Conscious Puppy Parenting
A puppy’s first months shape the dog it becomes
A puppy arrives, and somewhere between the first accident on the carpet and the third nip at a child's sleeve, the questions start. When will it be toilet trained? When will it listen? When will it stop biting? When can we walk it properly?
Not one of those questions is unreasonable, and I have never sat with a new owner who did not ask them. But in more than a decade and a half of raising puppies with their families, I have found they are all questions about what we need from the puppy. The first months run the other way — they are about what the puppy needs from us. Get that foundation right, and most of the problems I am called out for later — the aggression, the fear, the separation anxiety, the chaos on the leash — simply never take root. The easiest dog I ever work with is the one I meet at eight weeks.
The list every new owner arrives with
What that list really is, underneath, is a schedule. Every item on it carries a deadline — soon, by now, surely by three months — and not one of those deadlines was set by the puppy. They come from us, from what we imagined a young dog ought to be able to manage by a certain age. Wanting all of it is fair enough. Expecting it on our timing is where the trouble starts, because each item asks something of a mind that is simply too small to give it yet.
A puppy under roughly five and a half months is not ready for command-style training. That is not a training failure and it is not a stubborn puppy; it is biology. Some things do get through — a young puppy will learn its own name, sit, coming to you when you call it indoors, and there is no harm in any of that. But the mind only becomes capable of real command work later, and asking for obedience before then is an over-demand. When a puppy "fails" at something it was never capable of, the frustration lands on the puppy, and the relationship starts on the wrong foot.
So the real question of the first months is not "how do I get my puppy to obey?" It is "what does this small mind actually need right now — and who is going to give it?"
What a puppy actually needs: what the mother would have given it
In its natural habitat, a puppy is raised by its mother — and there has never been a better puppy parent than she is. She carries no treats and issues no commands. She raises her puppies through body language, energy, and boundaries: calm, clear, consistent, and completely understood, because it is the language the puppy was born speaking.
Everything in my puppy work is modelled on her. We take the principles of how a mother dog raises a puppy and adapt them to the human environment — your home, your family, your routines. That is why I call it Conscious Puppy Parenting: you are not drilling a small dog for obedience. You are parenting a young mind, consciously, in its own language.
The first days matter more than the first classes
The foundation is laid from the first day. The moment the puppy comes through your door, it is learning — where to toilet, what its teeth are for, what happens when it is left alone, who sets the boundaries in this new pack. It learns all of this by observation. Habits form in the first few days, and every week they are left, they take more work to reverse.
That is why the best time to start Conscious Puppy Parenting is before the puppy arrives — so that the household is prepared, everyone knows their role, and the puppy's first minutes already have a shape. The second-best time is day one. Most families first think about training when the puppy has been home a week or two. That still works, but part of the work is then undoing habits rather than preventing them.
Why training at a centre does not hold at home
Many owners solve the puppy chaos by sending the puppy away — to a training centre, for early toilet training and obedience. And at the centre it works: the puppy learns to pee on a pad, settle in a crate, and listen to the trainer.
Then it comes home, and it doesn't hold. Not because the centre lied and not because your puppy is difficult, but because a dog cannot reason: what I learnt in that building, I should now adapt to this home and these people. Dogs learn in context, with the people in front of them. At the centre the puppy performed for a skilled trainer; at home it meets loving owners who have none of that skill yet and all of the emotion. So the training does not hold.
That is why this course happens in your home, with your family, from the start. The puppy learns its real life in the place it will live it — and, just as importantly, so do you.
What the course covers
The foundations are listed below. Which of them we work on, and how, depends on two things: how old your puppy is, and what you are actually dealing with. Some are day-one work whatever the age. Others wait for a body and a mind that are ready for them — and if your puppy is already past that point, we simply start there.
Toilet training
From the moment the puppy enters the home, not week two.
Teething
A stage, not misbehaviour. It runs to around six months. Learn to address and protect your valuables.
