Harmony at Home
Puppy & Young Dog Owner Coaching
Practical guidance for raising a well-mannered household companion.
A service of Harmony Golden Retrievers
More Than Traditional Dog Training
Sometimes the biggest challenge isn't
teaching a dog to sit or stay.
It's learning how to live successfully together.
Harmony at Home is practical, owner-focused coaching designed to help you better understand your puppy or young dog and create the routines, boundaries,
expectations, and consistency that
make everyday life together easier.
I don't come in to train your dog for you. I coach you so you have the tools and skills needed to work successfully
with your own dog.
How Harmony at Home Can Help
New Puppy & Puppy Preparation
Start off on the right foot with routines, crate training, house training, boundaries, feeding schedules, household expectations, and helping your puppy adjust successfully to family life.
The “Terrible Teens” & Young Dogs
That adorable puppy suddenly seems to have forgotten everything? We can work through jumping, pulling, ignoring commands, overexcitement, household manners, boundary testing, and other common adolescent behaviors.
Everyday Life With Your Dog
Get practical help with routines, manners, appropriate boundaries, interactions with family members, introducing new situations, and creating a home environment that works for both you and your dog.
Understanding Your Individual Dog
Dogs have different personalities, energy levels, sensitivities and needs. Coaching can help you understand the dog you actually have, rather than expecting every dog to behave the same way.
Experience You Can Put to Work in Your Home
My approach to dogs comes from decades of hands-on experience, not simply from a training manual. I've raised and trained my own dogs, helped others with theirs,
I worked professionally as a dog groomer, and worked in a veterinary setting.
My experience with breeding and raising puppies began many years ago, working
alongside my father with several breeds & mixes, including
Poodles, Lhasa Apsos, and Peekapoos.
Over time, Golden Retrievers became my primary area of experience
and are now the focus of
my breeding program, Harmony Golden Retrievers.
My background also includes extensive hands-on experience with horses and other animals.
Over the years, I've learned that raising a great family dog involves
much more than teaching sit, stay, and come.
Dogs move through different developmental stages, have individual temperaments and sensitivities, and need clear, consistent guidance that works within the
everyday life of the family.
There is an enormous amount of dog advice available today, and
much of it can be confusing or contradictory.
My goal is to simplify it.
I help owners understand the dog in front of them, what their dog needs from them, and
how small changes in routines, expectations, boundaries, and communication
can make everyday life together much easier.
A better-behaved dog often begins with a better-informed owner.
Pre-Puppy Home Preparation
Start preparing for your puppy before the paws ever hit the floor.
Bringing home a new puppy is exciting, but the first few weeks can quickly
become overwhelming without the right preparation.
Where should the crate go? What areas should the puppy have access to?
What supplies do you actually need?
How will you handle feeding, house training, sleeping, children, other pets,
and those first few nights?
Harmony at Home's Pre-Puppy Home Preparation is a personalized, in-home consultation designed to help you prepare your home and your family before your puppy arrives.
Together, we'll look at your actual home, lifestyle, family, and the puppy you're bringing
home and create a practical plan that works for you.
Your Consultation May Include
Crate Placement
Sleeping Arrangements
Puppy-Proofing
as well as identifying potential problem areas.
Gates, Play Areas, and Appropriate Household Boundaries.
House-Training and Outdoor Potty Setup
Feeding Location, Schedule, and Daily routines
Choosing appropriate supplies and avoiding unnecessary purchases
Preparing children and other family members for the puppy
Introducing a Puppy to Existing Household Pets.
Planning for work schedules and time the puppy will spend alone.
What to expect during the puppy's early developmental stages.
Establishing good habits from the beginning rather than trying to undo unwanted ones later.
The goal isn't to create a perfect puppy overnight. It's to give you a plan before the
puppy arrives, so everyone knows what to do when it does.
Whether this is your first puppy, your first puppy in many years, or you simply want to start this experience with more structure and less guesswork,
I'll help you create a home environment that sets both you and your puppy up for success.
Ready for a Little More Harmony at Home?
Whether you're preparing for a new puppy or need help making everyday life with your current puppy or young dog easier, we'll start by
learning a little about you, your dog, and what you're hoping to accomplish.
Complete the questionnaire to help me understand your needs, or contact me directly to learn more about coaching and Pre-Puppy Home Preparation.