16 Week Companion Program

 

Prep School Weekly Overview

• Our Companion Prep School Program is a 16-week "Foundational Program" that gets your puppy through the initial phases and stages of puppyhood.
• The 16-week plan focuses on learning at the most appropriate time for the puppy based on age and social development stage.
• Each new week adds onto the previous week’s learning.
• Each week our Prep School Program focuses on each puppy as an individual, not as a litter-mate. 
• We also focus on each client’s needs individually. 
• These 2 elements combined give us the actual training plan for each puppy. 
• Puppy or Client needs will create variances in the below program.   

 

This program is our Complete Puppy Training Program. Once a puppy has reached 16 weeks old they are past the most critical socialization period. The socialization window has been closed and their true personality has been established. This is why ALL potential service & therapy dogs must complete this program. This is the most important training period of a dog's life. They typically begin this program at 8 weeks. Most puppies that have completed this phase of training are six to eight months depending on when the puppy was enrolled.  Additional weeks or months can be added at the owner's request.

 

We continue with practice and socialization, continually requiring the puppy to give better behaviors for the same rewards and expanding on his exposures and experiences.  We build reliability and constancy with the potty training, manners, and obedience by doing this.  The puppy will do another practice transition during this time.  We are now focusing in areas of most importance to the client and in areas the puppy has more difficulty.  Adolescence is in full swing now and the puppy continues learning by testing limits and boundaries and getting clear feedback to what is and isn’t appropriate behavior. Teething also typically is going on now.  We also continue practicing in a new setting and applying all training to the real world so it will be functional once the puppy is with the client.   

 This is where we apply all finishing touches to the Socialization and potty training.  The puppy’s schedule very closely mirrors the client’s requested schedule.  Obedience is solid and reliable in most settings.  Manners are very good at this point.  If the puppy is still in adolescence and teething, the trainer may have special instructions for working with this once the puppy comes home.  The puppy’s is getting many opportunities to practice and gain experience.

 By the 16th week of Prep School, most puppies are 6 months old and through those puppyhood phases that lead to problems with owners.  They are now capable of controlling when they potty.  They are through the socialization phase which has them getting into everything.  They are also for the most part through the testing limits and boundaries phase which makes training pretty reliable at this point.  There is an anticipated transition period the puppy will go through when first arriving home, but the trainers will have great guidance on what to expect and how to get through it as quickly and seamlessly as possible from his practice transitions.

 

From this program you can expect the following behaviors:

• Your dog will be crate trained and house-trained, including ringing a bell to go outside if requested by the new owner.
• Your dog will exhibit good manners and be consistent with the obedience commands "Attention", "Come", "Sit", "Stay", "Leave It" and "Touch."
• Your puppy will be trained in line with the Smeraglia S.T.A.R. Puppy Certification.
• Your dog will also be eligible to be CGC (Canine Good Citizen) Certified. (This is accomplished after they have reached the age of one year and when you have maintained the training they received during the 16-week program).
• Your dog will be spayed or neutered.
• Your dog will be micro-chipped.
• Your dog will have received all age appropriate vaccinations.
• Your puppy will be passes the socialization period which means that their temperament is established.
• To make an easier transition, your dog will spend time in the homes of two trainers so that his/her ability to transition will be tested prior to going home. 
• This is Phase I of our Service Dog programs.