Puppy Training Institute
The most extensive Bichon Frise training program in the world.
Our Puppy Training Institute is one of the most unique and special parts of our program. This professional extended training offers hundreds of hours of individual training, and every Bichon Frise puppy goes through one or more levels of this training. This page breaks down each level, and has taken more than a decade to perfect. Every part of this training has a purpose, and nothing is here by accident!
If you are extremely busy, haven’t trained a puppy in years, or just want the perfect Bichon puppy, this program is for you.
After training more than 500 puppies, we have learned by experience exactly what training works and what doesn’t.
We have 5 training levels in our Puppy Training Institute. EVERY puppy from Recherche Bichons is trained in at least one of these programs.
See below for full descriptions of each phase of training.
Each program is built to be able to provide not only a beautiful healthy puppy but a puppy that’s emotionally and mentally stable for life, and forms a foundation to become a therapy dog, a hunting dog or the best family dog you could ever have.
Training Levels Overview
Puppy Academy
- 6-12 Weeks of Age
- 250 Hours of training
These first 6 weeks of training are the core of everything we do in the Puppy Training Institute. Every Recherche Bichons puppy is required to go through Puppy Academy.
Canine College
- 12-16 Weeks of Age
- 350 Hours of training
This 4-week program is designed to build upon Puppy Academy, and further enforces it’s habits and skills. Most puppies are also required to go through Canine College.
Master’s Program
- 16-20 Weeks of Age
- 450-475 Hours of training
This program continues to build the fundamentals, but also takes a more diverse direction. Puppies are fully inoculated and will now go on field trips and other distraction training.
Doggy Doctorate
- 20 Weeks to 6 months of Age
- 600+ Hours of training
This is the perfect program for people who want fully reinforced training in their pup, and an easier transition to their new home.
Double Doggy Doctorate
- 6 months through 7-12 months of age
- More than double previous training programs
In our newest and fastest growing program we continue to train pups into young adulthood. Your pup will experience new surroundings and their house training, obedience training and socialization training will be stretched. Your pup will learn a completely new place to potty train. Your pup will be extensively socialized and will continue to be obedience trained, but the focus will be on pushing your pup in a new environment and getting them out of their comfort zone. We can see more easily any weaknesses and work on them. We also can customize their training to meet the clients needs more direct. Most DDD pups will also be Canine Good Citizen certified.
In addition to taking previous training to a much higher level, each pup also receives very specific attention according to their unique struggles. Your pup will have to learn a new family, a new potty training location, and generally be pushed beyond their previous comfort zone of our facilities. Most DDD pups will also be Canine Good Citizen certified.
The 4 Pillars of Our Training Program
All of our extensive training programs focus on 4 primary areas that are designed to get each Bichon Frise puppy ready for your home, and for the real world. With each advancing program, these 4 areas are given more and more focus and expanded to cover everything a puppy may encounter once they leave our facility.
1
House Training
Every day we have a worker that spends 4-5 hours working with house training alone. It takes a large amount of consistency, patience and time for a puppy to master house training.
- Crate trained– this is training them to be used to being in a crate at night, for feeding & for breaks. They learn to sleep through the night.
- Potty trained– training the pups to hold the restroom indoors and to notify the owner they need to go to the bathroom outside.
- Chew trained– training them what to chew and what not to chew.
- Bite trained– training them not to be aggressive or bite humans.
- Jump trained– training them not to jump up on couches, people, chairs, etc…
2
Obedience Training
Every puppy works on each one of these commands every day. This takes a lot of time and skill but by 12 weeks of age most pups are better trained than pups 12 months of age in these areas!
- “Sit“- voice & hand commands
- “Stay” – voice & hand commands
- “Down“- voice & hand commands
- “Come“- voice & hand commands
- “Off“- voice & hand commands
- “Sit/Stay“- voice & hand commands
- “Down/Stay“- voice & hand commands
- “Place“- teaching them to go to a certain “place” on command. Reserved for extended training programs of Doggy Doctorate
- Stair Trained– Teaching every day to go up and down stairs
3
Socialization Training
- Stranger Trained– each puppy goes on multiple schedule “field trips” to various safe locations to get them use to different people. They are taken to pet friendly stores and are handled weekly by strangers. We have multiple guest over our homes for visits from our church, our Christian school and from our family getting each puppy used to every type of personality, gender & race.
