Puppy Prodigy / Service Dog in Training Cove!
Aug 19, 2023
*UPDATE AS OF DECEMBER 2023: Cove has been placed as a service dog! Check back soon for future Puppy Prodigies!
Meet Cove, KeenDog's newest puppy prodigy with great potential to be a service dog! Cove is a black Labrador Retriever, bred by KeenDog trainer Griffin and his breeding program, Tidal Retrievers. Cove comes from extensively health tested and proven parents and was raised using Avidog protocols. Her temperament, energy level, and drives all indicate that she has potential to be a fantastic service dog.
Cove's training will start with KeenDog's standard Puppy Prodigy program. If desired, she will also be started in service dog-specific training. Once she matures, she will receive advanced service dog training including one-on-one lessons if you are local (Charlotte, NC) or a minimum 3 week immersion between 12-18 months to aid in a successful career.
The tasks Cove will be started in are deep pressure therapy (DPT), retrievals, and behavior interruptions. Once she returns for service-dog specific training (either one-on-one lessons or an immersive board-and-train), handler-specific specialized tasks will be taught. Cove would excel as a psychiatric service dog, autism assist service dog, light mobility service dog or a cardiac alert service dog. Fully grown she will not be large enough for heavily mobility (bracing/counterbalance).
Our Puppy Prodigy Program utilizes a unique approach that allows people to experience the joy of a young puppy, but skip over the challenging aspects of puppy training. We provide this program to help families set their puppy up for success and create happy, obedient dogs from day one. We understand that puppies are a lot of work and require a lot of attention. This program ensures your puppy is well socialized and comes home with an amazing start to their life.
What's included in standard Puppy Prodigy training:
- Marker training (markers detailed below)
- On & off leash obedience (commands detailed below)
- Loose leash walking
- Correction command for stopping unwanted behaviors: NO
- Building engagement with handler
- Manners including greeting people calmly without jumping or barking
- Management of your pup including crate training and housebreaking
- Puppy will sleep through the night in crate and relax during the day for hours at a time; will enter crate on command
- Puppy will be able to hold it for up to 8 hours day or night in crate
- Introduction to bathing, brushing, nail trims, dental care, and fur trims
- Proper socialization
- Carefully monitored interactions with a variety of dogs and people
- Increased patience with other dogs, humans, etc.
- Pack order mentality – assists puppy with knowing it’s place in its home and lessens dominant tendencies
- Environmental exposure and confidence building
- Extensive socialization excursions (parks, stores, trails, etc.)
- Confidence building exercises such as pool feeding, box feeding, obstacle courses, etc.
- Exposure to different textures, sounds, water, etc.
- Guidance through typical puppy challenges
- Support through “fear periods” – puppy will not make negative associations with potential fear factors
- Management through teething – puppy will learn what to chew on besides its owner
Investment:
Our standard puppy prodigies are each available for $15,000. This includes the cost of the puppy, 16 weeks of training, and training tools (detailed info linked below). With service dog training, Cove's starting price will be $18,000. Price will vary depending on individual needs and desired task training.
More info:
Click here for more information on our Puppy Prodigy Package.
Please send inquiries about Cove to [email protected].
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