Beginning with the program outlined in the Super Pup Course Level I, the canine will be introduced to an in-home environment to begin the rules of residence - for this stage our Dobes are neither caged during their in-home training time nor unfortunately, as some misguided souls do, chained to the floor or walls or confined to one room). Note: Without being given freedom your companion dog can not begin to learn the rules of in-home life. SEE: Directed Discipline

Over the years we have learned that the earlier you introduce primary obedience to a youngster the sooner you can communicate with it, which also means conveying rules, thus we will not begin a pup's in-home training until the SP Level I is nearing completion since it will now know who it is and already has begun to understand its basics of our languish. 'It has begun to learn how to learn'.

Should you acquire one of our pups without any education ( about 11 weeks old ), you would begin setting up both home rules and obedience the day of its arrival ( see Advisory at the end of this section).

The new canine student is kenneled when not out with its teachers working or playing, protecting it from acquiring habits of a negative nature that have to be erased before it is time to begin the in-home rules under the SP Level II.

In the beginning, the young Dobe who is both nervous about the newness of the home, yet excited about all the neat new play things, extra personal interactive time and of course all the freedom as well as all the fun things it can get into now that we've turned it free to roam our offices must be initially introduced to in-home life a little at a time. Usually spending two to four hours each day initially roaming the simulated home environment we've created.

Cameras always on...at all times while bringing the young Dobes through the learning curves of  the early in-home programs a client has requested, we use video recorders to scan every room if we have more than one new canine student with us. Should we turn away at the wrong moment and one of the 'kids' has done something not acceptable, we know who to 'put the heat on'.

The young pup at this time is like the child who goes from just being a kid, doing literally whatever it wants to do, to the rules of pre-school. We want to be as gentle as possible but still push the pup, and of course you cannot just let the 'kid' roam unsupervised among tens of thousands of dollars worth of furnishings without asking for problems. So as the days pass and the newness of the home environment subsides, as well as the complexities of rules it has begun to understand while living in the home, the time spent with us during the day is expanded until the pup can be allowed extended freedoms.

Finally the pup will have progressed to being able to stay throughout our work day as long as we are able to keep an eye on it - be there to compliment as well as show disproval of an action. It is after all very new to life's new rules of residents. Of course unless the pup is staying for the CYA courses or higher they are sent to their personal space at the end of our work day.

Their personal area here is our Super Pup Wing, there special area with few chewable furnishings. It has a television, toys, food, water, and of course a very comfortable and obvious dog bed, their bed. Thus we keep the kid from getting in trouble when not being able to direct it.

There are, however, still months of guidance ahead by its soon to be family. So please remember an SP kid is still a youngster who may have graduated with honors - but it was grade school, not college.  Your new Hoytt Dobe will still need your help to get through adolescence into adulthood, for in today's world you cannot get far without the right education. But here's no better way to start the road to responsible behavior if you wish your new Dobe to arrive still very much a pup but a pup that has communication skills. 

Some of the other areas covered are no jumping on the family or guests, no jumping on doors, no bolting through the door, no jumping on drapes or windows, and no getting on the couch or beds (with the exception of its own bed). We allow no begging for food during meals, no stealing food from counters, in general, "NO" to anything that tomorrow could be deemed BAD. We encourage the pup to play with its own group of toys, minimizing interest in your toys. SP2 also introduces it to the right way to interact, to share it's own toys with its friends...be human, canine or cat. And if you've really studied everything we offer as introductions to Hoytt you know we have placed into homes with ferrets, a skunk and a kangaroo ( different homes ) and some of the scariest birds you would never wish to run into let alone live with. "Of course that's just my opinion" Even the head of the House of Hoytt has a few prejudices. Besides I know only birds who live in the trees, they only have to poop in the right areas to please me.

 Word of advice, use folding gates; never close a new canine student into a room by closing a solid door when they have to be confined.  For those receiving the very young pup the crate type kennel is a plus for the first weeks in its new home. But again remember cages keep untrained dogs out of trouble but do nothing in the way of direct education. Talk to us if you plan on caging initially.