Puppy Enrichment Program (PEP)
Our Puppy Enrichment Program (PEP) is designed for puppies between the age of 8-16 weeks and will focus primarily on encountering a wide variety of sensory stimuli, building skills through directed play, and developing confidence and trust.
Our puppy training program includes a structured weekly menu covering important activities such as potty training, crate training, grooming, collar/leash introductions along with leash pressure, introduction to left turn, right turn, sit and place, mock vet exams, ton’s of auditory stimulation to help eliminate fears, Fitpaw® equipment, Blue-9 and KLIMB® products, Puppy playground equipment, snuffle mats, licki-mats and much more.
You can choose how many days per week although we recommend trying to get at least 2-3 if possible. 5 days is the maximum benefit but if you can only do 1 day, a week, your pup will still get healthy benefits.
Dog experts agree that the first year of a puppy’s life is a crucial time for creating a well-socialized, confident dog. It is critical to expose puppies to a wide variety of sights, sounds, smells, and sensations. Puppies who miss out on these experiences maybe never learn how to be comfortable in unfamiliar settings or situations, and are much more likely to develop anxiety, become fearful and/or aggressive later in life.
Read the article from AKC on the importance of socializing your puppy here.
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior: Position Statement On Puppy Socialization which "hopes to increase awareness of the need for socialization in puppies and raise the issue of how vaccination protocols affect the socialization process." Read here:
“Veterinarians specializing in behavior recommend that owners take advantage of every safe opportunity to expose young puppies to the great variety of stimuli that they will experience in their lives. Enrolling in puppy classes prior to three months of age can be an excellent means of improving training, strengthening the human-animal bond, and socializing puppies in an environment where risk of illness can be minimized.”