PRAISE Your Puppy
Play, Reward, Arrange, Instruct, Socialize and Enrich Your Puppy
Canine Aspirations’ PRAISE
Your Puppy program is based on scientific evidence and positive training
techniques to help you raise the best dog possible. A puppy that is well socialized and trained
will go on to be included in many more life activities than a dog that is not
trained and well-socialized. As pet
owners, we get dogs because we want them to be included in all facets of our
lives. Our PRAISE program helps make this possible.
PRAISE is for
puppies aged 8 – 20 weeks and occurs Mon – Thur from approximately 9am –
2pm. We come to your home and pick up
your puppy (and a few other canine friends) in the morning and bring them back
in the early afternoon.
A day in the life of
a PRAISE puppy:
9:00am pick-up from home and car ride to Canine Aspirations
9:30am arrive at Canine Aspirations for some carefully supervised play with
other dogs/puppies
10:30am private training time spent working on basic manners (e.g. sit, stay,
come) and handling exercises (to prepare for grooming and veterinary visits)
11:30am car time interspersed with short walks at novel locations for
socialization and training
12:30pm field trip to a novel location (such as a pet store, vet office or other
dog friendly business) to work on training and socialization
1:30pm car ride and drop-off time
Concerned about
socialization with your puppy not being fully vaccinated? Here’s what the American Veterinary Society
of Animal Behavior has to say about the importance of socialization in first
few months of life, “AVSAB believes that it should be the standard of care for
puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.” Read
their full position here:
Play with your
puppy appropriately to physically and mentally exercise them. Play can also be used as a reward for good
behavior. Play with other dogs and
puppies helps teach your dogs important life skills, like bite inhibition.
Reward your dog
for good behavior. Rewarding your puppy
from day one for the things you will expect from him for the rest of his life
helps set up a dog that will learn that behaving appropriately is worthwhile.
Arrange your
puppy’s life to set him up for success.
Preventing bad behavior and encouraging good behavior makes fewer
opportunities for bad habits to form.
Prevention of behavior issues is much easier than correcting issues later
in your dog’s life.
Instruct your dog
on how to behave appropriately in all situations from day one. If you want them to allow handling and
grooming, teach them this while they are a puppy. If you want them to be able to behave calmly in
any location, teach them this while they are a puppy. If you don’t instruct your puppy on how to
behave in a certain situation, they are likely to behave in a manner you don’t
like, so focus on giving them instructions from day one.
Socialize your
puppy to all the things your dog will need to deal with during its life. Puppyhood is the time to positively introduce
your pup to other dogs, people, and different environments. Socialization is easiest in the first few
months of life.
Enrich your
puppy’s life with fun games, play and training.
Use food toys and training games to mentally enrich your puppy’s
mealtimes. Rather than trying to
eliminate typical dog behavior, give your dog appropriate outlets to use their
doggy skills, like canine nosework for sniffing or a sandbox for digging. Life is much easier when your dog has
appropriate outlets for their normal dog attributes.
How much does it
cost?
The PRAISE program costs $50 - $60
per day depending on your location plus the cost of a weekly transfer session
(an additional $70-85/week depending on location/time spent going over
material). PRAISE requires a minimum 2 day per week commitment for at least 4
weeks.
What else is
included?
Daily email updates, and weekly meetings to go over your puppy’s behavior and
training with your whole family.
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