Puppy Placement & Training Programs
Every Sunshine Mountain Retrievers puppy is raised with purpose, patience, and individualized care. Our age-based programs allow families to choose the level of foundational training and transition support that best fits their household.
Puppies learn at different rates based on their age, temperament, maturity, and individual needs. The skills listed below are introduced and practiced through positive, developmentally appropriate training. Continued reinforcement at home is essential for lasting success.
The Sunshine Start
8-Week Placement — $3,500
The perfect beginning for families who are ready to welcome their puppy home at eight weeks old and continue building upon the foundation we have started.
Before going home, each puppy receives age-appropriate enrichment, handling, socialization, and early training designed to support confidence, resilience, and healthy development.
The Sunshine Start includes:
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AKC Limited Registration
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Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scent Introduction
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Puppy Culture-inspired development and enrichment
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Daily handling of the paws, ears, mouth, body, and coat
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Exposure to a variety of safe surfaces, sounds, textures, objects, and household activities
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Age-appropriate socialization with trusted adults and children
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Introduction to crate training and comfortable periods of separation
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Introduction to a consistent potty-training routine
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Introduction to leash and collar pressure
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Early name recognition and engagement with people
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Introduction to foundational cues such as “sit,” “wait,” and “come”
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Early work on gentle greetings, patience, and calm handling
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Redirection of puppy mouthing and encouragement of appropriate chewing
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Short, carefully managed community exposures when appropriate and medically safe
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Individual temperament observations to help guide placement
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A scented comfort blanket carrying the familiar smell of the litter
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Starter food and a thoughtfully prepared go-home basket
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Available pet-insurance coverage information
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Continued breeder guidance and lifetime support
At eight weeks old, puppies are still babies. Crate training, potty training, leash skills, and household manners will require consistent reinforcement from their new family.
The Advanced Home-Ready Foundation
12-Week Placement — $6,500
Designed for families seeking a more mature puppy with four additional weeks of structured foundational training. This program provides greater consistency in household routines, communication, confidence, and age-appropriate manners.
It includes everything provided in the previous programs, with additional reinforcement and individualized development.
Advanced foundational training includes:
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A more consistent crate and rest-time routine
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Continued progress with scheduled potty training
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Increased practice with “sit,” “down,” “come,” “wait,” and “leave it”
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Introduction to brief “stay” exercises appropriate for the puppy’s age
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Loose-leash foundations in safe, controlled environments
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Practice entering and exiting doors with patience
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Calm greeting exercises with reduced jumping
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Reinforcement of appropriate chewing and softer mouth behavior
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Structured training sessions focused on engagement and responsiveness
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Practice settling on a mat or designated resting area
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Confidence-building around household sounds, movement, and new objects
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Positive grooming and veterinary-handling preparation
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Carefully managed socialization with people, appropriate dogs, and new environments
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Introduction to impulse-control exercises through food, toys, doors, and play
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Short car rides and travel preparation
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Individualized work supporting the puppy’s natural strengths and temperament
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Guidance for maintaining the puppy’s routine after placement
At twelve weeks, a puppy may demonstrate greater consistency, but reliability will continue developing with maturity, repetition, and family involvement.
The Confident Companion Program
10-Week Placement — $5,000
This program includes everything provided in The Sunshine Start, plus two additional weeks of individualized training, structure, socialization, and confidence-building.
It is a wonderful option for families who would like extra support during the puppy’s earliest transition period while still participating in the important bonding and training stages at home.
Additional training and development include:
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Continued crate-conditioning sessions with gradually increased duration
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A more established daily potty routine with frequent scheduled opportunities
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Focused name recognition, eye contact, engagement, and handler responsiveness
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Continued practice with “sit,” “come,” “wait,” and other age-appropriate cues
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Introduction to short leash-following exercises
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Early work on four paws on the floor during greetings
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Continued redirection of biting, mouthing, and inappropriate chewing
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Introduction to settling calmly after play or enrichment
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Confidence-building exercises using safe surfaces, sounds, objects, and environments
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Positive exposure to common household routines and noises
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Introduction to short, safe car rides
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Carefully managed community exposure following veterinary guidance
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Continued socialization with appropriate adults, children, and stable dogs
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Practice with grooming, nail care, brushing, and body handling
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Individualized training based on the puppy’s temperament and developmental needs
This program creates a stronger beginning, but families should expect normal puppy behaviors and continue daily training after placement.
The Premier Family Transition Program
14-Week All-Inclusive Placement — $8,000
(Limited Spots)
For families who want the most supported, convenient, and thoughtfully prepared transition possible, our Premier Family Transition Program offers a complete all-in-one puppy experience.
From veterinary care and foundational training to travel arrangements and personal delivery (Additional for Delivery outside AZ), Sunshine Mountain Retrievers coordinates the important early details for you. Your family can focus on welcoming your puppy home, continuing the foundation we have created, and providing a lifetime of consistency, care, training, and love.
Your puppy remains with us through 14 weeks of age, allowing six additional weeks for maturity, individualized training, carefully managed socialization, veterinary care, and preparation for family life.
