There is nothing cuter than an eight-week-old puppy. But cute may not be much comfort at 3 a.m. when your newest family member is howling in their crate, and you have to be at work in a few hours. Young puppies need frequent potty breaks throughout the day. They need plenty of playtime and training on basic commands. These are non-negotiable if you want to end up with a happy, well-adjusted, obedient dog.
At SwissRidge we offer a four- or eight-week training program. Your puppy will live in a home environment and be trained by one of our highly skilled and certified trainers.
The imprinting program can catapult you over the toughest part of the adjustment to life with a puppy. Developed in response to repeated requests for us to keep pups “a little longer,” this has now become a very popular program. The fee includes board and training, as well as vaccines and vet care.
At eight weeks of age, puppies enrolled in the imprinting program are placed with one of our experienced—and incredibly patient puppy trainers. During your puppy’s time in imprinting, they will:
POTTY TRAINING
Begin crate and house training.
LEASH
Learn basic leash manners.
COMMANDS
Gain an understanding of commands such as, “sit”, “down”, “come”, “leave it”, “watch me” and “stay”.
HANDLING
Daily handling exercises performed.
PLACE
Introduction to place.
GROOMING
Introduction to brushing, cleaning teeth and clipping nails.
MANNERS
Learn puppy manners.
SOCIALIZE
Socialize with dogs, people, children, objects, environments and sounds.
The majority of puppies in this program go home knowing basic commands (taught through positive reinforcement with treats) and are typically accident-free in their crates. Please remember that each puppy is unique, while some may not yet be mature enough to fully master every command, early imprinting lays a strong foundation for future obedience and helps your puppy learn quickly once in your care.
During imprint training, puppies are exposed to other dogs of various ages, which continues their education in bite inhibition, social skills, and proper canine manners—all learned from excellent role models.
If you’re concerned about missing the critical bonding period, rest assured you won’t. Puppies are naturally primed to form strong bonds well beyond 16 weeks of age. In fact, many of our dogs complete our turnkey training program and aren’t placed until after a year old and they still bond deeply with their new families. Your puppy will quickly adjust to their new life with you, ready to continue learning and building on the solid foundation already in place.
Some families even choose to extend their puppy’s stay with us for additional training. We’re happy to accommodate your needs and are always flexible with timing.
Learn what owners had to say about SwissRidge training.
