Puppy Training
Your Puppy’s “Sensitive Learning & Development Phase” Ends at 16 Weeks
Here’s How to Get It Right
Why Early Training Matters
You only get one shot at this.
Between 8-16 weeks, your puppy is in what is known as the “critical/sensitive learning phase”, where they are the most receptive to new experiences. This is your biggest opportunity to shape their behavior and temperament for the rest of their life. Every interaction—good or bad—impacts their confidence, sociability, and manners in ways that can be hard (or even impossible) to undo later.
Miss this window, and you're leaving their development up to chance. But when you get it right, you give your puppy the best chance possible at developing into the most confident, social, and well-mannered version of themselves.
Early training helps prevent:
Biting, nipping, and jumping
Fear and anxiety in new environments
Aggression and reactivity toward people and other dogs
Destructive behaviors like chewing and barking
Tailored Training Programs
Your puppy’s training isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why we offer three proven programs designed to maximize their learning while also being compatible with your lifestyle and goals.
Small Group Classes
3-4 Puppies
Think of this as puppy kindergarten—structured, fun, and designed to build solid obedience and social skills in a safe, controlled environment. Each class is small, so you get plenty of hands-on coaching while your puppy learns to focus, listen, and behave around distractions.
What You Get:
✔ Expert-led training in a structured environment
✔ More 1:1 attention than traditional larger group classes
✔ A safe place for your pup to learn manners around other dogs and people
✔ More affordable than private lessons
🚀 Best for: Owners who want structured, professional training in a small group setting.
Private Lessons
1:1 Coaching
Need more tailored help or dealing with specific challenges? Private lessons fast-track your puppy’s learning by focusing on exactly what you need help with. Whether it’s potty training, crate training, confidence building, or fixing bad habits before they get worse, we customize each session to get real results, fast.
What You Get:
✔ Training that’s fully customized to your pup and your goals
✔ More time to tackle individual challenges in-depth
✔ A quiet, distraction-free setting for focused learning
✔ Ideal for shy, nervous, or extra-young puppies
🚀 Best for: Owners who want personalized coaching or have specific training goals.
Puppy Socialization Meetups
Limited Space Available!
Our Puppy Socialization Meetups give your pup a chance to interact with other puppies in a fun, supervised setting. We’ll guide their play to ensure they’re getting healthy, productive, confidence building interactions. Not all “socialization” is helping your puppy. Whether they’re learning how to play nice or taking a break to watch others, your puppy will leave more confident and well-adjusted.
Think of it like a puppy happy hour—come and go as you please, meet other puppy parents, and let your dog play, learn, and grow in a safe environment.
What you get:
✔ A safe, structured space for socialization
✔ Trainer oversight to ensure positive and constructive play
✔ Guidance on play styles, body language, and when to step in
✔ A fun way to meet other puppy parents in your community
🚀 Best for: Owners who want a fun, yet structured social experience that helps their puppies grow and socialize naturally.
Our Commitment to Excellence
With 16+ years of hands-on experience, Obedience Matters takes a straightforward, proven, no-nonsense approach to dog training. Our mission is simple: to help you raise a well-behaved, confident puppy that becomes the best version of themselves possible.. We don’t rely on or use shortcuts, trends, marketing gimmicks — just practical, science-backed, and experience-based methods that you and your dog can actually count on when needed most.
We focus on shaping puppies into well-mannered, happy, reliably obedient dogs that love to be with you, are excellent travel companions, and have the utmost trust in you as their best friend, guide, and protector.
What Our Clients Say
Joe is doing great. The training is amazing! I walk him on leash the 1 mile loop around our neighborhood. We worked on "come" and "walk". I didn't have a situation where I needed to use "leave it". He was focused and walked really well. During dinner we brought his dog bed to the dinning room and used "place" and "down". He laid on his bed while we had dinner. Amazing! A changed dog!
— Lisa L.
Ryan has extensive knowledge of dog behavior, dog training and management. When I picked up our family dog after our trip, it was immediately obvious that he had a great time with Ryan, he seemed very happy and bonded to him. Ryan also showed me how to work with the prong collar and e collar before leaving. I have been back two days now, and I can not say enough with how much my dog benefited from his stay with Ryan. He is a better version of himself. He walks beautifully on his leash and follows my direction so much better using the aides he taught me to use. I highly recommend Ryan with Obedience Matter!
— Claire V.
Ryan worked with my 10 month puppy and he came back a different dog! He had poor leash manners and zero recall before training, and now he has excellent recall and is fantastic on leash. I appreciated Ryan's openness to answer questions at any time while Goose was at training, and I am looking forward to follow up training! I could not recommend this service more highly.
— Noa H.
Meet Your Trainer
Ryan Herbst, Lead Trainer
It has been 16 years since I first began training dogs professionally in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. I spent my early years studying and training with various highly accomplished working-dog trainers and breeders coming from different disciplines such as competitive sport, police K9, personal protection, and companion behavior modification/obedience. Quickly did I learn, there were many different schools of thought and methodology being taught and practiced across these various disciplines.
On one end of the spectrum, you had the famous old-school trainers, like Konrad Most and Bill Kohler, who relied heavily on negative reinforcement and punishment for shaping behavior. You then had those that utilized the techniques of aforementioned while using in conjunction, the scientifically tested ideas of BF Skinner who championed the many benefits of positive reinforcement. Finally, there were people like Karren Pryor, Bob Bailey, and Ian Dunbar who were highly influential to the “purely positive“ movement.
I have always been a big believer in the idea that there are valuable lessons to be learned from nearly everyone,and that often, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. It was only through the careful, firsthand investigation of these various schools of thought, as well as much trial and error, that I was able to develop a style of training that is well-informed, well rounded, and highly adaptable to the unique sensitivities and temperaments of all dogs.
When I’m not training dogs I enjoy all sports and outdoor activities, singing, and listening to educational and thought provoking podcasts like Sam Harris’s “Making Sense”. Things that I hope to become more involved in include raising awareness of the horrible mistreatment of animals at factory farms, as well as the unconscionable suffering that dogs undergo in the meat markets of China and many other countries.
Take the First Step
Ready to give your puppy the best start? Book a training program that works best for your and your pup below. Or schedule a consultation to learn more. We look forward to working with you and your puppy.