Play biting
Puppy teeth are sharp and painful. This is a passing stage until the puppy teeth fall and new ones come. Children and adults need guiding just as much as the puppy does.
Crate training
The crate is introduced as a den: the puppy's own place of security, where it goes to rest and relates with trust and ease. It is never locked and never closed. To a dog, a crate should never be used as a place for punishment or containing unwanted behaviour.
Food ritual
Puppies are naturally excited when they see food. Teach the puppy to sit calmly and wait for the food.
Preventing separation anxiety
It is built in the first weeks without anyone meaning to, and that is when it can be prevented.
Obedience, the way the mother dog teaches it
Body language, energy and boundaries. No commands, no treats, and no puppy performing tricks for payment.
The leash, in two stages
An introduction on a harness while the neck is still tender and growing, and full leash training later, once it is stronger.
The dogs and cats already at home
Integration from day one, not saved for later.
Socialisation
With known dogs, a controlled area, and only once you can read dog body language and guide both your puppy and other dogs to play in harmony.
The work is hands-on and it is with you. The whole household takes part.
A few of these are set by the puppy's own clock rather than by anyone's preference. Teething runs to around six months. The mind becomes capable of holding some focus for command work at about five to five and a half months — which is when I will show you how command training is done, so you can take it on from there. Leash work starts on a harness while the neck is still growing, and proper leash training waits until six or seven months, when it is strong enough. None of that is a delay; it is simply what the puppy in front of us is ready for.
Two puppies
Arlo: three days from being given up
Arlo, a Golden Retriever puppy, came to a family of first-time owners — a family that had probably not had a pet for generations. Within three days, the chaos of a four-month-old puppy had so overwhelmed the household that they were ready to admit they had made a mistake. Their eleven-year-old son — the reason they had got the dog — could no longer eat his meals in peace, stayed out of the living area, and startled every time the puppy barked. Then his mother found the card her vet had given her, and called me. We did not train Arlo out of being a puppy. We gave his family the understanding they were missing — how to communicate, how to lead, how to stop fearing him — and four sessions later, the family that almost gave him up could not imagine life without him.
— Smriti J., Dubai
The quieter story: the problem that never happened
One family engaged me in the early days, precisely to get the foundation right before anything needed fixing. We worked on the puppy's natural behaviour, on what to do and what to avoid, and on building calm from the start — the separation-anxiety prevention above, in action.
— Bora H., Dubai
The second story has nothing dramatic in it. That is what early work looks like.
In their words
Owners who started at the beginning
Rajiv is giving an amazing support for the new puppy joining to a family. I strongly recommend his service on the early days of your puppy training to avoid problems developing such as separation anxiety or other unwanted behavior. He has explained the natural behavior of our dog to us and showed us great examples of what are the thing we need to do and avoid during our 1 month study period. After following his advice for almost 2 months in total our puppy settled down to our home nicely without any unwanted behavior.
First Time Dog Owner
It has been 20 months since our dog, Arlo came to us, and I could not have imagined then, how much he’s become part of the family. I find it hard to believe that just 3 days after bringing him home in August 2020, we were ready to admit we’d made a mistake, almost decided to give him up. At that point I fished out the card that my vet had handed me, and called Rajiv. And that changed everything.
Our Golden is the gentlest, friendliest pup with a calm, happy personality. Easy, one would think. But we were first time pet owners, probably hadn’t had a pet in our families for generations. We’d never been around animals and so we were completely unprepared when the chaos of a 4 month old puppy descended on our household. My 11 year old son, for whom we’d got the dog in the first place, could not eat his meals, for fear that the Dog would grab something from his hand. He stopped coming down to the living area, because the Dog, being happy to see him, would jump up on him in excitement. He got startled every time the Dog barked. This was not what he’d imagined it would be like. This isn’t what they show you in the movies.
