Anchor

Owners: Maura Murphy – Salem, MA

To imprint or not, that is the question!
The answer is absolutely YES for this Crazy Doodle Dog Mom!!!  

I feel I can speak from experience being the owner of 6 SWRDG doodles over the past 15 years.  At one point I actually had 5 all at the same time.  

SwissRidge breeds the most amazing additions to any family or pack.  But let’s be honest, puppies are a lot of work, and just like babies they require love, nurturing, schedules, and time. We all think we have the time, but sometimes things just don’t work out that way.  Sleepless nights, accidents in the house, chewed shoes, lost underwear, nipping at family members, etc., can all add to stress of everyday life.

The SWRDG Imprinting Program provides dog owners the opportunity to have their new family member placed with an amazing trainer in their personal home where they will help your pup work through the “ruff” times of puppy hood . Leaving the kennel and heading into the great big world can be scary for a new pup.  How amazing is it that your pup can learn the world with someone who knows all the ins and outs of puppy training. 

The trainer will get the pup use to a crate and the crate schedule. They start teaching commands and leash manners, while also getting your pup use to other dogs, new environments, sounds, and smells. 

The SWRD imprinting program is absolutely amazing.   

Anchor, my latest Australian Bernedoodle came to me at the age of 6 months.  Unable to cross the boarder we had no choice in that matter. I have to say though the experience was just fabulous.  I would receive weekly updates that I would read over and over again.  Every week I would change my screen saver with one of the many updated photos the trainer would send.  I was able watch Anchor mature and experience the world through the written messages, photos, and videos that his  puppy trainer provided.  I also learn along the way many techniques on how to train my new puppy so I could continue the journey with Anchor.  

Did I miss the early weeks of puppyhood and all the adorable photos I didn’t get to take?  Was I afraid that I would miss out on bonding with my new puppy and there would be a lost connection with Anchor.  Well, honestly, NO!  I knew that bond with him would happen no matter when I got him, and because he was so well behaved and adjusted, there was less stress and anxiety because I knew he was so “anchored” thanks to our amazing imprinter.

The SWRDG Imprinting Program is a definite investment in a long and joyous life together for you and your new family member.  I have worked with many trainers over the years not in the SWRDG program: none of them have the background, insight, structure, education, or knowledge that the team at SWRDG has.  

I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue the work that our imprinted laid and continue to build on the foundation they provided.  I so appreciate their time and efforts.   And in case I haven’t said it, I highly recommend the SWRDG Imprinting Program. 

Henry & Evee

Owners: Amy Bloomfield – York, PA

Henry is our 3 year old Australian Bernedoodle (Kinder and Jackson).

He received 4 weeks of imprint training. He joined our family and was very well adjusted.  At the time we had 2 older dogs that Henry immediately loved.  He was almost completely potty trained, and only had a couple of accidents, all within the first two weeks, and from then on he was perfect in the house! Henry knew the basic commands and walked like a champ on his leash. He immediately took to all of our outdoor activities, and if he could he would be outside hiking and playing ball all day long. 

We added Evee to our pack a little over a year ago. She is a SwissRidge Doodle (Hopper and Bodhi).  She came to us with 8 weeks of imprinting. Totally worth it!!!! She was completely potty trained and knew all of her commands on arrival.  She took to Henry immediately, and absolutely loves everyone she meets.  Once we found a top notch trainer to help continue her training, she has been incredible to work with. 

Both pups are now e-collar trained and off leash outside most days.  This is a true testament to superb training fundamentals they came with. 

The follow up with SwissRidge was a huge help with acclimating the pups into their new home and new routine. They answered any questions and concerns we had with both pups, and were always available to help. 

I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase the imprinting package with my next SwissRidge pup.  I can’t imagine my days without these two…and anyone that meets them LOVES them!!! As always thank you SwissRidge for giving us the opportunity to add these two awesome pups to our family! 

Aussie

Owners: Debra Zanetti – Bolton, ON

We enrolled our Australian Labradoodle puppy for a month in the imprinting program.  We received weekly updates and videos describing Aussie’s progress.  After the first night with us, Aussie slept through the night. He was comfortable in his crate from the first night. He settled into our home easily, was happy, curious and always exploring.  He understood basic commands like come, sit, down, leave it, watch me and was working on leash training. Following through and reinforcing the work done in the imprinting program was critical when we received our puppy.

As first time dog owners at the ages of 65 and 70 the imprinting program was a tremendous support for us.  It provided Aussie and us with a solid positive foundation to build upon.  With Sherry’s expertise in choosing the best puppy for us and the imprinting program we found him relatively easy to train. We would highly recommend the imprinting program.

The Swissridge team are friendly, knowledgeable and wonderful to work with.  From submitting our application to receiving our puppy everything was so clear and well organized.

Sherry is an excellent, knowledgeable breeder.  She produces beautiful, healthy, well adjusted dogs. The description we received of Aussie’s father was:  “He loves other dogs and adores people and wants to jump into everyone’s lap to receive all the love and attention he can. He never runs out of kisses to give to us.  He is such a happy, loving, affectionate and playful little guy.”  This could have been written about  Aussie.  We are so very thankful and fortunate to have a wonderful dog that brings us such love and joy.

Benji

Owners: John Kenyon – Toronto, ON

I truly can’t say enough good things about the imprinting program at SwissRidge.
I can’t stress enough how important this training is to a young member of your family. It’s like sending your kids to school. It makes them a productive member of your family and society. I would never get another dog without it.

When I learned my mini Bernedoodle , Benji was ready for me, I realized I wasn’t ready for him.
The imprinting program was a crucial step towards our now happy home. Benji was embedded with a family with several dogs and a toddler for eight weeks. At first, I thought the cost was high and the time was long. It was ! and it was soooooo worth it! Benji is an incredibly well adjusted and social dog. Amazing and loving with everyone he meets, especially other dogs and children. He is a beautiful amazing part of my family.

