Selecting Your New Puppy
The thought of raising a new puppy on your own can be overwhelming. You need a puppy that can match  nicely with your life style. Your life in Concord, Massachusetts might be hectic, you’ve got a full time job, you may be raising a young family, you like to travel or may be you just retired. Peace of Mind Puppy provide s a anxiety free experience to add in that  remarkable dog to your life.

The Program Starts With a Assessment
We think it’s very important that you know who you will be working with. Building a relationship is tremendously important to us in Concord, Massachusetts. Our talk starts with easy questions and leads into an in detail conversation, which will give us a much better idea of who you are and what your ideal dog would be. We would like to have a great working partnership with you. It starts the journey to select, teach and raise your puppy.

Selecting The Perfect Breed For Your Family
Once you have made a decision you want to include that amazing dog to your life in Concord, Massachusetts. 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 think of like the type of house you live in, maybe you work full time, are raising a  little family, you love to go on vacation or you’ve recently retired. This information will not limit your choices, but instead help shed light on your way of life in Concord, MA. We will help guide you in your decision making process. As we learn more about you, we can certainly aid you choose what you want and which breed will best accommodate your lifestyle.

Finding The Perfect Breeder in Concord, Massachusetts
We collaborate with amazing breeders who are truly interested in improving their breed with good health and exceptional temperament of their pups. The first eight weeks of a new puppy’s life are as important as to what follows. A great breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have built a relationship with many amazing breeders. We particularly find breeders who recognize the early part 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 fantastic life.  It is extremely important to work carefully with the breeder. We count on the breeder’s knowledge together with our years of expertise to select the puppy with the best temperament for a potential new family.

Your Puppy‘s Training in Concord, Massachusetts
Training your new puppy is a combo of teaching new skill-sets including manners, setting boundaries, nurturing healthy relationships, in addition to exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all types of environments. For instance, we may have the puppy sleep overnight with various people in different settings; which in turn creates a dog for you who is comfortable and easy to live with because he or she adapts|adjusts} to your lifestyle. As a result 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 Concord, Massachusetts. Once we select the pup from the litter, the very first thing we want to accomplish 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 begin exposing the puppy to its new world. For example, 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 puppy to the world while reinforcing our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet very aware in those moments it is essential to focus more on being a leader and guide as the new pup learns about this new world without the company of its litter mates or mom.

The Essential 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 techniques. Typically we use certain places or objects to create an experience for the pup. Occasionally a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in Concord, Massachusetts. Our options and vision are unlimited. Every exposure and experience builds on the prior one. Through all of this, we closely observe the puppy. We do not limit ourselves to rigid rules. We try to be more creative, think outside the box, and benefit from activities that manifest before us. Those opportunities are priceless when it comes down to teaching the dog.

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 pup. This is the first time away from his or her littermates and living with us in Concord, Massachusetts. 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 any other period of time in their lives. The quality and quantity of what they encounter will have a huge impact on their future personalities and decide many of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. Throughout the imprinting period, every experience is vital. It is important 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 pup.

A Well-Mannered Pal
4 to 6 months 

A trained puppy is a lot 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. Additionally, desensitization, exposure to many different distractions and situations, in addition to being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in Concord, MA  is equally important.

Our focus is to create a puppy with remarkable 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 strong foundation by about 4 to 6 months. We practice obedience, making it a regular request in our regular routine as well as within each new situation we expose your puppy to. We go from shaping to formalizing commands and proofing them with distractions, duration and distance. Communication is at the core of our philosophy. Being clear and consistent is key. We restrict 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 Concord, MA
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the normal age when many dogs are re-homed or surrendered to 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 envision. Many owners hope their canine will grow out of unfavorable behaviors. Their dog is testing what is permitted and what is not. Allowing a dog to continue rehearsing naughty acts makes changing undesirable behavior more difficult.

Testing in the Real World in Concord, Massachusetts
We work to reduce any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. Such as, 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 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 it in various situations. We imagine each situation as a picture. What does that look like to the puppy? How does that picture change from day to day or location to location. We are working to teach a dog how to cope in each new and different environment or situation. We are raising a puppy that isn’t depending on continuous commands that dictate what he or she should and shouldn’t do. Instead, we want a dog that can make great choices. Our main goal is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will be comfortable your home.

We continue to reinforce and improve good manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. Throughout this time, the dog has been staying with the trainer in their own home. Throughout this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights staying with another loved one or friend. Offering this chance, encourages your dog to continue to be confident and comfortable in different areas. This makes sure those habits and good manners will remain when he moves on to your house in Concord, MA.