As we move into our fifth class of the mentorship, we will be covering the curriculum that breeders should be following with their puppies from week five onwards. A major point we make early on is that it is extremely important to keep in sync with the program. Being behind or ahead of time by even a day or two can make a big difference to a puppy whose development occurs so rapidly during this period of its life. We get into all the considerations over the puppy’s environment, talk about tactile objects and surfaces, how to build confidence by using the dam in training, how to develop tolerance using different handling techniques, and more. Our class covers tips for puppy evaluation and a twelve-point scorecard that we use for all our puppies. You will hear our strategies around pairing owners with puppies who suit them, why we are so open to returns, and how to educate owners so that they are best equipped to continue training once the puppies leave our facility. Additionally, we cover our policy around health checks and vet clearances and speak about why it is important that all our owners need to worry about at their first vet visit is a wellness exam. Tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How much of a difference it makes to be out of sync with your curriculum by a day or two.
• Recommendations for what to focus on in the curriculum at the five-week mark.
• Props and tactile surfaces to use such as balls, triangles, grates, and bridges with slats.
• How changing the environment while keeping a puppy in the same room is bad practice.
• The value of using the mother as a resource for building confidence. 
• Soaking kibble in probiotic, pectolin, and dry pumpkin. 
• Building tolerance to handling by exposing puppies to slightly uncomfortable petting.
• A demonstration of the handling training Jeanette does on a six-week-old puppy.
• When to evaluate toy breeds versus standards and moyens.
• Benefits and shortcomings of the Wendy Volhard aptitude test.
• Different traits to assess, and the need to assess using a person the puppy knows.
• Using the word ‘yes’ to show the puppy it can be confident and keep exploring.
• What to continue and ramp-up leading into week seven.
• Why it is important to let clients choose their own puppies.
• The twelve important traits Jeanette evaluates her puppies by.
• Making sure that as an owner, your lifestyle suits the personality of your puppy.
• Vetting potential owners and why Jeanette is so open to owners returning puppies.
• Perspectives on whether balance boards cause hip and knee issues.
• A description of Jeanette’s typical day with a six or seven-week-old puppy.
• Jeanette’s approach t

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Jeanette Forrey

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