CPT Internal Training Seminar- Age Specific Puppy Training

June 24, 2008

In our continuing efforts to maintain the CPT Training staff as the most educated group of pet trainers in the Atlanta area, we completed another in a sequence of internal training seminars designed to enhance each trainer’s knowledge and competency regarding canine learning theory, canine communication, new equipment and applications, and leading edge training methodologies. On June 24, 2008 the fourth in a series of seminars featured a lecture, discussion, and demonstration focused on age specific puppy training.

Due to the rapidly developing physical, psychological, behavioral, and emotional state of a puppy, age-appropriate puppy training is highly beneficial to owners wishing to create optimally balanced, well-mannered, happy adult dogs. Moreover, properly designed puppy programs assist owners in better understanding their puppy’s behavior and better reducing the aggravation and frustration that can be caused by normal, but undesirable, puppy activities. Most importantly, properly designed puppy programs prevent the development of future problems and expedite the maturation process whereby undesirable behaviors convert to desirable behaviors.

The seminar lecture covered developing comprehensive lesson plans for puppies, defining normal versus abnormal behavior, differentiating abnormal behavior from undesirable behavior, and evaluating the issue of normal versus abnormal behavior when designing and implementing trifurcated solution plans for puppy obedience, household manners, and behavioral problems in group classes, private lessons, and board train programs. After the lecture, an open interactive discussion format followed. Then, the final portion of the seminar featured a hands-on demonstration of puppy obedience with a young 3-month old dog. Several trainers displayed their prowess teaching the eager young Border Collie new behaviors using natural canine communication emphasizing physical prompts along with verbal praise and food rewards and without the benefit of a leash or training collar. CPT aims to provide the most gentle, humane, cognitive puppy lesson plans that consider the present and future welfare of the animal while concurrently enhancing the pet’s desire to learn now and in the future and accomplishing the owner’s short-term and long-term goals.

The seminar benefited the trainers’ understanding of how to comprehensively and effectively resolve puppy training issues such as:

• Low drive and motivation.
• Excitability.
• Stubbornness.
• Relationship building.
• Confusion.
• Anxiety/Fear.
• Housebreaking.
• Inappropriate Chewing.
• Inappropriate or Excessive Barking.
• Jumping on Owners or Guests.
• Digging.
• Raiding Trash.
• Stealing Food.
• Stealing Objects.
• Mouthing.
• Getting on the Furniture.
• Bolting, and
• Basic Obedience.

We believe our clients will observe firsthand the benefits of our internal training program and agree that CPT’s program, staff, and overall professionalism is unequalled in the Atlanta area.