For as long as I have been training animals, I have always found people want it to be simple and formulaic. IT ISN’T!
Animal training is a dynamic process. With a developing puppy, it is even more dynamic. To build communication and trust, you must adapt to the individual needs of the dogs in front of you. You may start with a plan and completely change it in the course of a training session.
If someone were to hold a gun to my head and demand a 12 month plan it would look something like this:
Under 6 month priorities
1 Environmental Stability
2 Socialization
3 Reward Engagement
4 Search
5 Olfactory Acuity
Approaching 1 year priorities
1 Olfactory Acuity
2 Search
3 Reward Engagement
4 Socialization
5 Environmental Stability