After two weeks of making up our minds, then changing our minds again, it’s confirmed: Siena’s still in the program. For now. I’m going to call it her probationary period for lack of a better word. She’s got a long way to go – there are so many things a service dog must excel at (no room […]
Making Puppy Socialization Safer
You hear it all the time: socialization is important for your puppy! Socialize, socialize, socialize! It IS true: socialization before your pup is 16 weeks old is crazy-important if you want a well-adjusted, easy-going, can-handle-anything dog later in life. But. You gotta be smart about it. You can’t recklessly expose the pup to potential germs and […]
What Puppies Need
Puppies. Irresistible. Absolutely wonderful. And oh so needy! Did you know that… …puppies need to be pleasantly introduced to as many different: people locations noises surfaces other dogs vehicles situations the list goes on and on… And the real shocker: this needs to be done between the age of 8 and 16 weeks! Which means […]
Go, Go, Go and Slow, Slow, Slow
Teddy's public debut focused mainly on getting in and getting out of locations and situations rather quickly. We stayed just long enough to expose Teddy to a new situation, make it fun, and then we're outta there. Today, we worked on settle-in-and-relax scenarios. The life of a service dog is varied – there are times […]
Puppy Training Questions & Answers
Q: When should I start training my puppy? A: Right away! Puppies retain what they learn starting at five weeks. You won't get your pup until eight weeks, so get ready to start teaching as soon as you bring your pup home! Q: What should I teach my puppy? A: Puppies need to learn everything: […]
Fear Not (Video)
We're always on the lookout for ways to expose Talos to new and unusual sights and sounds. When we were at the Christmas Tree farm we had the chance to get our Christmas tree bundled. The bundler is loud and big. And there was plenty of room to move away if Talos showed any fear […]