PupScouts of Hunterdon: Puppy Training & Separation Anxiety Coaching

PupScouts of Hunterdon: Puppy Training & Separation Anxiety Coaching Home of the PupScouts. We are Hunterdon's puppy experts providing modern, humane, dog training. We s

There are two things, in addition to love, that every dog needs in order to become the perfect companion: good training and proper exercise. If you're a new dog guardian- or have a dog that is unruly- we are here to help you navigate life with your pup.


* PMCT3
* Fear Free Certified Trainer
* Certified SAPro Separation Anxiety Trainer
* Force-free, humane training methods based on the science of

how animals learn
* Personal attention in one-on-one sessions
* Voted Hunterdon's Best Trainer, reoccurring


We help you with:
Puppy Predicaments
Doggie Dilemmas

House training, puppy biting/chewing, jumping, good manners, crate training, puppy socialization, demand barking, counter surfing, and other challenges?... we've got'm covered!

đŸ˜€ Frustrated with your puppy’s training? Feel like things are going well some days and are working others? ❓Do you keep ...
09/14/2026

đŸ˜€ Frustrated with your puppy’s training? Feel like things are going well some days and are working others?

❓Do you keep trying different things in hopes that something will work
 kind of like throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks?

đŸ‘‰đŸ» A successful training plan is more than just training. We use a TEaM approach that consists of training, enrichment, and management.

đŸ€ Training is a partnership between us and our puppy. “Training” is more than just teaching our puppies the skills we would like them to learn in order to make living with them easier.

đŸ§© When we fulfill our puppy’s needs, the pieces start to fall into place.

đŸ‘‰đŸ» Enrichment and management are key components to the bigger plan.

❓What is enrichment? Mental and physical enrichment should fulfill your puppy’s natural needs. Puppies like to chew, dig, rip toys apart, sniff, and chase. When we meet these needs our puppyies are easier to live with.

✅ Management is necessary to help keep our puppies from practicing undesired behaviors as we work through our training plans. Using leashes and gates to keep puppies from jumping on guests, using a crate or other safe space as an aide to get through the puppy biting and chewing phase, and using a long line as you work on a reliable recall are just a few examples of using management to help set us and our puppies (and us) up for success.

✅ Be sure to work as a TEaM with your puppy!

That little sign says it all: “Make Good Choices.”But let’s be honest
 without a filled KONG, your puppy’s “good choices...
09/11/2026

That little sign says it all: “Make Good Choices.”

But let’s be honest
 without a filled KONG, your puppy’s “good choices” may include:
đŸ„ż Shoe chewing
🛋 Couch remodeling
📚 Homework snacking
đŸ“± Phone charging cord destruction
đŸ§» Toilet paper unrolling extravaganza
đŸ©ž Turning you into their favorite chew toy (ouch—puppy shark teeth alert!)

Save yourself the puppy drama. Fill. Freeze. Repeat.

09/10/2026

Meet Lumi. đŸŠœâ€ïž
Lumi is my brother’s bird. What does a baby Macaw have to do with puppies??

I was watching her choose a nut the other day when I thought

THIS is something I want to share with my puppy parents and of course, by the time that thought occurred to me, I had already missed most of it. 😂

I was so busy enjoying watching her investigate every nut that I didn’t think to hit record until she was almost finished making her decision.

But watch what she does.

She was interested in the hazelnut and she could have just taken it.

Instead, she checked out her other options.

She looked.
She explored.
She considered.
And after mulling it over she went back and chose the hazelnut. ❀

Now, we could have just handed Lumi a walnut and she probably would have enjoyed it. We could have handed her the hazelnut she ended choosing, and she probably would have enjoyed that too.

But there’s a difference between getting something you like and getting to choose what you want.

And that matters for our puppies, too.

Having some choice and autonomy over our lives isn’t only important to us humans. It’s important for other living beings, too.

