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Spotlight Puppy Academy

"where dogs and humans connect"

Behavior & Dog Training Support for dedicated caregivers in Scotts Valley, Felton, Ben Lomond and midtown Santa Cruz.

Dog Training Sots Valley, Ben Lomond, Felton

Dog Life Feeling Ruff?

Whether you're navigating the whirlwind of puppyhood, managing your adolescent dog's boundless energy, or wanting to help your shy, sensitive or newly adopted dog feel more at ease - your life with a canine companion is supposed to be a beautiful journey, yet you feel overwhelmed and the journey shifted towards frustration!

If you’re feeling stretched thin or unsure what to do, you’re not alone and you’re in the right place.

Puppy Teeth, Big Feelings, and the journey in between

Meaningful and long lasting change begins with connection and mutual understanding. Our work is rooted in kindness, ethics, and positive reinforcement—always tailored to your dog’s unique needs and your everyday life. It is our mission to see you both happy together!

Choose The Perfect Path for you & your canine companion

Every dog’s journey is different, and so is yours. Whether you're raising a puppy, managing adolescent chaos, welcoming a newly adopted dog, or caring for a sensitive soul, it’s easy to feel unsure and overwhelmed. We’re here to help you find clarity, confidence, and connection—together.

Puppies

Struggling with puppy biting, house training or seeking help with Socialization? These early month are an important developmental time for your puppy and we’ll help you navigating the path of a calm and joyful puppyhood with confidence, clarity and kindness.

Good Start Puppy!

Teen Dogs

Is your adolescent dog ignoring you and dog-life feels suddenly more like a struggle? We know this shift and it can be though! If you are at the end of your rope we got your back and will support you through this important developmental adolescent phase with clarity and compassion.

Teen Relief!

Adopted Dogs

New furry family arrival? Surely exciting times, but settling into a new home isn't always as easy as it sounds. We support you both with ease in transition, helping your unique dog arrive, build trust, connection and routines, so your new companion can truly settle in with you and thrive.

Arrive & Thrive!

Sensitive Dogs

Is your dog barking & lunging, leaving you feel frustrated and even dreading walks? For some dogs the world with everything in it can feel especially overwhelming! Find relief through customized training support, helping your dog feel more at ease on walks and in their environment.

Back to Calm!

Puppy Classes

Get on Board and Learn all about our unique Puppy Class

Next round of classes start end of January/beginning of February and will be ready for sign-up soon!

Contact us if you have any questions!

Explore Puppy Class details

Private Training

No matter your Dog's Age or Background - all Private Training starts with a Consultation

During our consultation we learn from you and your dog first so we can support you the best way possible! Understanding your & your dog's needs and challenges enables us to tailor training with your unique canine companion and situation in mind!

Initial Consult - 90min/$155

The Spotlight Puppy Academy difference

What makes us a great choice for dedicated Santa Cruz County canine caregivers ?

Fun for both ends of the leash

We will never use intimidation, fear, or pain to train your dog - instead we will only use rewarding and evidence based, humane training methods

Certified & experienced

In an unregulated industry, we believe that our own professional education is the key to success in training your canine companion and earning your trust

Continued education

Learning never ends, not for your dog, not for you and not for us. We will always seek the most up-to-date education to keep thriving in our profession as trainers

Tailored training

Our goal is to help your unique canine companion become the best version of themselves, and for you both to live in harmony as a team.

Individual attention

You and your dog deserve our full attention! We make sure everyone feels seen and heard and keep even class sizes small & comfortable

Relationships matters

Learning takes place when needs are met and emotional safety is provided - a key element in our rewarding and relationship based training approach

Any questions? let 's connect!

Hi, I'm Simone!

Founder of SPA

I am a professional Dog Trainer certified through the CCPDT, a certified Family Dog Mediator and am currently aspiring my certification as an ACE (Animal Centered Education) Certified Trainer.

Helping humans and their canine companions truly connect to live happy, harmonious lives together is my passion, and continued education my dedication. All with the goal to support you & your canine friend with a well-rounded training approach, one that creates long lasting change and considers dogs as a whole and sentient beings!

Check out my credentials & approach

What Clients Are Saying

Joel & Daisy

We can’t recommend Simone enough. We were at our wits ends and ready to give away our adorable puppy because she was so hard for us to understand when Simone walked through our door and showed us how to communicate with her. Over the next 6 months Simone was extremely attentive to our needs and very responsive. She is clearly passionate about what she does and it shows in her dedication.

Susan & Zoey

We highly recommend Simone as a trainer. She understands dog behavior [...] and gives pet owners lots of calm, always positive support and encouragement. We feel so fortunate to have her working with us and Zoey.

There really isn't much that would make training more helpful except we wish we could work with Simone more days in a week or for longer sessions. We enjoy our time with her so much.