TRAINING

Training plans

Goldendoodles respond very well to positive reinforcement.

We raise our puppies using science-based positive reinforcement techniques and use positive reinforcement as the foundation for our training programs.

Because all of our training programs rely on the foundation we give our puppies as we raise them, these programs are only for puppies we have raised.

Additional training plans are not always available. Training may not be available for a litter you are interested in.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR VIDEO LIBRARY!

Training your puppy at home

We have partnered with Baxter & Bella to provide seamless, affordable training and training support once your puppy goes home.

We strongly recommend this program for a seamless go-home transition.

Click here for more information, and use the coupon code COSMODOGS for a 25% discount on your lifetime access.

Limitations of training

Please note that despite the amount of work we do with our puppies, they are still BABIES and need consistency and reinforcement at home to maintain their training.

Not all families have the experience to maintain training, and it should be expected for some families to need to consult an outside professional to help them learn to work with their puppies.

Our training teaches to the puppies to obey us. If a family is not experienced in dog handling, no training we provide will be able to train the dog to obey an inexperienced handler.

Puppies are babies and regardless of training SHOULD be expected to cry, bark, and have accidents. If you are not expecting this and prepared for this, please do not get a puppy, even one that has had training.

Basic puppy training

Service Dogs

Puppy Head Start Training

ALL of our puppies go home with Foundational Puppy Training completed.

Many puppy programs tell owners that they won't start training puppies until the puppies are as old as 6 months old.

We think very differently.

Because we start our puppies with science-based positive reinforcement protocols only, we are able to start training our puppies as soon as they can see and hear!

Puppies learn that training is fun and rewarding, and that there is nothing more important or exciting than interacting with and communicating with people.

Our puppies go home at 9 or 10 weeks old in most cases knowing:

Sit
Recall to their name
Walk on a loose leash
Go to their crate
Beginning manners (such as sitting to come out of their playpen, no jumping on people, sitting for attention)
Active enrichment
Confidence building over a variety of surfaces and obstacle

Because these are young puppies, these skills are taught without distractions present.

It is also important to remember that you are getting a puppy—a baby dog—so that while we provide the very best foundation training possible, you are still getting a puppy, and a puppy can never be as fully trained and reliable as a mature, adult dog. A trained puppy is not the same as a trained adult. Puppies at this age cannot and should not be expected to be fully house trained or to not cry/bark/whine and should still be expected to have the potential to engage in rowdy or potentially destructive behaviors when not supervised.

As your puppy gets older, you will need to continue working on these skills in environments with increasing distractions.

However, it is absolutely critical to remember to never present your puppy with a task so difficult or complex that she cannot succeed and never pressure your puppy to perform or behave.

Here are some sample videos of what typical puppies know when they go home:

Advanced puppy training

$2995

Advanced puppy training is for puppies 9-12 weeks of age. Please note that due to the amount of time we spend with each puppy in the Advanced Training Program, only a limited number of puppies are accepted, on a first come, first served basis and availability is also dependent on other factors that affect our availability.

Advanced puppy training builds on the foundation training used to raise our puppies.

Our puppy program is based on the science of puppy development that tells us that the critical window for puppy learning and development is from 3-12 weeks of age. Specific types of training and active enrichment during that time has been shown to produce puppies that have bigger and smarter brains as well as more neurological resilience and increased immunity.

We strongly suggest families take advantage of our training program in the 9-12 week window.

Advanced puppy training continues to build on the skills your puppy learned in Foundational Puppy training. Puppies learn to use their skills in environments where there are increasing distractions. Since they have had all of their vaccinations, they also spend a lot of time getting out into the world and learning how to behave in public. The minimum skill set for Advanced Puppy Training includes

Increased focus skills
Sit under distraction and in public
Down
Down under distraction and in public
Walking on a leash in public
Learning to heel
Place training (also known as stationing)
Continued house breaking skills
Continued crate training, including riding in a car in a crate

Custom skills can be added your puppy's training program, assuming we agree those skills are appropriate for your specific puppy as well as for their stage of development.

Service/therapy preparatory training

$6995

As far as we are concerned, Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs are everyday heroes, and we are very honored that many of our dogs are chosen as Service or Therapy candidates.

To help support these heroes and their new families and to help increase their chances of success, we offer Advanced Service Dog / Therapy Dog (SD/TD) Candidate training (or as we like to refer to them, Superpuppy, training).

We have developed our program in consultation with some of the leading Service Dog trainers in the country.

Because of the challenges associated with successfully raising a puppy for service work. we REQUIRE families to find a trainer prior to selecting a puppy.

For those who have successfully self trained in the past, proof of your own ability to train may be accepted at our discretion.

We would love to work with your trainer to ensure we provide the most appropriate training program possible.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We do our best to select and train puppies that are Service Dog/Therapy Dog candidates.

However, since a dog's full potential may not be seen until it is an adult, we cannot and do not guarantee that any puppy we breed and/or train will be successful as an adult Service Dog.

SD/TD puppies stay with us until they are 16 weeks of age.

The SD/TD program is customized for your family's specific needs and in accordance with what is appropriate for your specific puppy and his stage of development.

A typical program may include:

Public access skills, including impulse control in public, focus in public, obedience in public, street manners, indoor manners, doorway manners, restroom manners, restaurant manners, and exposure to public transportation.
Comfort with and working around assistive devices, such as wheelchairs or crutches.
Confidence and experience in handling unusual obstacles.
Mobility assistance skills ( age-appropriate introductory training, according to the physical maturity of the dog)
Enhancing the natural comforting instincts of Goldendoodles
Enhanced nose work*
And more

Please note that due to the amount of time we spend with each puppy in the SD/TD Training Program, only a limited number of puppies are accepted, on a first come, first served basis and availability is also dependent on other factors that affect our availability.

*If you are interested in using your puppy for any activities that involve scent/nose work, please let us know as early as possible in the puppy's life, preferably before 4 weeks of age, as we prefer to start scent/nose work as soon as the puppies start using their noses.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Unfortunately, there are many people who take advantage of those with special needs. Service dog training is no exception. Please be sure to carefully research and check references for any Service Dog trainer you consider.

Custom training

We also offer custom training programs for puppies whose futures may take them on the road less followed, such as agility, search and rescue/tracking/scent work,* etc.

Please contact us for more information on custom programs.

Please note that due to the amount of time we spend with each puppy in the Custom Program, only a limited number of puppies are accepted, on a first come, first served basis and availability is also dependent on other factors that affect our availability.

Custom Training

Adult service dog training

We have decided to focus on working with young puppies and dogs only and no longer actively offer training of adult Service Dogs.

We will, however, happily continue to work with prior existing adult Service Dog clients and their handlers.

We have partnered with Endless Pawsibilities Service Dogs and recommend them for service dog training.

Please contact us or EP Service dogs for any additional information.

Adult Service Dog Training