Phase One

In Phase One what can you expect?

The first thing to go over is (AKC Canine Good Citizen) because we do all our testing for Phase One from this single test. Phase One is usually started when we pick up the puppy at 8-12 weeks of age. We get going on socialization like crazy!

What does that mean in our program?

We want dogs that can be in any environment and remain neutral. We get our dogs out in public safely and start showing them the world. It is a fun process to make sure our puppies get in town each day and see something new. Its extra challenging to make sure we watch body language and help to make sure each experience is a good experience for our babies.

Puppies will be learning all the basics and graduating those basics to harder and harder environments until we finally get to the test day. During the training they are also learning about house training and being well behaved in the home. We teach kennel training, leash walking and basic commands such as sit, stay, come, down, load up, kennel, heel or with me and learning how to properly greet dogs and other humans. This work for each dog is about one to two hours of active training each day. The rest is passive in that we are learning how to exist in a world that is made for humans. Our trainers are also evaluating during this period to gauge which tasks each puppy may already have in their disposition. They are taught to work with the dogs and not add any conflict to a behavior that may be useful later down the road. A dog that is jumping naturally is a good example. We don’t
want to punish that behavior because later down the road we may need a dog to turn on lights or run to get meds or a phone off the counter. We can’t be telling the dog “No jumping up,” when later we will have to re-teach that behavior to get a task. Our prerogative as a program is to redirect and work with that behavior until we can put it in on command for that dog.

In this 16 week period our trainers are putting in 200 hours of work doing active training with each dog in the program. They provide around the clock care and keep the puppies up to date with any vet visits or vaccinations needed. All veterinary care is provided and billed to our clients. The price for this Phase is $11,820. Your dog will be tested in a busy environment by a third party AKC evaluator to pass this phase.

Phase One Overview