- Child Trained– We have many children that come over from our workers that play with the pups occasionally.
- Cat Trained– We have 1 feisty cat that is friendly to our pups. Occasionally you will see them playing with each other.
- Vet Trained– Pups are use to be handling by a veterinarian. Every precaution is taken to assure the pups have “happy visits” when they are there.
- Noise Trained– Between the vacuum cleaner, to hair dryer, to industrial fan, to television to our piano…each puppy is use to hearing loud noises and are not fearful of them.
- Grooming Trained– Pups are continuously given baths and are accustomed to being bathed, blow dried, nails clip, ears cleaned and even their teeth brushed.
4
Outside Training
- Leash Trained– every day, each individual puppy is trained how to appropriately walk on a leash. This is also associated with “heeling” or making sure the puppy walks beside you. We train each pup to walk on a certain side, not to walk ahead or drag behind. They are taken up stairs and down stairs on a leash. They are trained on a harness and eventually moved to a collar.
- Car Trained– every week we take the pups are field trips to help with socialization and car sickness. Our goal is to have each puppy use to riding in a vehicle and not experience motion sickness.
- Spot Trained– from the beginning, each puppy is trained to use the restroom in a certain area. With the right technique, each puppy is spot trained by 6 weeks of age. They are continually spot trained for the remainder of training and can be easily spot trained when they go home. In other words, the client can determine where specifically they want their puppy to use the restroom!
- Thunderstorm Trained– we make sure every puppy is use to all types of loud noises including thunderstorms. We have yet to have 1 puppy develop a phobia of thunderstorms.
Puppy Academy
Starts at 6 weeks and ends at 12 weeks of age
Every one of our puppies is enrolled in Puppy Academy as a minimum. Puppy Academy offers around 250 hours of training from a Professional trainer, and is the base program that covers all the groundwork for our more advanced training programs. During this time, our Bichon Frise puppies are in their most important learning phase.Below is a Detailed Video on Puppy Academy Including Showing Graduates
1
House Training
- Crate Training Goal– to sleep in a crate at night for up to 3-4 hours
- Potty Training Goal– to hold their restroom for 1 hour during the day without an accident
- Chew Training Goal– to respond to the word “no” when chewing something wrong
- Bite Trained Goal– to respond to the word “no” when biting hands too hard
- Jump Trained Goal– to know the word “off” when commanded
2
Obedience Training
- “Sit” Goals– to go into a “sit” with a combination of verbal/hand commands
- “Stay“Goals – to “stay” for a duration of 5 seconds from a distance of 5 feet
- “Down” Goals– to be lured into a “down” command with a simple point to the ground
- “Come” Goals– to respond to a “come” command with a high, peppy voice
- “Off“Goals– to understand that “off” means to jump down
- Stair Trained Goals– to slowly but not fearfully go up and down stairs
3
Socialization Training
- Stranger Trained Goals– Not many field trips are allowed at this point since they are not fully innoculated. Socialization is done on campus and with our trainers and staff. They still will love to be around men, women and children.
- Child Trained Goals– Since pups are not fully inoculated the only children they see are from clients, my daughter and my niece and nephews that live next door. They will at least spend a little time with them so they are not foreign when they go home.
- Vet Trained Goals– They will be taken to the vet and introduced
- Noise Trained Goals– During house training they are watching t.v. constantly.
- Grooming Trained Goals– To be use to getting a bath without great complaint. They still will be somewhat frightened of a hair dryer but we work on this.
4
Outside Training
- Leash Trained Goals– every day, each individual puppy is trained how to appropriately walk on a leash. They will be use to have a lead on their neck and given some correction. They still will be fairly small and immature so they aren’t going to auto-sit well or be able to go on long walks.
- Car Trained Goals– to have them not get car sick
- Spot Trained Goals– to train them to use the restroom with river rock inside or outside
- Thunderstorm Trained Goals– to train them with CD’s to be use to thunderstorms and not freak out.
Canine College
Starts at 12 weeks and ends at 16 weeks of age
The second portion of our core training is Canine College. This program offers 350 hours of training from a Professional trainer, and helps to introduce training in a more real-world atmosphere and situations. Most of our puppies are automatically enrolled in Canine College as it helps enforce good habits from Puppy Academy.Below is a Detailed Video on Canine College Including Showing Graduates
Canine College is the next level of training after Puppy Academy. Even though every Puppy Academy puppy is worked with for an average of 250 hours, no puppy is perfect. Canine College is another intense 4 weeks where each section of training (House Training, Obedience Training, Socialization Training & Outside Training) is reinforced daily.
