ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (NBC 26) -- If you got a new puppy in 2020 you're probably knee deep in training.
If you need a little help, Practical Obedience in Ashwaubenon has a great program that gives you the most bang for your buck.
A new puppy is so cute and cuddly, but also a ton of work.
Training that new furry member of your family can be stressful.
Sami Dawalt of Luxemburg knows all about it.
"We first tried to start training her ourselves but with her breed we thought we need some more professional help," said Dawalt.
She enrolled her pup Reigan in the Puppy Day School Program at Practical Obedience.
You wouldn't know it by her size but the puppy is only five months old.
"We were finding she was a little bit bitey," said Dawalt. "Her breed especially they like to get mouthy and bite hands and furniture."
"We bring these animals into our lives and they don't have a lot of choice in the matter," said Maggie Keippel, the owner of Practical Obedience. "We take a lot of what their normal dog behaviors are and say you can't do that in our house. Training meshes those two worlds together."
Reigan's owners have seen a tremendous improvement in her temperament and they have learned some valuable commands.
"Getting her into training around other people and other dogs really early was probably the best thing for her because now she's super friendly with every person," said Dawalt.
The program teaches obedience to puppies under 14 weeks old at the start of the program.
Classes are three and a half hours twice a week and includes one-on-one sessions with owners as well.
"We are an all positive reinforcement science based dog training company which means we are using things that naturally motivate dogs like food, treats and praise," said Keippel.
Changing a dog's behavior at an early age helps solidify those good habits.
The next Puppy Day School begins on January 12th.
For more information, click here.