Without the imprinting , I likely would have had to take at least a month off work and spent countless hours and sleepless nights working on his behaviour. Instead, I got a beautiful dog that slept through the night already did his business outside and was well behaved and trained to walk and obey commands.

When I picked Benji up, I met his trainer and he gave me all of the cues that he used when he was training him . I then backed up the training with the videos from Lucas, also incredible tools.

Rosie

Owners: Amanda Endean – Toronto, ON

We got our puppy Rosie after she had done about 3 months of imprint training.  She settled in very well once she was home and fell in love instantly with us and especially our kids.  She was very well socialized with both humans and dogs, and to this day if she sees a dog wants to meet she patiently sits and waits for them to come to her.  Her imprint training gave us the piece of mind that she would be comfortable in her crate, be potty trained, and have the basic commands (plus more!) for us to comfortably continue with her training at home.

Rosie is our second dog who has gone through the Swissridge imprint training, our last dog Coco (Standard Bernedoodle) did as well.   Obviously we were very pleased with the program to have done it twice!  We highly recommend it, especially as a busy family with kids.  

Hurley

Owners: Suzanne Niles – Toronto, ON

We picked up Hurley in March 2023 after completing her 2 month imprinting program. It had been 16 years since we raised a puppy, and it was like we had forgotten the puppy journey! During the imprinting program it was great to get regular updates on Hurley’s progress on her training (it was also nice that she was already familiar with her new name). The pictures and videos were awesome, as we were falling in love with her before we even met her, and it was clear she was learning the basic commands and responding to them. She also came already knowing how to go for walks (we had forgotten that dogs need to be taught how to walk….. watching other new pet owners going through this process).

Hurley settled in really well.  We still needed to get to know each other and learn a new routine together, but it was clear we were just re-enforcing commands and not teaching them to her for the first time. It was also awesome to have a puppy that you do not have to go through the full potty training process with!!!

As we began our own puppy training classes with Hurley, it was clear we were well ahead of the pups that did not do an imprinting program. The basics were already instilled in Hurley. She is a lovable, sweet, adorable pup, good natured, with an amazing personality. For us, we would absolutely do the imprinting program again, as it makes the integration of a new puppy into the family so much easier on everyone (parents and pup).

Maisie

Owners: Abby Blake – West Newton, MA

We adopted Maisie (from Nelson and Dior’s litter born 11/2023) in March 2024. We took her home when she was 16 weeks old, so she had been in the imprinting program for 8 weeks. I cannot recommend this program enough. She arrived at our home and was almost fully housebroken, walked well on a leash, was well-socialized with other dogs and people, and had a good grasp on basic commands. We have continued with training, which has been seamless thanks to the imprinting she received as a puppy. She now joins us for trail walks off-leash, enjoys playing with other dogs in the dog park, and is overall a calm, happy, obedient member of our family. She is definitely bonded to us (and me specifically, who is with her the majority of the day) – she is often not further than 10 feet from my side in the house!

Everyone who has met Maisie since we got her has remarked on her wonderful, calm temperament. She comes to school drop-offs and pickups often at our elementary school and is unbelievably patient with all of the children who want to pet her and give her treats. Her manners around both dogs and humans have been wonderful. If we get another puppy someday, I would not do it without the Swiss Ridge imprinting program!

Marnie

Owners: Meadow Muska – Fort Myers, FL

I started training dogs 50 years ago after adopting my first pup. Since then, every one of my dogs has been trained through a mix of classes, wonderful trainers, and a lot of self-study. Raising and socializing a puppy — exposing them to new places, people, other dogs, bathing, grooming, and everyday life — takes time and patience, but it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do.

Sherry’s professional trainers make your follow-up training so much easier. Training takes time, labor, and energy — more than most owners realize. Make life easier for both you and your dog by letting your pup learn from a professional trainer and her experienced pack. Sherry’s puppies are incredibly smart, and I can’t say this enough: training an intelligent dog seriously makes all the difference. It pays off every single day.

Here’s Marnie at 11 months old. In just a few months, she’ll officially become my service dog. 

SuzyQ

Owners: D. Larocque – Gorham, ON

The eight-week imprinting program has been the most beneficial experience for both companion and owner! I highly recommend it. SuzyQ understood direction and behaved appropriately consistently from the day she arrived. We were able to take her everywhere immediately after her arrival and were frequently complimented on how well-behaved she was for her age.

She is an exceptional companion. She is a unique character who is both goofy and affectionate. She’s a sweetheart, who is extremely intelligent and has an uncanny ability to understand expectations. She is always eager to learn and try new things with us. She exhibits no aggression and is by far the most settled and well adjusted companion that we have added to our family, all of which I believe is a direct result of the imprinting program.

Upon arriving at the airport, she immediately came to me. She did not appear to be affected by the flight. Upon returning home, she settled in quickly and responded to commands, which facilitated her immediate bond with us. Within the first month, she settled into our life as we know her today!

Maple

Owners: Erinn Hughes – Bend, OR

Maple is amazing and so loved by all who interact with her. Such a friendly pup!

The training program was great! I so looked forward to the weekly updates and photos and loved seeing her progress through all the goals.

Maple completed 8 weeks of imprinting. 

She settled extremely well once she arrived home, completely house trained. She only took a few weeks to entirely sleep through the night and did well in her crate and in the car from the start. The program helped socialize her and make her more comfortable and able to handle new and exciting social situations which has helped her integrate into my life immensely well.

I would strongly recommend the imprinting program, particularly for first time dog parents.