Service Puppy Imprinting Program – Overview
The Holdfast K9 Service Puppy Imprinting Program is designed to support individuals entering an owner-trained service dog pathway who may find raising a young puppy to be overwhelming or stressful. This foundational imprinting program provides structured early training over a 12–18 week period (typically from 10 weeks to 6–7 months of age) to prepare the puppy for a future role as a service dog.
Program Highlights:
- Puppies are placed with a qualified Holdfast K9 trainer during the imprinting period.
- Training begins when the puppy is between 8–12 weeks old.
- The puppy will reside full-time with the trainer and receive focused instruction in the following areas:
- Socialization: Integration with a balanced group of dogs, including service dogs in training, retired service dogs, and pet dogs.
- Crate Training: Introduction to crate routines and structure.
- House Training: Early housebreaking skills and environmental conditioning.
Program Prerequisites:
Participants must provide the following on or before the first day of training:
- Proof of current vaccinations for the puppy.
Program Costs:
- $500 flat rate – includes basic food and training services.
- Owners are responsible for providing specialty food if the puppy is on a specific diet.
- All veterinary and medical expenses incurred during the imprinting period are the responsibility of the owner.
Service Puppy Imprinting Curriculum Includes:
- Establishing foundational puppy rules and routines
- Building a proper bond between handler and puppy
- Instilling early service dog manners
- Feeding, housebreaking, and crate training
- Proper and safe socialization techniques
- Understanding what behaviors to avoid and encourage
- Identifying signs of stress, fear, and insecurity
- Introducing basic obedience and early training methods
- Understanding developmental milestones and phases
- Teaching pack leadership and structure
- Effective praise and reward strategies
- Appropriate correction methods and timing
- Emphasizing consistency in training and corrections
- Creating a "Formula for Success" approach
- Generalizing basic commands across environments
- Managing and controlling the training environment
- Encouraging calm exposure and socialization without forced contact