And that’s what Rajiv changed for us. He rid us of our preconceived notions, and the unreasonable fear of being around a dog. It was almost magical the way our dog responded to him as soon as he entered. And in his unique calm and positive way, he showed us how to do the same. He helped us understand how to communicate with and connect to our new puppy. And within 4 quick sessions, suddenly, it was as if we’d always known what to do. Am thankful to Rajiv for giving us this gift of understanding, that has allowed us to experience the joys of having a dog. Honestly cannot imagine our family without Arlo now! Would recommend every new pet owner to take the benefit of Rajiv’s sessions.
Outstanding dog trainer. Highly recommended. I had four sessions with Rajiv so far with my 5 month old cocker spaniel. I was looking for some guidance as a complete newbie to having a dog. Rajiv has a great personality and teaches the dog and more importantly , the owner, how to behave -a firm but kind way! He is an amazing dog trainer. You can tell he absolutely loves his job and the dog enjoys the training. Rajiv took the time to listen and study me and the dog and teach me the best training methods. Rajiv also helped me a great deal with my allergy. I was incredibly allergic to the pup to the extent that I was considering giving him up. Rajiv taught me how to be patient and clear any concerns I had about having a dog in my home. The allergy soon subsided. I’m so fortunate to have started my dog journey with Rajiv, giving me the necessary skills for a happy and well trained pup. Without hesitation I would recommend Rajiv!
We wanted to build a mutually respectful relationship with our new German Shepherd puppy Kiko and fortunately came across Rajiv. Rajiv has shown us that through practice of composure by being aware of and managing our emotions we can model the behaviour of the female dog. We can lead our puppy and she can intuit the respect we command. Vice versa we have a puppy who is learning the boundaries, not through fear but with mutual respect. The playful fun we wanted to have with her is now coming as a by product of establishing these boundaries. To say we are happy with how Rajiv has come into our family like a Zen master falls short, he is great person and devoted with passion to educating dog owners to achieve a harmonious relationship with their dogs. We highly recommend Rajiv and not only will you learn about your dog you will get in touch with yourself . Thank you Rajiv.
From six weeks to six months of training a puppy has been an incredible journey for me.
I've learnt a lot of things and and changed a lot myself. I do not have lot of time to read books or see videos on dog training, but your guidance from day one has been very helpful.
My dog helps me here as I get connected to nature at least six times a day which naturally relaxes me for awhile. Still a lot of work to do on this emotional state of my mind.
Rajiv was amazing with our 3 month old puppy. He equipped us with all the tools within the first few sessions and answered all our questions as we are first time dog owners. He really knows his stuff and we loved his coaching style! Cant recommend him enough to any dog owners out there looking to correct some of their dogs behavioural patterns or if they are first timers like us.
I highly recommed Rajiv. It's been a great experience to have him as our dog trainer. We had many problems with our 4 months puppy, mostly because all the things we were doing wrong and specially because we did not understand dog's psicology. With Rajiv's guidance now we've resolved our main problems and we are able to understand our puppy's needs better. I think it has been really, really useful and it has changed our lives. Now everything is easier and better. Thanks a ton, Rajiv .
From the moment I was given Rajiv Saini's business card I was told "He has been trained by Cesar Milan"! Intrigued, I googled him and I was very excited to be about to call someone who had been trained by none other than "The Dog Whisperer"...
However, once I started speaking to Rajiv, I realised that his passion for helping people have a great relationship with their dogs was much more important to him than anything else...he did not even once mention to me over our conversation about his background. This humble attitude was what marked me the most.
During our first session, Rajiv was able to give me the foundations of what I needed to feel confident as a new puppy owner. He spoke about concepts that were so basic and so profound and effective at the same time. He involved my children who were also able to understand and connect with what he was aiming to teach us.
I could go on and on in detail about the impressive knowledge and skills which Rajiv Saini has to offer and share...however, it is enough to say that his training methods are so powerful and his way of connecting with me as the owner was one of the most impressive experiences I have had in a long time.