Obviously, that doesn’t mean our puppies get to make ALL the decisions. 😂
Sometimes we have to make choices for their health and safety, but there are so many little opportunities throughout the day when we CAN give them a say.

Which toy do you want?
Where would you like to lie down?
Do you want to sniff this or keep moving?
Which chew would you like?
Would you like to interact with this person, or would you rather have some space?
Do you want to participate in this activity right now?

Those little choices may not seem like a big deal to us, but giving our puppies (and birds and humans) appropriate opportunities to make choices can help build confidence, reduce stress and frustration, and build trust.

It gives them opportunities to learn that their behavior matters.
It lets them know we listen.
That they have some control over what happens to them and sometimes, the choice they make will be exactly the same choice we would have made for them.

Lumi chose the hazelnut she was interested in from the beginning.
But she got to decide.
And I think that’s pretty darn cool. ❀

So here’s a little challenge for you today:
Where can you give your puppy a choice?

It doesn’t have to be anything huge.

Sometimes it can be as simple as putting down 3 toys and seeing which one they choose.
And then
 just watch.

You might be surprised by how much you learn when you let THEM tell you what they want. ❀

Apparently we’ve reached that time of year when pumpkin spice starts taking over EVERYTHING. 🎃😂Coffee? Pumpkin spice.Coo...
09/09/2026

Apparently we’ve reached that time of year when pumpkin spice starts taking over EVERYTHING. 🎃😂

Coffee? Pumpkin spice.
Cookies? Pumpkin spice.
Cereal? Probably pumpkin spice.
Dog treats? Yup, they have these too (ask me how I know). 😂

And every year, people seem to fall firmly into one of two camps:

🎃 TEAM PUMPKIN SPICE: Bring it on. I’ve been waiting since last fall.
🙈 TEAM IT’S TOO SOON: Can we please finish SUMMER first?!
I need to know where everyone stands.

Which team are you?
And for the record, there is no judgment here.

Okay, maybe a little judgment. 😂

Does your puppy have a vet visit coming up? Don’t forget to bring you high value treats to help create positive associat...
09/08/2026

Does your puppy have a vet visit coming up? Don’t forget to bring you high value treats to help create positive associations.

⚠ Many puppies grow up to be dogs who are afraid of the vet’s office.

Puppies learn by association. If scary stuff happens at the vet, they are more reluctant to want to go in the building, in the exam room, or interact with the vet staff.

đŸ‘‰đŸ» Pairing good stuff with a scary place can help create a good association with going to the vet.

đŸ„© Be sure to bring the good stuff
 bits of meatballs, pieces of hot dogs, tiny pieces of cheese, chicken McNuggets, or anything else super awesome.

đŸ€” Your puppy’s thoughts:

❌ I don’t like going to the vet because I get jabbed and poked by the people there

Or

✅ I like going to the vet because the people give me super yummy stuff.

09/05/2026

Happy World Beard Day! đŸ§”â€â™‚ïžđŸ¶

Here’s something you may not have thought about when it comes to socializing your puppy

Puppies don’t necessarily look at people and think, “Yup. Humans. I know those.”

People can look VERY different to a puppy.

A tall man can be a completely different experience than a short man. Someone walking with crutches looks and moves differently than someone jogging past them. Hats, sunglasses, big coats, uniforms
 all of these can make a difference to our puppies.

And facial hair also counts! đŸ§”â€â™‚ïž

Someone sporting a ZZ Top style beard (yes, I’m showing my age here 😂) can look very different to your puppy than someone with a nicely groomed George Michael in the Wham days.

And now I’ve REALLY dated myself. 😂

This is one of the reasons thoughtful puppy socialization is about so much more than just “meeting lots of people.”

We want puppies to have opportunities to see all kinds of people
 different heights, ages, appearances, ways of moving, clothing, accessories
 and even, different amounts of facial hair.
That doesn’t mean your puppy needs to go up and say hello to everyone!

