Puppy Session Information Package
With eyes that can melt hearts, antics that offer endless hours
of entertainment and love that holds no boundaries - it's no wonder
a puppy's charm is so irresistible. Puppies can bring so much
joy into our lives, but bringing one home is no small undertaking.
Those charming bundles of bliss not only require love, but also
time, care, attention, and training. As we all know, puppies don't
remain puppies forever. Some of them will be loyal family members
for upwards of fifteen years, making it essential that they become
well-rounded adults - able to peacefully co-exist with us in our
homes as well as be adapted members of our society.
A puppy's growth pattern in the first year is equivalent to the
first fifteen years of human development. It is therefore important
that owners focus on helping their impressionable pups become
well-mannered and happy adult dogs. We at Billy Nudgel's stress
prevention rather than cure and believe that raising your puppy
correctly will pay dividends down the road.
Dogs have clearly defined developmental periods during which
they grow not only physically, but develop psychologically as
well. Billy Nudgel's Puppy Sessions focus on these stages of development,
making owners aware of what to expect as their puppy grows. This
enables owners to relate to and better understand their companions
and their behavior. Such understanding empowers owners by allowing
them to let their dog know what they expect in a way the dog understands.
Our invaluable Puppy Sessions focus on good planning and proper
management - both keys in setting a puppy up for success. Sessions
educate owners on dog-friendly and effective ways to quickly establish
good puppy habits and manners and prevent bad behavior. We help
owners navigate through the perils of puppyhood, teaching them
how to cope with and conquer common behavioral challenges and
teach basic household rules. Using positive training methods,
we show owners how to shape and reward behavior and get their
puppy under control.
Billy Nudgel's Puppy Sessions teach owners all they need to know
in order to turn their puppy into a well-adjusted, confident and
happy adult dog. We cover all the basics to get owners off to
a good start for future training, whether they want to compete,
or just have a well-behaved companion that is a pleasure to live
with.
Puppy Session Outline
Housetraining
Most puppies want to be clean and all puppy owners want their
new additions to be accident free a.s.a.p. Our simple housetraining
guidelines teach owners how to keep mistakes to a minimum and
clearly communicate acceptable bathroom behavior to puppies in
no time. The road to housetraining can sometimes be a rough ride.
Billy Nudgel's helps owners develop a personalized potty plan
that will eliminate your housebreaking stress and lead you down
the road to success!
Crate Training
Crates are wonderful training tools! When used properly, a crate
is a safe, humane and effective training tool for dealing with
nearly all puppy problem behaviors. However, used incorrectly,
such as leaving a puppy crated too long, not exercising enough,
or not introducing the crate properly, can make crates cruel torture
devices. We at Billy Nudgel's believe that crates are an investment
in your puppy's safety as well as your sanity. Our Puppy Sessions
will leave you with important crate do's and don'ts that will
ensure the crate is both your and your puppy's best friend!
Developmental Stages
Puppies mature at a rapid rate. Key stages of development offer
windows of opportunity for emotional growth and training. Knowing
the stages of canine maturity is vital in preparing and planning
for the trials of puppyhood and helping your puppy grow into a
confident, happy and well-mannered adult. Billy Nudgel's Puppy
Sessions focus on taking advantage of these critical periods,
ensuring that no opportunity for learning is missed!
Proper Socialization
Puppies arrive in our homes with very little experience and exposure
to the world. Since they know very little about the world, it
is normal for puppies to react to new things with fear and insecurity
at first. It's up to owners however, to help puppies overcome
their fears and prevent phobias from developing. Socialization
is the act of making a dog social and comfortable in his world,
but it does not boil down to mere exposure. Properly socializing
your puppy involves a plan and a positive approach. Our Puppy
Sessions focus on safe socialization, teaching owners how to recognize
and deal with signs of stress and how to properly expose rather
than overwhelm pups as they are introduced to a strange new world.
Positive Training Methods
Puppies need us to guide and teach them. Building a relationship
of understanding and trust is key not only in bonding with our
dogs, but also teaching them acceptable behavior. Employing training
methods based on positive reinforcement allows us to strengthen
behaviors as well as our relationship with our dogs. Billy Nudgel's
believes in having the dog work for things he or she likes rather
than obeying out of fear or to avoid punishment. Our Puppy Sessions
emphasize positive motivational methods of training to shape and
teach behavior and ensure that puppies happily work to please
their owners!
