Puppy Kindergarten
Raising a puppy is HARD work. You know it, and we know it. And let's face it- the foundation is everything. If you fail to provide your puppy with the proper foundation, you aren't setting either of you up for success. We know that this can be a daunting task, which is why we felt lead to offer further training for our puppies before they go to their new homes. We take the same methods that we start the puppies on from the very beginning and continue them for the coming weeks. We have developed a tried and true process that has produced us consistent results.
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Below are the two options that we offer and details for each. A signed agreement is required upon entering into a training agreement with us. Training costs are in addition to the price of your puppy.
Phase 1: Ages 8-12 weeks (4 week duration)
Price: $1,000
What is my puppy going to be working on?
Your puppy will learn formal commands, and will also work on key concepts that we feel will best set him/her up for success at being a wonderful family member. The formal commands we will focus on are "sit", "down", "place" and "here"/recall to name. Besides socialization, most concepts for this phase will be focused on 1on1 with minimal distractions. Life skills we will work on are *crate training *potty training *manding (sit for attention instead of jumping) *leash manners *touch desensitization *discouraging nipping *taking treats politely *continue socialization *barrier frustration activities
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During this time, your puppy will live their day to day life in our home. He/she will interact with our dogs on a daily basis as well as our children, and continue to experience the day to day chaos that goes hand and hand with everyday life. We will work on having quiet time in the crate, take field trips and car rides, be groomed (use of a dremel, force air dryer, elevated grooming table), work on getting used to a leash/walking around the property on one, and continue shoreline play if the weather permits.
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By the end of this program, your puppy will have received two vaccines, kept up to date on preventatives, and achieved his/her VHMP certification from AKC.
Phase 2: Ages 12-16 weeks (4 week duration)
Price: $1,000
What is my puppy going to be working on?
Phase 1 is a prerequisite to Phase 2, so everything listed here will be in addition to the skills learned in Phase 1. During Phase 2, we will continue key concepts like crate and potty training, and your puppy will still be a day to day member of our household. In addition to continuing to master the skills in Phase 1, in Phase 2 we introduce distractions and teach your puppy to focus on what is being asked of him/her in busy environments, when around other dogs, and with temptations present.
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Key things he/she will learn are *going in crate on command *impulse control ("leave it") *barrier respect (waiting to get out of crate, waiting at thresholds) *waiting to eat until released *encourage eye contact.
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By the end of this program, your puppy will have received three vaccines, kept up to date on preventatives, and be well on their way to a CGC.
Important Information
Think puppy kindergarten is for you? Read important specifics below.
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If you desire to have your puppy stay here for puppy kindergarten, it is important that you let us know as soon as possible so that we can plan accordingly. Because this training is so hands on, we have limited spots available. The best way to secure your spot is to let us know as soon as possible.
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Payment in full for your puppy is due when the puppy turns 8 weeks of age. If you fail to pay for your puppy on time, you will lose your training spot and be charged a boarding fee of $20/day for each day the puppy remains here after 9 weeks of age.
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The training balance is due when you pick your puppy up. At pickup, we will have a formal "exit session" where we will demonstrate to you all that your puppy has learned. If you are out of state, the training balance will be due the day that your puppy graduates the program and is officially ready to go home.
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​We do NOT ever guarantee that a puppy will go home with any of the "skills" mastered, especially potty training! You are paying for the exposure and consistency, not the guaranteed result. Each puppy learns at a different rate. The only thing we guarantee your puppy will have mastered are the specific commands listed above (except for "here"/recall).
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We utilize a clicker during training. During your puppy's early days, we introduce our puppies to the clicker, so we will continue this throughout Phase 1 and Phase 2.
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You will need to choose your puppy's name by the time he/she is 8 weeks old. It is a requirement to start individualized training (for obvious reasons).
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You are responsible for vetting during this time period. We will keep your puppy up to date on vaccines, dewormings, and preventatives at YOUR cost. These costs will be relayed to you before each appointment and are relatively minimum. You will be provided with all records from said visits.
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We require that your puppy has pet insurance while in training with us. You are not required to continue the policy after your puppy goes home, but it is a requirement while the puppy is here. We use Trupanion and will help you get signed up. We do not receive a kickback from this! We just do not want the liability of having a puppy here that technically belongs to someone else but is not insured (because let's face it, sometimes emergencies happen!).
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If you are wanting specialized work for a specific purpose (hunting, show, etc) that will need to be discussed separately and may be an additional cost to add on.
Important things to keep in mind...
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​If you are out of state, your puppy will be too big to fly home via a flight nanny. The only transport options will be ground transport or your puppy flying in the hold/baggage area of the plane.
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​Your puppy's success is directly correlated to your consistency and dedication to upholding what we have taught them. If you fail to continue what we have taught your puppy, you will not get the desired results.
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Your puppy will still need to adjust. He/she will be leaving us for the first time, and a new home is a huge change for a puppy. Patience is going to be required, and you likely won't get "ideal" results day one of the puppy being home, regardless of how the puppy was performing while here with us. Puppies are live animals, not machines.
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We will provide weekly updates, and be in touch more frequently as needed. We are very busy day to day, and we have to keep time spent on our phones at a minimum. If we do not, we cannot possibly get done all that we need to each day. It isn't personal.