Trainer-Guided Development
Our breeder-led training program was created with guidance from a certified professional dog trainer. Your puppy receives daily care and training directly from Sunshine Mountain Retrievers, while our certified trainer (Alex) checks in twice each week to:
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Review your puppy’s progress
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Confirm that training is progressing properly
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Recommend individualized adjustments
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Help address developmental challenges
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Ensure that our methods remain positive, humane, and age appropriate
Foundational Training and Household Preparation
Your puppy’s individualized foundation includes:
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A well-established daily schedule for meals, potty breaks, training, enrichment, play, and rest
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Continued crate conditioning with age-appropriate periods of rest and separation
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Greater consistency with scheduled potty habits
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Name recognition, handler engagement, and responsiveness
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Practice with “sit,” “down,” “come,” “wait,” “leave it,” and brief, age-appropriate “stay” exercises
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Loose-leash walking foundations
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Early recall development
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Calm greeting exercises and practice keeping four paws on the floor
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Redirection of inappropriate biting, mouthing, and chewing
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Practice settling calmly around everyday household activities
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Impulse-control exercises involving food, doors, toys, play, and distractions
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Positive exposure to car travel and carefully selected community environments
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Confidence-building exercises involving different surfaces, sounds, objects, and surroundings
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Continued socialization with appropriate adults, children, and stable dogs
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Introduction to polite household boundaries and routines
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Practice with brushing, nail handling, ear checks, mouth handling, and cooperative care
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Individualized exercises based on your puppy’s temperament, maturity, confidence, strengths, and future family goals
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Individual training and developmental progress reports
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A personalized transition plan to help your family continue your puppy’s routines and training successfully at home
Complete Veterinary Preparation
We coordinate your puppy’s scheduled veterinary care through 16 weeks of age so your family can welcome your puppy home with organized health records and age-appropriate care already completed or appointments set and paid for. (Last round of shots including rabies)
The program includes:
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Three scheduled veterinary visits
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Three age-appropriate rounds of core puppy vaccinations
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Rabies vaccination when approved and administered by our veterinarian
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Age-appropriate deworming and preventative care
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Veterinary wellness examinations
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Microchip implantation and initial registration assistance paid
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Health certificate and required travel documentation
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Copies of available veterinary, vaccination, microchip, and preventative-care records
Future veterinary care and vaccination requirements will be determined by the receiving family’s veterinarian based on the puppy’s individual needs, vaccination history, destination, and local requirements.
Family Education and Continued Support
Our support continues after your puppy arrives home. Every Premier Family Transition family receives:
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A personalized go-home training session, available virtually or in person when practical
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A written daily schedule covering meals, potty breaks, crate time, enrichment, exercise, training, and rest
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A guide to the verbal cues, hand signals, rewards, and positive training methods your puppy already recognizes
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Training videos demonstrating your puppy’s current skills and routines
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An individualized temperament and developmental summary
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Complete available veterinary, vaccination, preventative-care, and microchip records
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A personalized transition plan for maintaining consistency at home
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Scheduled transition check-ins approximately 48 hours, two weeks, and 30 days after placement
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Continued breeder guidance and lifetime support
Our breeder guidance is intended to support general transition, training, development, and ownership questions. Medical concerns and emergencies must always be directed to a licensed veterinarian or emergency veterinary hospital.
Premium Puppy Starter Package
Your puppy will arrive with thoughtfully selected transition supplies, including:
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A supply of the puppy’s current food
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Collar and leash
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An age-appropriate chews or enrichment items
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A familiar blanket carrying comforting scents from our home
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Available health, training, feeding, and routine information
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A travel crate or carrier when required for the selected method of transportation
Individual items may vary based on the puppy’s size, age, destination, and travel arrangements.
Your Complete Puppy Transition
Our goal is to remove as much stress and uncertainty as reasonably possible from bringing home a new puppy. By the time your puppy joins your family, the early veterinary appointments, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchipping, breeder-led foundational training, certified-trainer consultations, health documentation, and transition supplies have all been thoughtfully coordinated for you.
Your responsibility is to continue providing consistent positive training, appropriate veterinary care, structure, patience, and—most importantly—a lifetime of love.
Our Ethical Commitment
At 14 weeks old, your puppy will have a carefully practiced foundation but will still be a young, developing dog. We do not guarantee complete potty training, perfect behavior, reliability around every distraction, or suitability for a particular service, therapy, facility, or working role.
Every puppy develops at an individual pace. Continued training, consistency, socialization, relationship-building, and positive reinforcement will be required after placement.
This program is designed to provide an exceptional beginning—not to represent a young puppy as a finished dog. Our purpose is not simply to deliver a puppy, but to prepare both the puppy and the family for a confident, informed, and successful lifelong partnership.
Our Training Philosophy
We use positive, relationship-based training methods that focus on trust, motivation, clear communication, and developmentally appropriate expectations. We do not use fear, intimidation, or harsh punishment.
Training progress varies between puppies, and no ethical breeder or trainer can guarantee that a young puppy will be completely potty trained, perfectly mannered, or reliable in every environment. Our goal is to provide each puppy with a strong, thoughtful beginning and give every family the guidance needed to continue building upon it.
About Our Breeder-Led Training Program
Our extended puppy programs provide breeder-led foundational training and continued developmental support. The program was developed with guidance from a certified professional dog trainer (Alex) to ensure that our methods, expectations, and training goals are positive, ethical, and developmentally appropriate.
Although your puppy’s daily training and care are provided directly by Sunshine Mountain Retrievers, our certified trainer checks in twice each week throughout the training process. These consultations allow the trainer to review each puppy’s progress, help address challenges, recommend appropriate adjustments, and confirm that the training is being performed correctly and humanely.
Each puppy receives individualized instruction based on their temperament, maturity, confidence, and learning pace. Skills are introduced, practiced, and reinforced using positive, relationship-based methods. We do not use fear, intimidation, harsh punishment, or promises of unrealistic results.
Because every puppy develops differently, we cannot guarantee that a young puppy will be completely potty trained, fully reliable around distractions, or suitable for a particular service, therapy, or working role. Our goal is to provide a carefully supervised foundation—not to represent a young puppy as a finished or fully trained dog.
Families must continue practicing and reinforcing these skills after placement. We provide transition guidance to help each family confidently continue the routines and training their puppy has already begun.