Preferred Puppy is the most comprehensive course we offer.  It begins with very young puppies and guides dog owners through the first six months of their puppy's life.

Leadership is the basis for our training concepts.  We empower dog owners with the skills necessary to lead their dog, encourage proper behavior and discourage unwanted behavior.  With new leadership skills, dog owners can confidently venture out with their dog without being embarrassed by leash pulling, or lunging and barking at others.  Owners can have visitors over without dangerous jumping or nuisance barking.  With leadership training, owners apply the concepts themselves and build the bond with their own dog to last a lifetime.

​Private lessons give dog owners our undivided attention to work on the goals they have set for their dogs. Group lessons then test the owners new skills around distractions of other dogs, people, and environmental noises of walking paths, parks, shopping areas, or busy downtown. 
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​Preferred Puppy (4 private lessons approximately every three weeks followed by 4 group lessons)
Lesson 1: Private
Clients are issued their food pouch and lesson plan. Leadership is taught through structured guidance of Operant Conditioning.  Reward based associative learning is explained and applied through food luring and basic commands.  A schedule is developed for protocols for potty training and kennel training.​

Lesson 2: Private
We will introduce unfamiliar surfaces, noises with reward based associative learning.  Owners will troubleshoot potty training or kennel training from previous lesson and introduce a common collar and leash guidance.  Owners will identify problem behaviors and learn how to disassociate from punishment by utilized surprise and interruption.

• ​Optional training includes a remote operated food dispenser.  This allows owners to quickly teach "place" and stay by rewarding with separation.
  
  • ​Click HERE for a video demonstration
    

Lessons 3:  Private
Puppies will begin outdoor walks with a leash and common collar by food luring around unfamiliar objects, stairs, environmental noises.  Puppies are introduced to a prong collar at approximately 16 weeks.

Lesson 4:  Private

Puppies may be introduced to remote collar training as the owners skill level improves with leash guidance.  This training will be in a quiet environment to be fair to their puppy and will be combined with basic commands the owners have already excelled in teaching.

Lessons 5 - 8:  Group​

​Clients will continue in small to large groups with various dogs and temperaments. Environmental distractions will increase with lessons at shopping areas, or in busy downtown Wilmington. Recall and place on and off leash under high distraction will build both the owner’s and their dog’s confidence.