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Foundations Board & Train Program
This program is the perfect start for young puppies. It focuses on potty training, crate comfort, play biting, early socialization and desensitization, leash introduction, and essential commands such as sit, down, and place. Throughout the program, puppies build confidence and establish the foundation for future learning.
Program Information
The Foundations Program is designed to give your young puppy (ages 10 to 16 weeks) the very best start in life during their most important learning stage. Early puppyhood is a critical window for socialization, confidence-building, and establishing healthy routines, and the experiences your puppy has now will shape their behavior for years to come.
In this program, we focus on the essentials that every young puppy needs: potty training, crate comfort, reducing play biting, early socialization and desensitization, leash introduction, and foundational commands such as sit, name recognition and recall, and touch. Just as importantly, we work to build your puppy’s confidence, helping them learn how to navigate new situations with curiosity instead of fear.
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Every puppy in this program stays in the home of one of our professional trainers, where they receive individualized attention and structured care. Families receive resources before, during, and after the program so they can learn alongside their puppy, open communication during the program, detailed report cards to track progress, and ongoing support after graduation. This helps to ensure that what your puppy learns with us transfers successfully to your home.
The Foundations Program can be completed in as little as two weeks, but most families choose longer stays to give their puppy more time to develop consistent routines before returning home. Three weeks is our most popular option, as it allows enough time for meaningful progress in both potty training and early manners. Families who choose a six- or eight-week program often do so because they have less time to continue teaching at home and want us to establish fully reliable routines before graduation.
It’s important to remember that consistency is key in any training program. The longer we have with your puppy to reinforce new skills, the stronger and more reliable those behaviors will be when they return home—reducing the risk of regression and setting your family up for long-term success.
What is Covered:
The Foundations Program is designed to lay the groundwork for raising a well-rounded, confident, obedient, and happy dog that is ready to integrate into family life and build a strong relationship with its family.
At this age, it can be tempting to jump ahead to advanced command work or expect perfect leash skills. However, this early stage of development is about building essential house manners and giving your puppy the right experiences during their most critical learning window. From a training standpoint, we focus on:
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Early house manners: potty training, crate comfort, and setting healthy routines.
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Foundational skills: name recognition, early recall, sit, and the beginnings of impulse control (such as offering a default sit for attention and addressing play biting).
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Safe exposure and socialization: introducing your puppy to new people, dogs, surfaces, novel noises, and gentle handling so they learn the world is a safe and positive place.
During this phase, your puppy’s brain is at its most flexible and impressionable. They are absorbing critical information about the world around them, and the lessons learned now will shape how they respond to situations later in life. The goal of the Foundations Program is to maximize this sensitive period, giving your puppy confidence, resilience, and the skills they need to transition smoothly into the next stages of training and family life.
Potty Training
We teach your puppy that going outside is always rewarding, then build a schedule that fits both their stage of development and your home routine. In longer programs, we work more on indication once they are starting to understand the concept, but the true goal is consistency — ensuring your puppy reliably uses the opportunities provided.
Commands
We introduce essential cues like name recognition, recall foundations, sit, down, and place. While these skills are taught in simple, age-appropriate ways, they give your puppy the building blocks for obedience and good manners as they grow.
Crate Training
We help your puppy view their crate as a safe, comfortable space rather than a place of confinement. Through gradual exposure, positive reinforcement, and routine, your puppy learns to relax in the crate, setting the stage for smoother nights, easier travel, less stressful grooming and vet visits, and lifelong independence.
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Socialization & Desensitization
This critical window is when puppies form their impressions of the world. We carefully expose them to new people, dogs, handling, sounds, surfaces, and environments in a safe, structured way. The goal is to build confidence and prevent fear-based behaviors later in life.
Leash Training
We gently introduce leash skills so your puppy begins to understand how to walk alongside you without pulling. At this stage, it’s about comfort, confidence, and building a positive association with the leash, preparing them for more advanced leash manners in future training.
Obedience & Impulse Control
We introduce essential early manners and begin shaping self-control. Your puppy learns cues like sit as a “default” for attention, starts practicing short waits, and is redirected from play biting into appropriate behaviors. These lessons build the foundation for good obedience and impulse control that will grow with them as training advances.
Program Lengths:
Every puppy is different, and the right length of stay depends on their age, goals, and your household’s needs. In general, the longer your puppy is with us, the more time we have to build strong habits, reinforce consistency, and minimize the risk of regression after graduation. Shorter programs are a great way to introduce skills, while longer programs allow us to solidify routines and prepare your puppy for more complex situations. Regardless of length, it’s important for families to continue reinforcing what their puppy has learned at home, since consistency is the key to lasting success.
Two Weeks
Kickstart
A jumpstart for young puppies, best suited for families who have time to continue the work at home. We focus on potty training, crate comfort, and introducing essential skills and exposure.
Three Weeks
Most Popular
The sweet spot for most families. Three weeks allows us to make meaningful progress on potty training, impulse control, and socialization while giving you a strong foundation to continue at home.
Four Weeks
Extended Progress
Ideal for families who want their puppy to return home with stronger, more reliable skills. Four weeks allows us to layer in more practice and begin building greater consistency in house manners and obedience
Six Weeks
Comprehensive
A great choice for busy families or puppies who need extra support. Six weeks gives us the time to establish routines thoroughly, work on problem prevention, and provide a higher level of reliability before graduation.
Eight Weeks
Complete
Our most immersive option, designed for families who want us to handle the bulk of early training. Eight weeks maximizes consistency and minimizes the risk of regression, making it especially helpful for puppies who need more time or families who prefer to return home to fully established routines. Depending on your dog's pace of progress, we may also use the end of the program to dive into our Core Skills & Manners Program Curriculum.