Thanks to Rajiv I feel confident, happy and I am able to already enjoy my puppy without feeling overwhelmed at the task at hand!
I can highly recommend Rajiv if you’re new to dogs or even your home has not had a dog before. Rajiv helped me and my family set up a safe and comfortable home for our dog. He trained me what to do and not to do to get a calm and well behaved dog. Still today I ask Rajiv for small tips about the puppy’s somewhat surprising behaviour which makes me a much calmer owner. Thank you Rajiv.
Rajiv has a natural way with dogs, and their humans. We met him about 7 months ago and brought up our new puppy Rancho through his training methods. The training was comfortable, not rushed, and Rajiv took the time to answer any and all questions we ever had. Rajiv demonstrated extreme patience with Rancho , and mostly, the learning humans. We truly cannot recommend Rajiv enough! We tell everyone about him, his love for dogs, and the passion he has to make both humans and dogs successful. Leema & Ajith
With our little French bulldog puppy Lily we had great moments with Rajiv! Was really interesting to understand dog behavior and psychology. Strongly recommend for anyone who wants to build a true bond with your dog. Thank you Rajiv for your genuine support and kindness!
Our family had adopted a beautiful 10 month old golden retriever - Jack - 4 weeks ago.. on his first day he was quiet.. sat in one place and to our amazement was toilet trained .. we were really thrilled and relaxed.. this went on for 2 days but on day 3 we experienced a change in Jack's behavior.. of course being a puppy we was excited and full of energy but that slowly was leading to a somewhat aggressive behavior and my son was getting scared of being near him.. we had to leash him when we weren't around.. there clearly was no connection between my son and jack..These were clear indicators that Jack had to go through some training sessions .. I was browsing through the internet and came across Rajiv's website and based on all the great and positive feedback received from a lot of pet owners decided to speak to him and ask for his support with Jack.
Rajiv's methods are clearly not the traditional 'sit, stand, stay' ones but it's a journey he takes the owners through to understand how dogs think and respond to certain behaviors and the environment .. to be honest it's more about educating us about a dog's world ..
It's been 3 weeks and we are amazed at how Jack has calmed down and most of all has connected with our son as well.. the two are inseparable now..
We couldn't thank Rajiv enough of all the support and guidance he has provided our family in the last 3 weeks and would definitely recommend him to all who want to understand their pet and not train them😊😊
We just finished the sessions with Rajiv and it was mind blowing. He helped my girls to interact with our new puppy in a respectful way and with an understanding of the puppies behavior. Like my daughter said: it is a human training instead of only a dog training. His way of working with our dog was very natural and I learned a lot of new insights. During the training there were a lot of eye openers about being 'mindful' and how your dog is responding to your own energy. Thank you Rajiv you are a great person and a beautiful life coach. You made such a difference.
My wife and me had adopted a 4month old puppy (desert mix). She had no understanding of any form of communication when we bought her and no training at all. We had to start from scratch. Since both my wife and me are working professional we were struggling in the initial phase to keep up with her. So we decided to get a trainer and while doing my research I came across Being K9's profile. The term 'behaviourist' caught my attention and I decided to connect with Rajiv. It turned out to be the best experience of ours. Rajiv gave us a perception and understanding which most of us are lacking when it comes to understanding our dogs. In a way, he not only assist in training your dog but lays out a blueprint for an everlasting communication between you and your dog without much of verbal interaction. He makes you understand and connect with your dog in ways which makes your dog reciprocate to you clearly. He makes you realise that interaction between you and your dog is not a one way traffic rather it's a mutual relationship. He installs all these perceptions through his ever calm and composed demeanor. To add to this, he is always available for any kind of concern or any clarification you may have regarding your progress.
It was and still is a wonderful experience to be interacting with Rajiv and getting to know so much about our dog's world.
