Academy FAQ's
Requirements:
Age:
Eligible puppies not enrolled in the Graduate or PhD programs must be between the ages of 9 weeks and 9 months old and pass an initial temperament test to be enrolled, which is performed in our free consultations. We have zero size or breed restrictions.
Vaccinations:
Puppies must be up-to-date with their vaccinations and pass a fecal exam indicating no parasites. We require a minimum of 2 rounds of DHPP and 1 round of Bordetella to begin school. At this time, pups without all their vaccinations won't interact with the other students (they'll have their own play area) or go on outdoor walks on the ground (they'll practic indoors and go for stroller walks instead so they are still socialized with the outside world). Once they have their third round, they'll partake fully with the other students in class!
Health:
Enrolled students must also pass a daily health check before being admitted into class for the day. This is to ensure all students are in optimal health for their own safety and well-being, and that of their fellow classmates.
Q. What is the age limit?
A. We enroll puppies into our training programs as young as 9 weeks old, up to 9 months old! There are no size or breed restrictions :)
Q. What’s the best age to start training my puppy?
A. As soon as possible! It’s always favorable to start teaching new puppies good habits right away, rather than having to fix bad habits learned over time. But, if you feel you may have waited too long, don’t worry, we can still fix the unwanted habits!
Q. How much is it?
A. Tuition is discussed during our consultations and pup evaluations we do at our facility (cost is $99.00 with $49.00 credited if you enroll). Tuition begins at $599.00 per month with additional payment options available such as weekly and biweekly. During this time, a member of our team will be available to meet with you and your pup, discuss your training goals, go over package options and recommendations with corresponding pricing, and answer any questions you may have! We look forward to meeting you and your puppy and help you achieve your training goals! Please Note: No quotes are given over the phone or by email, we need to meet your pup in person. Contact us to schedule your free consultation!
Q. When does the next semester start?
A. We have new students starting with us all the time! Majority of students begin every 8 weeks. But we also have 3, 6, 9, and 12 month enrollment available. We don’t have a collective start date where a bunch of new students start at once, rather, each puppy starts at our next opening and goes through the program at their own rate. Contact us for our next available start date, and please keep in mind with your puppy planning that we typically run on a waitlist for new students to begin classes with us.
Q. What training methods do you use?
A. In short, LOTS of food work! Each puppy brings their own food and treats to school each day, which we use for reward-based training to create positive reinforcement for the great habits they’re creating.
All our training is backed by a deeper understanding of dog psychology and canine behavior to help achieve a calm, balanced and well-behaved family adult dog.
Our goal is to make training a fun, positive and encouraging experience for your puppy that they look forward to doing each day and promotes the highest training results! And we won't use food forever. Your canine will grow to love learning and thrive off of accomplishment.
Q. Why do you teach hand signals along with the command words in training?
A. Dogs’ first language is body language, and hand signals play off this! By incorporating hand signals with the cue words, it provides your puppy with a second means of understanding what you are asking of them. It is very convenient to use them when distance training instead of having to yell out the cue, when explaining to other people how to ask your puppy to perform a cue, and in situations where it's very noisy. Using hand signals is also beneficial if there are other family members who may speak a different language, they can simply use the hand signals to interact with your puppy. Hand signals provide an additional, extremely useful tool to build communication and form a deeper trust with your puppy.
Q. Why do you train the puppy first, and then the owner, and does that work?
A. At The Puppy Training Academy, we have created a successful system where we train your puppy for you first, then transfer that knowledge over to you, which requires less time, less patience, less worry, and less stress on the owner's part, hence PuppyHood Made Easy!
By training puppies first until they learn the cue, it eliminates any confusion puppies may have trying to understand the same command being delivered to them by their parent, and it takes the pressure off new owners trying to figure out the correct way to administer a command to their puppy and how to get their puppy to perform correctly.
Once your puppy has mastered the cue taught by us, we then teach the owners how to call the cue with the appropriate tone, hand signal, and form, and the best part is: your puppy already knows how to confidently respond to the cues! There is huge joy, relief, and excitement an owner feels when you realize that not only can you communicate with your puppy, but that they listen to you and understand you with ease! This now creates an easy transition for bringing the training from school, into your home. From all the practice and repetition your puppy does at school with us, the already knows what to do, and now you know how to properly ask. You will feel more confident as your puppy's leader, and begin enjoying the benefits of an obedient puppy immediately!
Q. Is your training guaranteed?
A. We have developed a very unique training method that has proven to be extremely effective in achieving training results that stick quickly and remain over time, with puppies of all sizes and breeds.
Your puppy will learn everything our program outlines at school, but pet parents need to do their part too, to enjoy all the benefits as well! Human cooperation and follow-through is essential. The most successful results for any puppy's training will depend on the pet parents consistency of having their puppy attend the scheduled school days regularly, as well as their own personal commitment to practice the learned cues and behaviors with their puppy on their own time, at home. (Aka, parents must do their homework, too!) As with any training, practice makes perfect!
Owners must also understand the importance of attending the Private 1-on-1 Owner Lessons if they feel additional work is needed, as they will be shown how to effectively communicate with their puppies, act as their leader, and learn how to positively reinforce all commands and good behavior their puppy knows, in their personal household. Participation in each of these will help ensure the best training results!
Our students - new or graduates - are always a part of The Puppy Training Academy family. If anything ever comes up with your pup, please contact us so we can help you out!
Q. What are your health and safety practices?
A. Health and safety is of upmost importance to us at The Puppy Training Academy. We do everything in our power to maintain a clean, safe, and healthy environment for our students. Puppies must be current on all age appropriate vaccinations, at all times, and provide proof of vaccinations throughout enrollment. This includes DHPP, Bordetella and Rabies.
Puppies must also be free of any parasites and provide proof of clear fecal test results before their first day of school.
In addition, every puppy must pass a health check each morning before admittance for the school day is granted. During the health check, puppies are examined closely for hot spots, rashes, fleas, and other signs that may indicate a health concern like red eyes, a runny nose, inflamed gums, bacteria on the paws, etc. Any puppy exhibiting a potential health concern will not be allowed to attend school until the problem is resolved. This is in the best interest of the sick puppy and every other student in class, in order to maintain the healthiest environment possible.
Puppies train and play in a clean and sanitized indoor area with secured exit ways with double doors, to ensure no students can slip out. We use a special puppy-friendly rubber floor that lessens the stress on a growing pup's joints and provides a softer padding when puppies are playing and training.The facility is cleaned and sanitized continuously throughout the day with safe, pet-friendly disinfectants, to ensure the top level of cleanliness.
Each pup drinks and eats from their own individual food and water bowls, water bowls depending on age and all toys are washed, cleaned and disinfected between use.Plus, we have hospital grade air purifiers that kills 99.97% of all airborne bacteria and viruses, thereby drastically reducing the possible spread of canine illnesses between students.
Q. Do you practice any "Green" methods?
A. Yes! As a continuing effort to help and improve the environment, we support the use of as many eco-friendly products as possible. Our rubber training floor is made from recycled material, our cleaning products are safe for the earth, and our puppy waste bags are biodegradable, to name a few!
Q. How can I enroll in the Graduate or PhD Programs?
After completing an in facility evaluation we can then determine which training program is best for your family. Rates begin at $599 per month for tuition and is based off of 3 month programs.
Q. Do you offer additional services such as private training?
Yes, we offer private obedience training for canines of all ages and breeds.. Click here to get acquainted and one of our canine coaches will call to set up an evaluation.