As mentioned earlier, most of our pups are required to be enrolled in Canine College because it gives the puppies an extra 4 weeks to mature, solidify each command, be even more potty trained and be even stronger emotionally and mentally. Every puppy has a different “light bulb” moment….that’s the moment when a pup realizes they are being trained. Once that happens we see enormous growth in their training. An average Bichon Frise will have that moment when they are around 10-12 weeks old. Because of this, the additional 4 weeks of training in Canine College can be crucial in order for pups to keep all the commands they have learned.
1
House Training
- Crate Training Goal– to sleep in a crate at night for up to 4-6 hours
- Potty Training Goal– to hold their restroom for 2 hours during the day without an accident
- Chew Training Goal– to respond to the word “no” when chewing something wrong
- Bite Trained Goal– to rarely bite on the hand and if they do quickly respond to “no”
- Jump Trained Goal– to know the word “off” when commanded
2
Obedience Training
- “Sit” Goals– to go into a “sit” with a verbal command only and also a verbal/hand command
- “Stay“Goals – to “stay” for a duration of 10 seconds from a distance of 10 feet
- “Down” Goals– to go “down” with combination of a verbal and hand command
- “Come” Goals– to respond to a “come” command with a regular voice
- “Off“Goals– to understand that “off” means to jump down
- Stair Trained Goals– to go up and down stairs at a normal pace
3
Socialization Training
- Stranger Trained Goals– Again pups are not fully inoculated until 16 weeks old. Socialization is done on campus and with our trainers and staff. They still will love to be around men, women and children.
- Child Trained Goals– Since pups are not fully inoculated the only children they see are from clients, my daughter and my niece and nephews that live next door. They will spent much more time with our kids and are use to our kids.
- Vet Trained Goals– They will be taken to the vet and introduced a few times.
- Noise Trained Goals– During house training they are watching t.v. constantly and use to hearing the vacuum cleaner and more.
- Grooming Trained Goals– To be use to getting a bath without great complaint. They still be more use to the hair dryer though not completely unafraid of it.
4
Outside Training
- Leash Trained Goals– they will start getting very comfortable with walking a leash and start “auto-sitting.” This is training them to focus on us during walking so they keep up and not pull. They are still small and can’t keep up with a brisk walk.
- Car Trained Goals– to have them not get car sick and feel more comfortable riding.
- Spot Trained Goals– to train them to use the restroom on river rock inside or outside
- Thunderstorm Trained Goals– to train them with CD’s to be use to thunderstorms and not freak out.
Master’s Program
Starts at 16 weeks and ends at 20 Weeks of age
With the ability to finally leave our facilities, our puppies enter a new dimension in their training as part of our Master’s Program. With between 450-475 hours of training, every puppy can now train in less controlled environments. Real-world locations, interacting with other people and animals, and additional work on our 4 focus areas make this a truly advanced program.Below is a Detailed Video on Master’s Program Including Showing Graduates
At 16 Weeks Old, every puppy is fully inoculated meaning they have all of their puppy shots including distemper, parvo, rabies, kennel cough and more. Until this time, our pups are only allowed to be on our property and guarded against being around other animals. If they are on a field trip or a vet, they are not allowed to touch the ground because they are very susceptible to diseases. Once the Master’s Program begins, then our pups are free to go anywhere and training grows drastically.
1
House Training
- Crate Training Goal– to sleep in a crate at night for up to 6-7 hours
- Potty Training Goal– to hold their restroom for 3 hours during the day without an accident
- Chew Training Goal– to respond to the word “no” when chewing something wrong
- Bite Trained Goal– to never bite on hands
- Jump Trained Goal– to rarely jump up and if they do respond quickly to “off”
2
Obedience Training
- “Sit” Goals– to go into a “sit” with a verbal command only and hand command only
- “Stay“Goals – to “stay” for a duration of 20 seconds from a distance of 20 feet
- “Down” Goals– to go “down” with verbal command only and also a combination of a verbal/ hand command
- “Come” Goals– to respond to a “come” command with a low key voice
- “Off“Goals– to rarely ever jump up and if they do respond quickly to “off”
- Stair Trained Goals– to go up and down stairs at a faster pace
- “Place“Goals– they will be able to understand that the word “place” means to go to the dog cot and to stay for up to 10 seconds.
