Amazing Puppy Program

Crate Training & Introductory House Training

Your puppy will be introduced to his crate and taught how to keep his area clean. Puppies usually learn to hold it during this time between 2-4 hours in their kennel. A good rule of thumb is 1 hour per month of age after 8 weeks. A 12-week old puppy after completion of the program will be able to hold it for 3-4 hours in his crate during the day. This varies dog to dog and overnight while they sleep. Part of this training also ensures that your puppy learns to enjoy his crate as "their space". They will be comfortable and happy in their crate making transition in to a new home much less stressful for them.

Introductory Obedience

Your puppy will be introduced to foundational commands for obedience. They will learn "sit", "down", "here", "place", and walking on a loose leash. Puppies will be familiar with these commands but it is up to you to maintain the training in the puppy's new home. They are still babies after all! Teaching puppies how to learn is the most important part of our Amazing Puppy Program. We show them how to focus on their people and offer behaviors for rewards. This is a vital foundation for all well-behaved dogs. We are proud of our Amazing Puppy Program graduates and the feedback we get on their exceptional trainability, focus, and human connectivity.

Socialization

At Ridgeview, we go to great lengths to make sure our puppies are well socialized. We approach socialization with care, always keeping in mind each puppy's personality, age, and confidence levels. Our puppies are exposed to traveling, grooming, children, public, loud noises, new surfaces, and many other things in a safe and controlled environment where we can best ensure a positive experience for them. Positive exposure is key to young pups during critical developmental periods.  We have decades of professional experience helping our puppies through these periods and will help your puppy learn about the world in safe environment.

Baby Retriever Basics

For those that are wanting their puppy to become a future hunting companion, we offer some foundational retriever basics for puppies. We safely introduce pups to gunshots, water, birds, and surfaces they may encounter as a hunting dog, such as boats, docks, and forest floor. We also build drive in these junior retrievers by introducing them to fun marks, live birds and bird scent, and chasing the flirt pole. Our puppies absolutely adore these retriever games and take to field training much more readily and confidently having been exposed young.