Our puppy academy train-care program will be a fabulous fit if:

You...

...just welcomed a new puppy into your family or are planning to welcome one in the near future

...are a working professional with a busy schedule and/or someone who wants a great head start in life for their puppy

...are interested in learning too, so you can provide consistent training at home and grow the skills your puppy has learned at the academy

...are dedicated to your puppy’s welfare and are looking for a canine connection and relationship built on mutual trust with your new furry friend

...are on board with our values that reward based training is the humane and effective way to train and prepare a puppy for our modern, human world

AND are in NEED of...

…the knowledge your puppy will be safe, happy & cared for while you’re away

...the peace of mind that a puppy expert will take the majority of the “raising puppy right” project off your to-do list

...a happy canine friend who is ready to relax, snuggle and bond with you when you get home instead of one that has too much pent up energy

....an all-in-one puppy destination that provides professional quality training & care for your puppy and plenty of support for you both to see you happily thrive together?

Great question. Please find all program start dates for the year 2023 here. You can also see how many spots are currently open for each term. 

Generally as early as possible. Relationship building and socialization are first on the list. The crucial socialization window for puppies closes around 16 weeks of age.Their little brains are like sponges and most receptive to experiencing novelty - and our human world is packed with novelty for a puppy. That's why exposure & creating positive experiences when they are this young is so important and high on our list at SPA - all while keeping them perfectly safe.

At the academy we follow rigorous cleaning protocols, using vet recommended disinfectants that are safe for pups, and bedding, dishes and toys are washed regularly. During field-trips we’ll keep your puppy safe by keeping them away from high traffic dog areas plus we’ll keep their paws off the ground until they are fully vaccinated too.

Check the availability calendar to ensure we match your timeline, then schedule a free discovery call to start the application. NOTE: the sooner you plan ahead for your puppy (or future puppy) the better the chances you’ll get into the academy when your pup is still age appropriate for our program.

A discovery call is a 30-minute personal zoom conference where we’ll get to meet to discuss the program, answer all your questions, and decide if we are a good match to work together. The discovery call is free and can be booked conveniently online here. 

Easy peasy - find the list of requirements right here.

Very good question! The overall program runs over a period of 3 month of puppy training support and includes personalized 1:1 coaching sessions, exclusive membership with video + handout support, puppy orientation night, academy events and more.

At the heart of this 3 month term is your puppy’s 8 week long academy time with us, your weekly training class together, and your Q&A support sessions to check in with your trainer and much more.

- Setting your puppy up for success with potty training, crate & pen training, alone training, intro to handling & husbandry, sleep routine, mouthing/chewing/bite inhibition, and more.

- Socialization - early positive exposure to novelty: people, other animals, obstacles, objects, sounds and surfaces. At the academy we provide plenty of socialization opportunities, both within our facility and during fun & safe field trips for your puppy.

- Intro to puppy basic life skills: attention & focus, curb your enthusiasm, sit, down, settling on a mat, the magic of hand targeting, recall, relaxed leash walking, and more.

- Intro skills for puppy parents: how puppies/dogs learn, teaching puppy new things through clicker/marker training, what is my puppy saying, appropriate puppy play, exercise & enrichment, puppy’s needs & welfare, and more.

Glad you asked. We are happy to share that our academy tuition can be paid in two installments, with the first installment made in advance to save your puppy’s spot with us in the academy.

Connect with us to see if you're in our pick up/drop off radius. In general we serve central Scotts Valley, Felton, Ben Lomond with this service, but all pick up/drop off locations are dependent on estimated time from our facility to your home.

Our primary service area is Scotts Valley, Ben Lomond and Felton. Santa Cruz and Boulder Creek may be an exception, depending on your ability to either cooperate with our pick up/drop off service or to reliably arrange your DIY puppy transport each day, twice a day in a fixed time window.

Your puppy’s well being is important to us! We’d like your puppy to get the most out of our fabulous academy train-care program instead of having her spend extended times driving around each day. That’s why our Puppy Taxi service range is smaller than our general service area. 

But rest assured that we are thrilled for your puppy to join us at the academy if you are able to reliably arrange a DIY puppy transport, should you reside outside of our Puppy Taxi service range!

Excellent question. We get that you are busy - and yet, we want to see you and your puppy thrive together at home too. That’s why  orientation night & weekly group classes will be THE only times when we’ll require you to come to our facility. Yes, we’ll do the heavy lifting for you but  attending our weekly group class is important, as we transfer the skills your puppy has learned with us over to you. Puppy success and long lasting training results require teamwork!

Absolutely, all breeds are most welcome! We do however screen for a general “good match” of all enrolled puppy-pals each term.

Short answer: probably. Long answer: We will do everything we can to support your shy puppy individually for maximum comfort & welfare, i.e. we might take introductions to the group slower than usual and work at your puppy’s individual pace. It depends on the individual puppy and we’d discuss such details during our Discovery Call to ensure our program would be a great match for everyone involved.

Yes, as a SPA member with your personal membership account you’ll not only get weekly training support into your account but we’ll also post regular puppy updates in the member community feature.

That is a great question! Let’s start with, we absolutely hope your puppy will bond with us here at the academy, as building trust & feeling safe are desired foundations for their emotional and mental wellbeing and our ability to train your puppy. 

But rest assured that your puppy will have the best times of all with YOU: quality time, undivided attention and mutual love at the end of each day, plus all days long on weekends. You and your puppy will go on adventures together, play together and enjoy these oh so precious couch times together where you relax and bond even more at the end of a long day. What more can a puppy dream of?Our goal is for your puppy to feel happy & safe spending his day with us - animal welfare is dear to our heart and a centerpiece of our mission.