3
Socialization Training
- Stranger Trained Goals– Multiple field trips are planned so they learn to be around different people in different places. They are use to a variety of people and easily adjust to others.
- Child Trained Goals– Each pup will be introduced to children in public and privately.
- Vet Trained Goals– They will be taken to the vet and introduced multiple times.
- Noise Trained Goals– During house training they are watching t.v. constantly and use to hearing the vacuum cleaner and more.
- Grooming Trained Goals– To be use to getting a bath without great complaint. They still be more use to the hair dryer and normally are not too afraid of it.
4
Outside Training
- Leash Trained Goals– they will immediately “auto-sit” whenever we stop walking. They won’t pull and will look to us for direction. They will also begin walking with other people besides trainers.
- Car Trained Goals– to have them not get car sick and feel more comfortable riding.
- Spot Trained Goals– to train them to use the restroom on river rock inside or outside
- Thunderstorm Trained Goals– to train them with CD’s to be use to thunderstorms and not freak out.
Doggy Doctorate
Starts at 20 Weeks and ends at 6 months of age
600 Total Hours of Professional Training. Goals listed below.
Below a video shot with our Golden Retrievers on Doggy Doctorate. Same applies for Bichons.
Our Doggy Doctorate program is our most popular training program and is perfect for the family that wants a puppy that has is so well trained they can’t mess it up. 6 month old pups are wonderful because they still have several months of puppy left in them but they are mature enough and well trained enough to know and remember their commands for life.
With any puppy, the greatest challenges are going to be maturity. A Doggy Doctorate puppy has twice the training as a Canine College pup so they have all of their commands mastered. They can sit, stay, lay, come, heel, walk on a leash, go up and down stairs, etc… easily.
1
House Training
- Crate Training Goal– to sleep in a crate at night for up to 7-8 hours
- Potty Training Goal– to hold their restroom for 4 hours during the day without an accident
- Chew Training Goal– to not be as destructive but to respond to the word “no” when chewing something wrong
- Bite Trained Goal– to never bite on hands
- Jump Trained Goal– to never jump up
2
Obedience Training
- “Sit” Goals– to go into a “sit” with a verbal command only, hand command only and to do so with anybody
- “Stay“Goals – to “stay” for a duration of 30 seconds from a distance of 30 feet
- “Down” Goals-to go into a “down” with a verbal command only & hand command only
- “Come” Goals– to respond to a “come” command with a low key voice
- “Off“Goals– to never jump up
- Stair Trained Goals– to go up and down stairs at a faster pace
- “Place“Goals– to go to their dog cot and stay there for 20 seconds when commanded to “place”
3
Socialization Training
- Stranger Trained Goals– Multiple field trips are planned so they learn to be around different people in different places. They are use to a variety of people and easily adjust to others.
- Child Trained Goals– Each pup will have several opportunity to play with children of our employees and on vacation.
- Vet Trained Goals– They will be taken to the vet and introduced multiple times.
- Noise Trained Goals– During house training they are watching t.v. constantly and use to hearing the vacuum cleaner and more.
- Grooming Trained Goals– To be use to getting a bath without great complaint. They still be more use to the hair dryer and are not too afraid of it.
4
Outside Training
- Leash Trained Goals– they will immediately “auto-sit” whenever we stop walking. They won’t pull and will look to us for direction. They will also begin walking with other people besides trainers and not lose any of that when they go home
- Car Trained Goals– to have them not get car sick and feel more comfortable riding.
- Spot Trained Goals– to train them to use the restroom on river rock inside or outside
- Thunderstorm Trained Goals– to train them with CD’s to be use to thunderstorms and not freak out.
Double Doggy Doctorate
Starts at 6 months and ends between 7-12 months of age
They are receiving MORE hours of training per week than any pup in our program typically. The goals listed below are for an 8 month old pup as that’s the average age our clients enroll their DDD pup in.
Your pup will learn a completely new place to potty train. Your pup will be extensively socialized and will continue to be obedience trained but the focus will be on pushing your pup in a new environment and getting them out of their comfort zone. We can see more easily any weaknesses and work on them. We can also customize their training to meet the clients needs more directly. Most DDD pups will also be Canine Good Citizen certified.