Let them look. Let them observe. Give them space if they need it. Pair the experience with something they enjoy.

And most importantly, go at your puppy’s pace and never force an interaction.

And don’t be alarmed if your puppy seems to be cautious around a man with a full beard vs. a man with no facial hair.

So in honor of World Beard Day, maybe add a few bearded humans to your puppy’s socialization plan. đŸ§”â€â™‚ïž

Bonus points if you can find someone from ZZ Top. 😂

Will you ever look at facial hair the same way again? 😄

Take a quick peek at your KONG stash.Any empties staring back at you?This is your weekly reminder to fill a few and pop ...
09/04/2026

Take a quick peek at your KONG stash.

Any empties staring back at you?

This is your weekly reminder to fill a few and pop them in the freezer.

Having KONGs ready to go gives you a super easy option when your puppy needs something to do while you’re trying to eat dinner, while you’re on a call, when you’re busy around the house, or when your puppy could use a little help settling.

Filling several at once is soooooo much easier than realizing you want one and discovering every KONG you own is sitting empty in the dishwasher.

🐾 My little LEGO frog has checked your inventory and apparently things are looking a little dismal
 hop to it and get those KONGs filled!

Don’t take your puppy’s non-biting times for granted. It’s easy to feel relief when you’re not fending off your land sha...
09/03/2026

Don’t take your puppy’s non-biting times for granted. It’s easy to feel relief when you’re not fending off your land shark. Celebrate those non-biting moments like the wins that they are! 🏆

When you have a puppy who seems to be biting all the time, it's easy to focus on everything they're doing wrong.

But here's something I want you to start noticing...

Pay attention to the moments when your puppy ISN’T biting.

Maybe they walk over and sit in front of you instead of grabbing your hands.
Maybe they're relaxing with a toy while you fold laundry.
Maybe they choose to lay at your feet instead of chewing on your socks.

Those are the moments that deserve your attention.

Quietly drop a treat between their paws. Tell them they're a good puppy. Give them a gentle pet if they enjoy it.

The more we reinforce calm, appropriate choices, the more likely our puppies will make those same choices again.

The quiet moments are just as important to your puppy's learning as the busy, bitey ones.
Sometimes the biggest training wins happen in the quiet moments. ❀

đŸ« Today is National Blueberry Popsicle Day
 and we can turn that into a great treat! Puppies deserve to celebrate too!đŸ„Ł ...
09/02/2026

đŸ« Today is National Blueberry Popsicle Day
 and we can turn that into a great treat! Puppies deserve to celebrate too!

đŸ„Ł This is an easy, healthy treat you can make for your puppy. There’s still plenty of warm weather left to create a cool treat for your puppy.
Frozen treats can also feel really good on your puppy’s sore gums. It also gives your puppy something appropriate to chew on besides you or your stuff

đŸ« Blueberries aren’t only a low calorie treat. They are low in calories and a source of fiber, vitamins, and are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect the body’s cells from damage caused by free radicals. So not only are blueberries a tasty treat, they are a nutritional bonus!

đŸ¶ My dogs enjoy fruit.

What about your puppy? What’s your puppy’s favorite berry or fruit?

It’s easy to focus on the aaaaallllll the behaviors you want your puppy to able to do.The reliable recalls, greeting peo...
09/01/2026

It’s easy to focus on the aaaaallllll the behaviors you want your puppy to able to do.

The reliable recalls, greeting people politely, laying by the dinner table and not steeling food, walking nicely on leash, coming when called, and the many other goals you have.

The behaviors you would like your puppy to do are all possible
 but they take time to create.

Address

Pittstown, NJ
08867

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 1:30pm

Telephone

+19085813469

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when PupScouts of Hunterdon: Puppy Training & Separation Anxiety Coaching posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to PupScouts of Hunterdon: Puppy Training & Separation Anxiety Coaching:

Shortcuts

Share

Category