Truffle Puppy Preschool – Tiny & Mighty Hunters- DIY Training

Instructor: Victoria Gideon

KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, TAGteach, Fear Free Certified Professional Trainer, Behavior Works LLA designation, Family Dog Dogs and Storks, Dogs and Toddlers Licensed

Get your puppy off on the right paw and join us in this class to learn the basics of puppyhood and truffle hunting. This class is specifically designed for puppies under 5 months of age.

Our goal is getting you started well on your way to having a happy, well-adjusted puppy, who can handle all life has to offer as well as foundational skills for truffle hunting, other scent work sports, and more.

This DIY class includes two 30 minute mini-lessons via Zoom to check in after each stage of training- one after Tiny Hunters (Week 3) and one after Mighty Hunters (Week 6), as well as your puppy exercise guide, your online class recordings, materials, and access to our private Tiny & Mighty Hunters, Facebook Page where you can post homework questions and more.

In this class we touch on the following:

• • Begin to learn how to speak puppy!
  • How to set your puppy up for success
  • What is safe for a puppy to do at what age, and the stages of development
  • How puppies learn
  • The importance of socializing your puppy to all novel items, how to do it, and why it’s important with Truffle Hunting
  • Clicker mechanics
  • Working a recall – one of your most important skills!
  • Playing finding games- get that nose working!
  • Bend and stretch – how to keep your puppy in shape, but not overdo it
  • Creating confidence and bravery with novel items in the forest
  • Begin teaching your puppy impulse control & focus
  • Meet other puppy owners and connect on Facebook and create future hunting friends!

If run as intended, this course lasts 6 weeks. The first 3 weeks are the Tiny Hunters course, followed by your first Zoom check-in, and then the next 3 weeks we build on your success and bond with Mighty Hunters, to be followed by your 2nd Zoom Check in to go over the next steps and your personalized plan for truffle hunting!

*After passing Tiny & Mighty Hunters you can progress into Foundations 1 with a headstart, where your puppy, now a teenager, will have all the basics installed to begin working on learning odor and how to locate it setting yourself up for great success in our truffle training program. You will be well set up and on your way to truffle hunting.  If you continue with training, within 12 weeks you’ll have completed Foundations 1, Foundations 2, and intermediate truffle hunting, when then, your puppy should be ready for our pre-hunt course where instructors will take you into the forest and hide real truffles for you to find and work on moving you into an actual truffle field.

In our Advanced field classes, held during truffle season, our instructors will take you to Wild Truffle sites that you will be working in to find your first truffles!

We look forward to meeting you and helping you raise the next generation of FABULOUS positively reinforced Truffle Dogs!

*After purchase, you will receive a link to access your Online materials. The link and access to the online support materials are valid for 3 months from the date you actually start your class. We will also be mailing you your Puppy exercise workbook to follow along with the online lessons.

the fine print:

*If you have any questions on if this class is right for you, please contact us directly, we are happy to chat.

**If you have two puppies in your household you’d like to work, please purchase two spots, or contact us and we can discuss the best approach with you.

***72 Hrs advanced notice is required for canceling/ rescheduling of mini-lessons with an instructor for the Puppy DIY Class. Failure to notify the instructor and no-shows result in a forfeiture of the said lesson, but we can add on a 1/2 private lesson in additional expense for you for rescheduling.