If you just brought home a puppy in Reno and it feels like chaos, you're in good company. The most common call we get from new puppy owners is some combination of the same list: biting, potty accidents, chewing, crate crying — usually all at once. One family called us about a 10-week-old Frenchie doing all of the above. Another called the day after pickup because they wanted to "start him off right, not develop bad habits."
That instinct is exactly right — and it's the whole reason our puppy training exists.
All of it is normal. None of it should be ignored.
Biting is how puppies explore the world; it becomes a problem when nobody teaches a better option. Potty accidents are a schedule-and-supervision problem, not defiance. Crate crying is a puppy running an experiment: does crying work? Every week you wait, your puppy is still learning — just without a curriculum.
The critical window
The early months are when your puppy decides what's normal: what calm feels like, whether the crate is safe, whether their name means "look at you." Obedience, socialization, and house manners built now prevent the reactivity, anxiety, and chaos we spend four weeks fixing in adult dogs. It is dramatically easier to build it right than to rebuild it later.
The Reno part
Potty training through a Truckee Meadows winter is its own project — a puppy who's never seen snow has opinions about a 6 AM potty break in it. Consistency beats weather: the schedule holds whether it's January ice or a 95-degree July afternoon, and we build the routine around your actual life, not a generic internet template.
Where we come in
This isn't a "send your puppy away" program. Your puppy trains with us during the day, comes home to you each night, and we teach YOU the same tools in your home — because your puppy's real life happens in your kitchen, not a training room. Start with a free evaluation: we'll meet your puppy, tell you honestly what's on track and what needs attention, and map out the right plan.