Rajiv is absolutely incredible!!! We got an American Bully pup a month and a half ago. While I was delighted to have Kaia, I was quite nervous as well as I didn't understand her behavior at all. Rajiv has taught us so much about Kaia and myself. I can't recommend him enough. Truly a joy to meet him.
Rajeev is the ultimate dog whisperer. His method is based on teaching you the language of your dog. He teaches you how to gain connection, respect and trust of of your dog. As a first time dog owner, he brought me into my little puppy’s world and helped me understand him. It has been highly effective.I would highly recommend working with him.
Thank you Rajiv for helping us in choosing the best puppy ever for our family and go smoothly welcome him into our family. Your positive impact is visible not only on our dog but for our whole family. Thank you!
Rajiv is wonderful! We had a great experience with him helping us to communicate more effectively with our puppy, Osiris. Looking forward to continuing to utilize the new skills we’ve all learned! Thanks Rajiv!
Rajiv gave us so much knowledge on how to take care of our little puppy. We’ve learned a lot from him highly recommended!
This is a very unique testimonial that I am about to share... Unique because I have not met Rajiv... neither has he met or trained my 10 month old puppy.... but I have benefited from Rajiv's unique skills as a human - dog relationship guru!! I called Rajiv after a resident of my community recommended him. I have in the past had my dog trained by another trainer.... and for a multitude of reasons it was not up to my satisfaction. So I was very apprehensive about reaching out to another trainer. Rajiv spent 45 minutes on my first call to him... talking patiently... taking all my questions... shedding light on many of my areas of concern. He then told me something that made me really appreciate his insight and honesty.... he told me that he would not train my dog... but just show me the way to recognize the preexisting natural relationship that I already shared with my pet!!! I asked for a couple days to think about it and come back to him... and in this time I started reflecting on my conversation with Rajiv... following some very basic ideas proposed by him.... I already started seeing positive changes in my puppy. Then came the second call with him... more question from me... more patient anwers from him. By this time Rajiv had prepared me to rediscover my relationship with my puppy. All is can say is Thank you Rajiv!
Having taken in a rescue pup, life changed hugely for us both. This saluki/lab cross had been passed around, unwanted for what ever reason so many times in her short 7 months on this earth when she met me. I had been considering getting a dog since moving here and like most good love stories, she found me when I was least expecting it. The normal puppy stuff, chewing, toilet training, etc, I could handle. Annoying as it was, she had to learn and that would happen in time. But the other side I wasn't expecting. It appeared she had separation anxiety which was making things very difficult. I couldn't understand her behaviour and tried many different ways to help her, none of which seemed to make a difference. I found Rajiv's contact details and it was really interesting meeting him. He wasn't looking for quick fixes but looking at the world through the dog's eyes. Understanding more about the way she thought made sense to me and opened me up into the way she thinks when I'm not there. He was patient and listened carefully to what the issues were. Although now her sessions are done she still has some way to go, I feel I have more of the tools to try and help her now. I have already passed on his details to others I have met with similar and I'm glad I was able to get him to come and help. Thanks!
I'm deeply impressed and inspired of Rajiv training style!!!
His calmness, his wisdom and the way of communicating as well as the wide knowledge about dogs and their psyche impressed me deeply as a psychologist. I have seen quick results and learning success of our puppy within few minutes or hours - which was often magical!
For me, the best dog coach I've ever met. Definitely recommendable!
Kelly is blessed having a great start in her life thanks of you Rajiv!
Highly recommend Rajiv and his lovely assistant Bean! What I really liked was his approach, focusing on teaching us rather than just the puppy. You can tell how much care and attention goes into everything. Really appreciate all the help, thank you!!
Rajiv's training was honestly life changing for us as dog owners. We had been having some ongoing issues with our lovable, rambunctious furry friend and we brought these concerns up with Rajiv.
