Picking Your New Puppy
The thought of raising a new young puppy by yourself can be overwhelming. You want a dog that can fit  nicely with your life. Your life in North Andover, Massachusetts possible is fast paced, you may have a full time profession, a new family, you like to travel or you’ve just retired. We provide a stress and anxiety free experience to add in that  awesome dog to your life.

The Program Starts With a Assessment
We think it’s crucial that you know who you will be dealing with. Establishing a rapport is very important to our team in North Andover, Massachusetts. Our chat 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 might be. We want to have a great working relationship with you. It starts the journey to choose, teach and raise your pup.

Finding The Best Breed For Your Household
Once you have decided you want to include that amazing dog to your life in North Andover, Massachusetts. You may have your heart set on a specific breed or maybe you want one of our pups that are presently in our puppy raising program. Certainly there are things to take into account for example, the type of house you live in, how much you work, maybe you are raising a young family, you you may love to travel or you’ve recently retired. All this will not minimize your choices, yet help shed light on your way of life in North Andover, MA. We help guide you in this decision making process. As we get to know you better, we can aid you decide what you want and which breed will best match your lifestyle.

Choosing The Best Breeder in North Andover, Massachusetts
We collaborate with amazing breeders who are genuinely interested in improving their breed with good health and excellent temperament of their puppies. The initial eight weeks of a new puppy’s life are as critical as to what comes after. A good breeder recognizes this and helps get the puppy off to a great start.

We have built a relationship with many fine breeders. We specifically seek breeders who understand the early role 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 terrific life.  It is quite important to work closely with the breeder. We depend on the breeder’s knowledge and also our years of knowledge to pick out the puppy with the best temperament for a prospective new family.

The Puppy‘s Training in North Andover, Massachusetts
Training your pup is a mixture of teaching new skills including manners, setting boundaries, nurturing healthy relationships, and also exposing your puppy successfully to people, other dogs and desensitizing him or her to all various environments.For example, we have the pup sleep overnight with different people in various environments; which in turn develops a dog for you who is comfortable 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 factors your dog readily connects with you and your family.

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

Training starts the instant a new puppy is in our care in North Andover, Massachusetts. Once we select the pup from the litter, the first thing we wish to achieve is building confidence and a bond with this new puppy. We begin 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 logs, and also get somewhat close to loud noises. By doing this, we are environmentally socializing your dog to the world while at the same time enhancing our bond. We are huge dog lovers, yet remarkably 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.

Most important time for learning
In the initial few weeks we are teaching your new puppy boundaries, trust and focus. There is no restriction as to what we may integrate into our techniques. Typically we take advantage of particular areas or objects to create an encounter for the pup. Occasionally a spur of the moment opportunity may present itself in North Andover, Massachusetts. Our decisions and creativity are limitless. Every exposure and experience builds upon the previous one. Through all of this, we thoroughly monitor the puppy. We never restrict ourselves to rigid rules. We try to get more creative, think outside the box, and make use of events that manifest before us. Those opportunities are priceless when it comes 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 puppy. This is the first time away from their littermates and staying with us in North Andover, 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 a lot of their “good” or “bad” behavior tendencies. Throughout the imprinting period, every experience is critical. 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 soaking up 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 Pal
4 to 6 months 

A trained dog is a lot more than just obedient. Knowing how to sit, stay or walk nicely on a loose leash are necessary things to learn. Good manners, great social skills and a healthy relationship with his or her family are very important. In addition, desensitization, exposure to various distractions and situations, as well as being comfortable to fit into a lifestyle in North Andover, MA  is equally important.

Our focus is to raise a puppy with remarkable 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 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 very 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 right away.

Proofing Behavior in a Social World in North Andover, MA
6 months to young adult

Enter the teenage years– adolescence. This is the typical 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 canine will outgrow unwanted 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 North Andover, Massachusetts
We work to stop any unwanted behavior by instilling boundaries and practicing obedience in high distraction places. For example, we practice recalls when your dog is very distracted possibly chasing something like a squirrel. We practice and proof obedience in high traffic spots, 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 scenarios. We consider each situation as a picture. How 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 cope in every new and various setting or situation. We are raising a puppy that isn’t depending on ongoing commands that control what he or she should and should not do. Instead, we desire a dog that can make great choices. Our main priority is to have a well-balanced puppy, who will fit into your home.

We continue to reinforce and refine manners making good behavior a habit for the dog. During this time, the puppy has been staying with the dog trainer in his or her individual home. Throughout this time, your dog will also spend a few days and nights hanging out with another loved one or friend. Giving this opportunity, encourages your puppy to continue to be confident and comfortable in different surroundings. This ensures those habits and good manners will stay when he/she moves in to your home in North Andover, MA.