Puppy Training
when should you start training your puppy?
Did you get your puppy dreaming of that dog you could take anywhere...who could be involved in all your adventures and live their best, most fulfilled life with you?
Well then, the answer is now!
You should start educating your puppy from the moment you bring them home.
I'm not talking about teaching them to sit, give their paw or roll over. Focusing on obedience training at this age won't make a bit of difference to the adult they become. It won't determine whether they become a dog who is scared of life, who bites, who can't be around people or dogs, who develops debilitating phobias.
I'm talking about shaping them to become the best adult dog they can be, to prepare them for life so they can move through our crazy human word with confidence, calmness, and a devoted connection to you.
Puppies are NOT blank slates.
The world around them has been impacting their future for at least 8 weeks before getting to their home and genetically, they are who they are. How we raise them, educate them, socialise them, and expose them to the world will have a huge impact in who they are as an adult, but they are most definitely not a blank slate.
Some puppies are shy, some are bold, and some are already fearful. All will need a very different upbringing. The vast majority of problematic behaviours I work with in older dogs are not caused by bad experiences or events. Instead, they are the result of these all important few weeks not being right for that individual dog.
The first 12 weeks of a puppy's life and their first experiences of new things are critical for shaping them for the future.
Unfortunately, most puppies don't experience anything until after this critical window due to vaccinations, and their humans often don't start their own education on good puppy raising practices until they join their first puppy class.
From around 12 weeks, new things become harder for our puppies to accept and this is around the time where they are thrown into life, being led around streets in a state of overwhelm while they try to process traffic, noise, smells, along with strangers crossing the street to loom over and manhandle them, and being take over to meet every dog they see.
If you are raising a working breed such as a Spaniel or Labrador, this is the perfect recipe to create an over-stimulated, stressed, or anxious adult that you can't take anywhere, that finds life really hard, and is a nightmare to walk.
These breeds are genetically wired to be stimulated by changes in the environment, so when their first experiences of life are continuous environmental changes all at once, there's no way they can process all this without becoming overstimulated and overwhelmed. This is an early experience that will hugely impact your future together. They won't grow out of finding the world a stressful place.
Their first learning and experiences are the most powerful and significant for their future so it's incredibly important that we are getting things right for them as an individual.
Here's how you can give your puppy the best start and the best chance at a life full of adventure...
PUPPY PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAMME
Supporting you through your puppy's most impressionable weeks helping you to raise the dog of your dreams.
Here's what you'll get:
01.
Questionnaire to discover what you'd like life to look like for your puppy in the future.
02.
Four weekly 1-2-1 personalised coaching sessions at home* as well as out in the real world.
03.
Training videos following each session and a clear plan to follow for the week.
04.
Unlimited WhatsApp support to get your questions answered as they come up for you.
05.
Feedback on an unlimited amount of videos sent to keep you progressing.
06.
Priority booking and a 10% discount for the Pet Gundog Life Skills and Obedience course
07.
Priority access to the Gundog Activity Club - small group activity walks (subject to availability and location).
08.
The option to add training walks or pop in visits for your puppy** (subject to availability and location).
* At-home coaching sessions are only available within a 10-mile radius of the DL3 area *
** Puppy training walks or pop-in visits are only available within the Darlington area **
Here's what we'll cover:
Establishing the best socialisation plan for your puppy to give them the best chance at confident and calm social behaviour
Getting their education started safely before vaccinations
Making the transition to the ground for that first walk without causing overwhelm
Crate and separation training to ensure confidence and independence at home
Starting to condition a reflex response to recall for a life exploring off lead
Starting to build following habits for an easier lead training journey
Starting to build the habit of good manners and asking politely
Creating a well-structured day and building good sleep habits
Building a relationship based on trust and fun
Raising a dog who loves to learn
Appropriate and constructive play and activities
Appropriate and constructive exercise
Strategies to minimise puppy biting
Strategies to speed up toilet training
Including strategies to prevent common behaviour problems developing in the future such as:
Guarding possessions
Body handling and grooming issues
Fearful responses to people, dogs, noise, traffic, traveling, etc.
Over the top excitement around people and dogs
Attention seeking behaviours such as barking and stealing
Separation anxiety when left alone
Are you planning on bringing a new puppy home soon?
Don't wait until you have a problem to try and fix!
Book your free call today!
Find out more about working with me and which training option will be ...
Is your puppy already over 12 weeks and fully vaccinated?
You can join us on the Pet Gundog Life Skills and Obedience course instead!
I first met Liz when Molly came home at 8 weeks and she did a home visit to meet her and gave advice around early routines which were amazing, especially as I was a first time dog owner and she wasn't the calmest of pups! We then progressed to the puppy foundation course and I was really impressed with the course material, especially the time and effort that Liz put in to the contents and videos. I learn by watching examples rather than just been able to remember and this resource was fab and access to it for 6 months after. There was lots of ongoing support with a WhatsApp group where we could upload our practice videos and have discussions with both Liz and others on the course. I went on to have a few 1:1 with Liz as well as additional programs. Liz also takes Molly once a week for an activity walk with other select dogs in a secure field. Would 100% recommend Liz for all aspects of puppy training, ongoing programmes and activity walks. Thank you very much Liz 😊
Molly, Springer Spaniel
We started working with Liz doing puppy foundations when we brought our cocker spaniel puppy home in 2021. She gave us so much insight and understand about our new puppy, teaching us and Biccy amazing foundations which we continue to use everyday at age 3. The support she gives outside of the class is like non I’ve ever experienced , she couldn’t be more helpful & supportive. After we had completed this we had so much fun with working with Liz and her fountain of knowledge we continued doing the Progressive pet gun dog activity class, which we continue to enjoy 3 years later and look forward to many more years of learning. I couldn’t recommend Liz more, her knowledge and clear passion for what she does is outstanding. Our life has been changed for the better since finding a trainer who teaches you actual useful information in such a fun way you will thoroughly enjoy every second of your class & at home training.
Biccy, Cocker Spaniel
I would highly recommend Dog Scentric to anyone. I have been visiting Liz for almost a year now completing a range of courses and 121 sessions that have helped develop my own dog handling skills and turn my lively cocker spaniel into a well balanced dog.
Pip, Cocker Spaniel
Liz is a really good trainer, my puppy has come on so well since doing this course, from first meeting her when he was very nervous and shy to becoming more confident. Would highly recommend Liz and looking forward to the next course.