From the first time Rajiv visited our home, I could tell he had a special gift to interact with dogs. Our dog was instantly mesmerized and Rajiv knew how to keep his focus and display the right kind of energy. We immediately wanted to learn his secret. Rajiv spent his sessions with us teaching US how to manage our own psychology.
This is a stark difference to what other dog trainers do. We have done other dog training sessions with our good boy, but all have failed. He does extremely well when there are treats involved, but the behavior does not continue outside of that. Rajiv's method is all about understanding the dog's thinking, coming to terms with our own thoughts about our relationship with our dog, and using these learnings to turn ourselves into the "pack leader" and ultimately be the source of guidance and leadership that our dog needs.
The training was mentally challenging and we had to really focus on retraining our mindset in order to be successful dog parents. At the end of our sessions, we had a good understanding of how to behave in all aspects of our pup's life.
I learned a lot from Rajiv and the teachings surprisingly apply to other parts of my life, not just as a dog parent! I am ever grateful to his teachings and I would absolutely recommend him to anyone and I will be consulting with him in the future!
Nothing here yet under that one.
Questions new puppy owners ask
When should we start?
Ideally, before your puppy comes home. A pre-arrival session means the household is prepared and the puppy's very first minutes already lay foundation instead of habit. Failing that, day one. And if your puppy has already been home for weeks — start now. Everything is still workable; the only thing that grows with delay is the effort.
Is eight weeks too young for training?
It is too young for command training — the mind cannot hold it yet, and demanding it is unfair to the puppy. It is exactly the right age for foundations: toilet habits, calm, boundaries, security. Those are being learned from day one whether anyone is teaching them or not — the only question is whether they are learned right.
Will you teach my puppy sit, stay and heel?
Not in this course. The mother dog teaches no commands, and she raises the most balanced dogs there are. When your puppy's mind becomes capable of it, at around five and a half to six months, I will show you how command training is done; you can take it from there yourself or bring in a command-based trainer. What I build is the thing commands cannot function without: a puppy that genuinely recognises you as its leader.
Do you use treats?
No. The mother dog carries no treats, and she is the model. A treat can buy a moment's behaviour; it cannot build a relationship. We guide the puppy the way she does — body language, energy, and boundaries — so the puppy follows you, not the food in your hand.
Is a crate cruel?
I meet both extremes: owners who demand crate training immediately, and owners who refuse it because it feels like jailing the puppy. The truth is in the dog's nature: a den is not a jail to a dog — it is security. A puppy raised with a proper den grows into a dog that has a settled place of its own in the home. And there is a practical side owners rarely see coming: the day your dog must travel — and in this city, dogs fly — it will travel in a crate. The owners who refused crate training are the ones asking for it urgently, years later, when it has become a far bigger task.
How quickly can a puppy be toilet trained?
Usually somewhere between four and ten weeks — but the honest answer is that the timeline sits mostly in your hands, not the puppy's. A little of it is temperament. The far bigger part is the structure, consistency and discipline the household keeps in those first weeks. Start from day one, stay consistent, and most puppies get there sooner than owners expect.
Shouldn't puppies be socialised as early as possible?
Early exposure to household life, yes. But socialisation with other dogs, done carelessly or early, is a gamble: one encounter with a dog that does not mean well can plant a trauma that takes enormous work to undo. Here it is the last stage, not the first — done with known dogs, in a controlled area, once you can read dog body language and your puppy stands on a solid relationship with you.
Is a puppy course really necessary if my puppy has no problems?
The puppies with no problems are the reason this course exists. Almost every behaviour I am called out for in adult dogs — aggression, fear, separation anxiety, leash chaos — took root in the first months, in habits nobody noticed forming. Preventing a problem takes far less work than undoing it.
The easiest start is before the puppy comes home. The next best is now.
Get in touch
How to begin
It starts with you telling me about your puppy. We then arrange a free Zoom call to talk through your puppy and your home. I share the fees and how the home sessions work, which depend on where you live. Once we both agree, we begin at your home.