07/21/2026
I’m often asked what is age appropriate for puppies I’m working with - so here’s a little cheat sheet!
From the time your puppy comes home at 8 weeks old, I prioritize short, intentional exposure outings. Showing them the world they’ll eventually work in! Keep in mind, it takes puppies 48hrs to recover from stressful events - and while exposure is eustress, it is still a form of stress. So plan your outings accordingly, giving your puppy enough time to recover mentally from them!
After the socialization period ends and vaccinations are finished, I pull back on public access and focus on building skills at home such as loose leash walking, building a dynamic heel, basic position work. When we do go in public, it’s either to pet friendly places so they can explore & I reward engagement, or it’s to places we can practice settling!
Once your puppy hits a year old, then I recommend starting task work as well as more intensive outings. All at what they can handle, but we can start to challenge our dogs to handle tougher environments because of how they’ve been set up for success!
At 18 months, you’re in the home stretch. Generalizing learned behaviors across the board as well as task foundations for mobility dogs.
Once they hit two years old, then you can finish health testing & weight bearing tasks, as well as focus on your working relationship and building a cohesive team!
Of course, this is all a very rough timeline. It’s not uncommon for dogs to be in training after two years old! Some dogs are slower to mature, some handlers need more breaks with training due to their disabilities. If your dog doesn’t follow this guideline, you are not behind in any way. Take the time YOU need to train your dog!
Interested in working together? DM over at Claire Schulz FDM or reach out at the following places:
📞 +16152819364
💻 www.cosmicservicedogs.com
📧 [email protected]
Currently booking both virtual & in-person clients!
📌 Task training
📌 Public access skills
📌 Scent based alerts
📌 Mobility tasks (leading, forward momentum, & counterbalance)
📌 Response & interruptions
