Program 01
Puppy Foundation
Fondation pour chiots
Puppy training in Meteghan, Nova Scotia: early window training for focus, impulse control, and foundational habits that last.
Overview
Where the ACA system begins.
Puppy Foundation is the first course in the Acadia Canine Academy training system. The goal is not just to teach a puppy to sit, lie down or come when called. It is to teach your puppy how to learn during the critical early window, and to teach your family how to keep that learning going.
Behaviours that get repeated become habits. This course makes sure the habits your puppy builds now are the ones you want in an adult dog.
Who it is for
- Puppies aged 8 to 16 weeks, from their first weeks home. No prerequisites.
- Families who want to get the foundation right, with every household member involved. You are part of the training, not an observer.
What is covered
Small lessons, lifelong habits.
What your puppy will learn
- Socialization and confidence building: calm confidence with new places, surfaces, sounds and people, without needing to greet everything
- Leash manners introduction: following you on leash and responding to gentle leash guidance
- Basic commands: sit, down, stay and come, plus a release cue and place
- Bite inhibition and impulse control: a soft mouth, letting go on cue, and waiting for food, toys, doors and greetings
- Mostly rewards, and honest about the rest: your puppy learns mainly through food, play and praise. Like all our programs, Puppy Foundation is balanced, so we also use a few very mild corrections, and we show you exactly how first. If your puppy bites, you gently push your fingers a little farther into its mouth so biting stops being fun, then offer a toy. On leash, it can be as little as one finger pushing on the leash in the direction you want your puppy to go. Nothing we do should hurt or frighten your puppy.
- Name response, engagement, calm handling, crate comfort and settling after play
- Gentle e-collar introduction (optional): at first your puppy simply wears the collar, so it becomes a normal part of meals, play and training. Very low-level stimulation, always paired with rewards, is introduced later, once your puppy is old enough and ready. It is never used as punishment or correction, and it is never required.
What you will learn
- Timing and reward delivery, and how to use a marker
- Leash handling
- Setting up repetitions your puppy can succeed at
- Spotting stress and over-excitement
- When to make things harder, and when to make them easier
- How to stop unwanted habits before they form
How it works
Short, frequent, measured.
- Intake and baseline assessment. We assess how your puppy learns, what motivates it and where it is starting from. If we see a health or behaviour concern, we may recommend a visit to your veterinarian first.
- Short, frequent training. Many short sessions through the day, with a clear daily plan and homework built around normal family life.
- Measured progress. Progress is tracked against the baseline, and difficulty increases one step at a time.
Can't make it to Meteghan? Our puppy approach is also in How To Train Your Puppy by Ryan R. McKenzie, a practical guide you can follow at home. Signed by the author. $12 shipping in Canada or free pickup in Meteghan.
Expectations for graduation
Ready for the next stage.
A puppy does not need to be perfect. It needs to be developing in the right direction. Your puppy graduates when its foundation is ready for Basic Obedience, not when a number of weeks has passed. Each area is assessed by the trainer and recorded against your puppy’s starting point.
- Engagement and name responseChooses to engage with you and reliably turns to its name.
- Markers and rewardsUnderstands the marker and works for food and play.
- Following and leash mannersFollows your movement and walks with you on leash, responding to gentle guidance.
- Recall foundationComes when called, including away from mild distraction.
- Positions and stayUnderstands sit, down and stand, and holds a short stay with you close until released.
- Release and placeUnderstands when an exercise starts and ends, and stays briefly on a place station.
- Impulse controlCan briefly wait for food, toys, doorways and greetings.
- Bite inhibitionMouths with little or no pressure, stops on cue and redirects to a toy.
- HandlingAccepts routine handling calmly.
- Confidence and recoveryExplores new places with confidence, stays neutral without greeting everything, and settles again after excitement.
- You, the handlerYou can run the foundation exercises on your own.
Optional e-collar introduction: only for families who choose it, and not required to graduate. The goal is a puppy that wears the collar calmly during meals, play and training. Very low-level stimulation, always paired with rewards, comes later, when your puppy is ready.
Not ready yet? That is not a failure. It tells us what to work on next. We note which areas still need work, adjust the plan, and reassess when your puppy is ready. Puppies develop at different rates.
After graduation: graduates move into Basic Obedience without starting over.
Safety comes first at every stage. A serious health or behaviour concern may mean a referral to your veterinarian, or to the Rehabilitation program, before training continues.
Start your puppy right.
Tell us about your puppy and we will help you plan the first steps. We typically respond within 1 to 2 business days.
All programs