As soon as our puppies start eating puppy gruel (at around 4 weeks) we start "loading" the clicker so they associate the sound of the clicker with a reward. At six weeks, we start training your puppy so that your puppy is ready for continued training when he/she goes to his/her forever home.
Below are a couple of videos from our last litter training at seven weeks.
Socializing
Our puppies are raised inside our home using the "Puppy Culture" birth to twelve week program. From the time they are born until they leave with their new families, furniture is moved out and the eating area in our kitchen becomes a puppy nursery. Our Puppies live with the daily activity of our family. They grow up hearing the sounds of vacuuming, cooking, doors, TV, and interacting with our family of two teenagers and three grandkids.
We start early neurological stimulation as soon as the pups are born. Once the pups start scooting around in the whelping box, we add different textures for them to experience. Once eyes and ears open, we provide lots of noisy baby toys that are rotated in the puppy play area so the pups get accustomed to different sounds and shapes. We also play a noise desensitizing CD almost every day so that the puppies are used to hearing thunder, fireworks, door bells and other noises.
After the puppies get their first shots, we start socializing by hosting puppy play parties with family and friends. The puppies start playing in their outdoor play area where they explore, play in the grass, play in the water and climb stairs. The puppies also start running errands with me and visit many low disease risk places. After the puppies get their second shots, we start socializing at Home Depot and our popular, noisy outdoor mall. By the time the puppies are ten weeks old and ready to go to their new families, they've been in the car many times, they've been to Home Depot many times and to our outdoor mall.
It is very important to me to raise puppies that are accustomed to different sights and sounds before going to their new families so that they settle in to their new environment as quickly as possible.
Training