We begin on day one with early neurological training with each puppy which helps them become well rounded dogs as adults as it is imprinted into their brain to have their feet, ears and mouth handled. Their nails are also trimmed weekly.

We begin teaching the puppies to sit at seven weeks to get them to start learning to train. It is never to early to start training a puppy, yet you have to understand that puppies are like toddlers and as such you must be extremely patient with them and teach in short increments of only a few minutes at a time the first few months and as they get older the time can slowly increase to a longer and longer period. Just as you would not attempt to force a toddler to learn and work a quadratic formula you cannot expect a puppy to have a long attention span or learn to do a trick on the on the first try. Training a puppy should be a fun experience for you and the puppy in order to make the puppy want to learn more. If you ever get frustrated while training get up and go do something else and come back to it later, a bad experience can make for a difficult future in training and is lasting in a puppies mind. The more a puppy/Dog knows the more integrated into your life they become. I have my adult dogs trained to sit, stay, lay down, roll over, up, down, don't touch, wait, easy, bang, spin, out and more and this creates a language that both the dogs and I understand for communication. The dogs also know if they stand at the door they can go outside, stand at the bowl for food and more.

   Even if you never plan to show or compete the more you do with your dog the more fun he is in the family.

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   Karma was 95% house broke at 6months old and Dexter only took until 12 weeks old to be fully house train. Remember if they make a mistake show them, tell them no and show them where they should have gone but do not do anything that makes them fearful of you. At a young age puppies need to be potty immediately after eating, sleeping, playing and any other activity. You must also train yourself to be proactive and if the puppy gets done playing pick him or her up and take them to the pad or outside. If you fail to do this then it is not the fault of the puppy but the owner. So take the control of the potty training into your own hands and be proactive in the training of your new friend.

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   It will behoove you to enroll in a puppy class and this not only allows the puppy to socialize but also teaches your puppy to pay attention when there is are distractions. (example: When zeta was six month old my husband went to get out of the car when she was on my lap and she went to bolt out of the car door and I couldn't get a hold of her in time. She bolted into a four lane highway as I busted out the door my husband and I both screaming for her to come back. I watched as she ran to the third lane as a huge truck barreled towards her and turned away unable to see my baby die. She stopped dead in her tracks and ran back for us when she heard my husband once again yelling "come" ,she ran to us and to safety. I realized that day one that I need to hold on better and think ahead when doors open but also that if she had not been taught "come" she would be gone and it would have been my fault on several levels. Her training saved her life.

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Teaching your dog to walk politely on  a leash will save your back and his/her neck/spine and breathing. There are many views on the best type of collar/harness for your dog and I know from experience that each has a time and place for use. Each type of collar is a training tool and as such can be used gently or harshly depending on the human attached to it. I have seen people practically hang their poor dogs with flat collars and some trainers use prong collars on dogs that they never touch the leash and never activated the prongs but the dog minds them. I say this only to explain that the human has control of the item being used for training or torture and in no way am I justify use of any specific type of collar/harness/tool. Yogi was trained as a show dog and as such was started in show classes as soon as his third round of puppy shots and vet cleared him to be around other dogs. Due to his training he walks beside me on a loose lead whether he is in a tiny gold show chain no thicker than a ladies thin necklace that could easily snap. While I see so many people that have either a collar that chokes their poor dog to the point their eyes look like they could pop out and they are having labored breathing from straining so hard against the collar. Many times the "easy" fix is training and a front snap harness. However a harness with front snap is not a cure only a band aid as you have not taught your dog to walk politely only made it less damaging to the dogs throat and harder on your arm as many harnesses are designed such as that of the husky harness to pull  a sled so they can get down and low and pull hard. No owner should be dragged around by a dog. If your dog pulls then he needs to be taught to walk politely next to you and this can be attained by daily work on the leash with "heel" or by seeking the services of a professional trainer. Please do not let "professional trainer" scare you, they are not normally super expensive and many times are only there for the love of the dogs and dogs and a desire for the dogs and people to have better communication skills. I know of several professional trainers and training center that are in the Colorado Springs/Black forest area that have a very good reputation and one that I use when preparing yogi for the hustle and bustle of his next show and Dexter for socialization so that we can safely bring him with us on hikes where we encounter people and dogs and even off leash dogs.If you are searching for a trainer whether or not you have a puppy from us please feel free to reach out and I am absolutely happy to head you in the direction of a competent trainer (we are NOT affiliated or given kick backs for any referrals, these trainers are not friends or family either and only ones we have personally had experience using.)