Temperament Evaluation
Puppies are as individual as we are! Even within a litter of puppies
there can be many differences in temperament. From outgoing and
friendly to avoidant and fearful, it is important to recognize
personality traits in order to build on individual strengths and
minimize weaknesses. Temperament is one of the most important
factors in the dog training equation. Our Puppy Sessions offer
a professional evaluation of your puppy's temperament that will
allow you to better understand him and allow us to develop an
individualized training program that will help you bring out the
best in your pup!
Proper Management
Setting your puppy up for success is a vital component of effective
training. People experience problems with their puppy's behavior
when they give too much of a good thing such as freedom and attention,
and too little of the right things like training, exercise and
rules. The main ingredient in the recipe for success is proper
management. Managing a puppy's environment allows owner's to come
to a middle ground between to much and too little. Billy Nudgel's
considers everything from owner's busy schedules, family dynamics
to floor plans when helping them set their puppies up to achieve
training goals, respect boundaries and earn affection and attention
through appropriate behavior.
Chewing
Puppies explore the world with their mouths, so it is natural
for them to chew. Puppy owners need to expect and plan for chewing
as it is bound to happen, but most importantly be prepared to
prevent bad habits from developing and damage from occurring.
Because it is a natural part of their development, it is not realistic
for owners to expect puppies to learn not to chew. Instead, we
need to teach them what objects are appropriate for chewing. All
too often owners go out and spend a fortune on chew toys for their
mouthy pups and unknowingly make chewing problems worse! Puppy
Sessions educate owners on how to effectively deal with their
puppy's chewing, teach what to chew and not to chew and prevent
this behavior from becoming a bad habit or a fun pastime!
Nipping, Mouthing and Biting
Nipping, mouthing and biting can be very frustrating for owners
to deal with and can become a serious problem down the road if
dealt with incorrectly. Puppies engage in these annoying behaviors
for a host of reasons, from their version of a friendly greeting
to a way of saying "No, I don't think so!" to anyone
who expects them to do something they don't feel like doing. Determining
why a puppy is engaging in nipping, mouthing or biting behaviors
is the first step in solving this common behavior problem. Our
Puppy Sessions will determine the reason your puppy engages in
the behavior and set you up with a behavior management plan designed
to teach the pup manners and prevent anything serious from developing.
Selecting Toys
Toy selection is one of the most enjoyable parts of puppy shopping!
Many owners don't consider how the toys they choose can impact
their pup. Some toys on the market can be hazardous to young puppies
and certain types of toys can actually teach puppies to engage
in unacceptable behavior and the number of toys that puppies have
access to can also affect temperament and behavior. Owners will
learn how to select appropriate and safe toys for their puppy
as well as how to administer them without confusion during Billy
Nudgel's Puppy Sessions.
Games
Like children, puppies learn many skills and behaviors through
play. Every new puppy owner will spend hours playing with and
bonding to their puppy. Many people don't realize however, that
our interactions with puppies teach them who we are and how much
or how little to respect us. Playtimes with puppies are great
times to teach and make learning fun! Billy Nudgel's teaches owners
appropriate, educational and fun games to play with puppies as
well as games to avoid!
Basic Commands: Sit, Down and Come
Puppies begin learning the moment they come through our doors
so it's never too early to begin teaching basic behaviors and
manners. Using positive reinforcement we can teach puppies as
early as seven weeks the foundations of obedience. Our Puppy Sessions
demonstrate how to quickly establish the basic commands sit, down
and come as well as how to teach your new addition that his or
her name means look, listen and good things will happen!
Behavior Problem-solving
Just as all puppies are individual, so are the problems that owners
may encounter with their pups as they journey through puppyhood
together. We at Billy Nudgel's take the time to listen and investigate
problems that new owners may be facing to determine the causes
and offer solutions to their troubles. We also offer continued
support after Puppy Sessions are over to help owners deal with
new issues that may arise as their puppy grows and changes.
