Training

At Biscuits, we know how important it is to have a well-behaved dog with excellent social skills. Our experienced team offers a comprehensive training program for any breed of dog that comes through our doors. Contact us to set up a meet and greet or to learn more about our training program.

Biscuits Puppy Preschool

Biscuits Puppy Preschool is a 4-week program for young puppies 2 to 4 months that exposes them to new sights, sounds, and handling! During class, puppies will "learn how to learn" through basic obedience and positive introductions. We aim to help set our puppies up for success by mimicking real-world scenarios. Puppies will be dropped off in the morning at Biscuits for a half day of school each week. Puppy parents will not be in class, but will receive regular communication with our trainers, be given handouts, helpful hints, and ways to continue socialization/training at home!

What You Can Expect

Through our Puppy Preschool, you can expect:

Positive introductions to other puppies and proper play skills
Setting the groundwork for crate training (we can help make a crate their favorite place!)
Positive introductions to grooming/vet equipment
Making handling fun
Positive introductions to objects like skateboards and crutches
Socialization handouts
Potty training handouts
Building owner focus
Positive introductions to sounds like sirens
Confidence building
And more!

Behaviors Taught

Biscuits Puppy Preschool covers the following behaviors.

Watch Me

Teaching eye contact is a good foundational skill for all dogs to have. Not only does it teach dogs that eye contact from humans is non-threatening, but it also teaches handler focus! We teach this by using a food lure. Hold a food reward between your thumb and index finger. Show it to your dog, and when they are looking at it, slowly pull it to your face so you are pointing at your nose. As soon as your pup makes eye contact with you, mark and reward with the treat you are holding! If need be, always use approximations of the desired end behavior (eye contact, in this instance). For example, if your dog does not readily give eye contact, just looking in your direction will do at first.

Touch

Hand targeting is a super useful behavior for pups to learn! It can be used to teach future tricks and other advanced behaviors. This is also taught using a food lure. Hold a treat in your hand between your palm and thumb. Show your hand to your dog and once they interact with your hand, mark, and reward with the same treat. When your dog is reliably interacting with your hand when you present it to them, start getting picky about what types of interactions you reward. You eventually want to only reward your dog by touching your hand to their nose.

Name Game

It is super important for dogs to recognize their name as meaning something good will happen! We do this by playing the Name Game. All you have to do is say your dog's name and give them a treat! You will want to start out in a calm, boring setting, with your pup nearby. Eventually, you can add in distractions and distance (which will set the foundation for a solid recall).

Sit

Learning to sit on cue is a common thing for dogs to learn and is very useful from a safety standpoint. Say you and your dog are on a walk, and you come to a street crossing. Asking your dog to sit while you wait for traffic to subside will help keep them safe by your side. Show a treat to your dog and move your hand slowly above its head and toward its rear end. This will cause your dog to either back up or touch its rear end to the ground. Should your dog back up, no worries! Just reset and try again. Eventually, they will learn the backing up behavior isn’t getting them the food and will try something else. Remember to keep your dog engaged and “winning” – ask for another behavior you know your dog knows well in between.

With all training, remember to fade the lure, and to continue reinforcing the behavior!

Puppy Kindergarten:

Puppy Kindergarten is for puppies who are 4-6 months of age and expands on what is taught in Preschool. It is the same length and cost of our Puppy Preschool service.

Day Training:

Our Day Training service is sold in packages of 6 so our dogs have time to build relationships with our trainers and learn new behaviors. Each package also includes 2 consultations with our head trainer, Mindy. Multiple packages can be purchased, and we encourage this because learning is life long! We can help with:

Basic manners: sit, down, waiting at doors, & stay
Leash manners
Recall games: touch, fetch, & name game
Safety basics: drop it, leave it, stay, release cue
Polite greetings & no jumping
Build handler focus: eye contact, increasing value of people
What is learned in the 6 sessions will depend on previous training and client wants/needs