Why the first weeks matter
A puppy's socialization window closes fast, usually somewhere between twelve and sixteen weeks. What happens — or doesn't happen — during that window has more influence on adult temperament than almost anything you'll do later. Puppy Foundations is built around that biology, not around a generic six-week curriculum that would work the same at any age.
Each session is short and low-arousal on purpose. Puppy brains fatigue quickly, and a tired, over-threshold puppy doesn't learn — it just shuts down or melts down. We work in the window where your puppy is alert, curious, and still capable of thinking, and we stop before that window closes.
What we cover
- Name recognition and engagement. Building a default check-in with you before your puppy defaults to the environment.
- Hand-target and marker training. Introducing a clicker or verbal marker as a clear, unambiguous "yes" your puppy can learn to work for.
- Sit, down, and settle on a mat. Not as tricks, but as behaviors that generalize into real household routines like mealtimes and guests at the door.
- Crate and confinement comfort. Teaching your puppy that a crate predicts calm and safety, not isolation — the single biggest predictor of a dog who can be left alone without distress.
- Bite inhibition and mouthing. Redirecting normal puppy exploration into appropriate outlets without punishing the instinct itself.
- Structured, low-risk socialization. Curated exposure to new surfaces, sounds, people, and vaccinated, temperament-screened puppies — quality of experience matters far more than quantity.
- House-training mechanics. A schedule-based system built around your puppy's actual bladder capacity, not a one-size-fits-all timeline.
What a session looks like
Sessions run in small groups of four to six puppies, matched loosely by size and temperament. Each one opens with a few minutes of settle work — teaching puppies that arriving somewhere new doesn't mean the volume has to go to eleven — before moving into individual skill work and short, supervised social time.
What you'll leave with
By the end of the program, most families have a puppy who checks in without being asked, tolerates handling and restraint, settles on cue in a new environment, and has the foundational vocabulary — marker, name, sit, down, mat — to build every future behavior on top of. You'll also leave with a homework structure you can keep running long after the six sessions end, because four to six weeks of formal class is a start, not a finish line.
Is this program right for you?
If your puppy is under five months old and this is your first time working with them formally, start here. Puppies with an established bite history, extreme fear responses, or significant health concerns should be evaluated in a private session first — reach out and we'll help you figure out the right starting point.
