may love to travel or maybe you have recently retired. This information will not minimize your choices, but instead help shed light on your lifestyle in Winfield, IL. We help guide you in your decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can aid you pick what you want and which breed will best match your life-style.

Selecting The Right Breeder in Winfield, Illinois
We team up with responsible breeders who are genuinely interested in improving their breed with good health and fantastic temperament of their puppies. The initial eight weeks of a new pups life are as essential as to what comes after. A great breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have developed a rapport with many exceptional breeders. We particularly seek breeders who are aware of the early part 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 wonderful life.  It is incredibly important to work closely with the breeder. We rely on the breeder’s feedback in addition to our years of experience to select the puppy with the best temperament for a potential new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Winfield, Illinois
Training your pup is a combo of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, fostering healthy relationships, in addition to exposing your dog successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all various environments.Such as, we may have the pup stay overnight with various people in different environments; which produces a dog for you who is relaxed and easy to live with because he or she can easily adapt|adjusts} to your lifestyle. Because of this and exposures to other factors 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 moment a new puppy is in our hands in Winfield, Illinois. Once we select the puppy from the litter, the first thing we want to achieve is building confidence and a bond with this new puppy. We start our relationship having fun even though we’re always teaching. Under our close guidance, we start exposing the pup 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 reinforcing our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet extremely aware in those moments it is essential to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new puppy discovers this new world without the company of its litter mates or mom.

Crucial time for learning
During 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 techniques. Often we take advantage of particular places or objects to create an experience for the pup. Sometimes a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Winfield, Illinois. Our options and creativity are endless. Every exposure and experience builds on the last one. Through all of this, we thoroughly observe the puppy. We never limit ourselves to rigid rules. We try to be more creative, think outside the box, and take advantage of occasions that unfold before us. Those opportunities are invaluable when it comes down to teaching the puppy.

Every interaction with the new pup is a teaching moment. We like to consider it as an early investment in the life of this pup. This is the first time away from his or her littermates and staying with us in Winfield, 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 encounter will have a huge influence on their future personalities and decide a number of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. During the course of the imprinting period, every experience is important. It is important to build their self-confidence. The phrase ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ does not apply to their early interactions. Because puppies are absorbing 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 Friend
4 to 6 months 

A well-trained pup is much more than just obedient. Knowing how to sit, stay or walk nicely on a loose leash are very 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 having the flexibility to fit into a lifestyle in Winfield, IL  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 continues as we refine the dog’s behavior. The goal is to have a stable foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, making it a normal request in our regular routine in addition to within each new situation we expose your puppy to. We move from shaping to defining commands and testing them with distractions, duration and distance. Communication is at the center of our philosophy. Being clear and consistent is key. We limit 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 immediately.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in Winfield, IL
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 envision. Many owners hope their puppy 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 undesirable behavior more challenging.

Testing in the Real World in Winfield, Illinois
We work to stop any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction areas. Such as, we practice recalls when your dog is extremely distracted possibly chasing something as common as a squirrel. We test and proof obedience in high traffic areas, around barking dogs, around playgrounds and within public places.

As the dog 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 adapt in each new and various setting or scenario. We are raising a dog that isn’t reliant on continual commands that dictate what he or she should and shouldn’t do. Rather, we desire a dog that can make great choices. Our top priority is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will fit into your home.

We continue to reinforce and improve manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the dog has been residing with the trainer in his/her personal home. Throughout this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights hanging out with another loved one or close friend. Providing the puppy with this chance, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in brand-new surroundings. This makes sure those habits and good manners will remain when he goes on to your home in Winfield, IL.