Raising Resilient Puppies – Book
Raising Resilient Puppies is a concise, science-backed blueprint for turning any pup into a confident, creative partner. You’ll learn to match training to your dog’s brain development—from the fragile neonatal stage through adolescent “hurdles” and into adulthood—using clear lures, markers and evidence-based drills. Core skills (Sit, Watch, Recall, Go, Stay, Settle) build calm focus and impulse control, while loose-lead walking, bite inhibition and enrichment puzzles foster cooperation and self-regulation. Central to every socialisation and desensitisation exercise is the P.I.E. Principle—Predictability, Intensity, Empowerment—which transforms novelty into guided exploration. Packed with case studies, troubleshooting tips and downloadable checklists, this guide leaves you with a thinking, resilient companion for life.
This latest book by Celia Forsyth—the founder and lead educator of Pet Sense College—is a testament to her passion for sharing knowledge and elevating industry standards. Drawing on over a decade of running puppy socialisation classes and one-on-one behaviour consultations, Celia delivers a force-free, fear-free framework that scales from first-time puppy parents to seasoned trainers. Whether you’re welcoming your very first pup or fine-tuning an adolescent’s skills, Raising Resilient Puppies equips you with the science, and the step-by-step inspiration to raise a dog who thinks, chooses and thrives—for life.
To purchase the book, please email celia@petsensecollege.co.za, should you wish to receive a quotation
or do an eft to:
FNB
Celia Forsyth
Chq acc: 503 711 24071
The book is only available digitally. Should you wish to purchase for your kindle, please search on amazon.co.uk
This book equips guardians with a developmental roadmap, from neonatal reflexes through adolescent recalibrations, to adult confidence. You’ll learn to match every training step to your puppy’s evolving brain—laying foundations with Sit, Watch and Recall, then teaching movement cues (Go, Stay, Settle) and loose-lead walking as a shared conversation in motion. Mouth management, impulse control drills and enrichment puzzles round out a holistic toolkit that builds self-regulation and emotional balance, not just obedience.
Central to the socialisation process is the proprietary P.I.E. Principle—Predictability, Intensity and Empowerment—which transforms exposure to new sights, sounds and environments into guided, confidence-building adventures. Predictability keeps everything but the novel stimulus constant so your puppy can focus on what matters. Intensity dials each experience up in tiny, safe increments. Empowerment hands your puppy the reins, letting them choose approach, retreat or pause—cultivating agency that carries through every challenge.
As hormone-driven regressions hit during the six- to nine-month hurdle, you’ll revisit P.I.E. to reboot confidence: re-establish familiar routines (Predictability), dial back or up exposures (Intensity) and invite choice-making (Empowerment) at every step. Beyond adolescence, Chapter 10 shows how micro-puzzles and choice exercises wire in problem-solving, while variable rewards keep motivation fresh—teaching your pup that pausing to think is the key to success.
By leading with kindness, evidence and creativity, you’ll not only teach your puppy to respond to cues—you’ll cultivate a resilient, emotionally fluent companion who navigates novelty with poise, recovers from setbacks with grace and approaches life as an ongoing adventure in learning. Whether you’re welcoming your very first puppy or aiming to deepen an established bond, this handbook offers the science, the stories and the step-by-step inspiration to raise a dog who thinks, chooses and thrives—for life.