Our Doggy Double Doctorate (DDD) program is our most extensive training program we know of in the world today and is perfect for the family that wants a very old puppy that has the maturity and training of a well trained adult. Some families choose DDD because they want their puppy to be the most trained it can possibly be. Others want the DDD because they don’t like the young puppy stage.
All DDD pups includes our 30 Day Guarantee! If for some reason you are not satisfied with your puppy you are able to return your pup back to Recherche for a replacement pup or partial refund. Read below details on Guarantee:
- Return your pup for a replacement pup (minus deposits) or a 75% refund (minus deposits) within 30 days.
- You must keep the dog for 3 weeks minimum. Be willing to work with “Recherche Tutors” if needed.
- Replacement pup is same breed at same training level if available
- Recherche has right to choose for refund instead of replacement
DDD is the only program that doesn’t have a hard fast end date. Most of the pups in this program will end at 8 months of training but we have kept pups an additional 2 and even 4 months. Our DDD program is designed to train a pup into adulthood. The more training the more mature and the better they will be.
Our professional trainers will take your pup as far as they possibly can go. After Doggy Doctorate (6 months old), the pups will be stretched as far as possible in their socialization and potty training. Their crate training will be stretched. Any weaknesses in their training will be evident and we’ll be able to work on them.
In addition, we can start customizing their training to meet the clients needs. You let us know what you want us to work on and we can start working on it in detail. Adding the amount of hours up is near impossible during this time because they are worked with several hours every day 7 days a week. They receive more training per week than they have received in 2 weeks prior! Prices are set on a monthly basis and can go up to 12 months of age.
1
House Training
- Crate Training Goal– to sleep in a crate at night for up to 8-10 hours
- Potty Training Goal– to hold their restroom for 5 hours during the day without an accident
- Chew Training Goal– to not be chewing things they shouldn’t and to mostly over their destructive puppy phase
- Bite Trained Goal– to never bite on hands
- Jump Trained Goal– to never jump up
2
Obedience Training
- “Sit” Goals– to go into a “sit” with a verbal command only, hand command only and to do so with anybody immediately
- “Stay“Goals – to “stay” for a duration of 45 seconds from a distance of 45 feet
- “Down” Goals-to go into a “down” with a verbal command only, hand command only and to do so with anybody
- “Come” Goals– to respond to a “come” command with a low key voice even when they don’t want to
- “Off“Goals– to never jump up
- Stair Trained Goals– to go up and down stairs at a normal pace as people
- “Place“Goals– to go to their dog cot and stay there for 30 seconds when commanded to “place” even with distractions
3
Socialization Training
- Stranger Trained Goals– Multiple field trips are planned so they learn to be around different people in different places. They are use to a variety of people and easily adjust to others.
- Child Trained Goals– Most of our trainers have children in their home. Each pup will live with a family and learn how to respond to children.
- Vet Trained Goals– They will be taken to the vet and introduced multiple times.
- Noise Trained Goals– During house training they are watching t.v. constantly and use to hearing the vacuum cleaner and more.
- Grooming Trained Goals– To be use to getting a bath without great complaint. They still be more use to the hair dryer and are not afraid of it.
4
Outside Training
- Leash Trained Goals– they will immediately “auto-sit” whenever we stop walking. They won’t pull and will look to us for direction. They will also begin walking with other people besides trainers and not lose any of that when they go home. Being older they will also be able to keep up with their owner’s normal pace
- Car Trained Goals– to have them not get car sick and feel very comfortable riding.
- Spot Trained Goals– to train them to use the restroom on river rock inside or outside
- Thunderstorm Trained Goals– to never had any issues with thunderstorms
Ready to add a Bichon Frise puppy to your home?
*Disclaimer: Puppies, like people, are not robots and do not graduate our training programs all at the exact same level. Some pups will have harder times in certain areas and it is impossible to fully guarantee perfect training with every pup. The continuance of the commands has as much to do with the new family as our training so it is important for you to be prepared to keep the protocols given. Recherche Bichons do guarantee that they will have worked hundreds of hours with each puppy and will do everything possible to prepare your home for your new puppy. Recherche Bichons will provide training instructions, videos and a lifetime of support so you can continue training and socializing your pup.