Each puppy comes to us with different personalities and at various stages in training. For this reason, we strongly feel that a one-size-fits-all approach to puppy training is not effective. This is why we offer our customized Puppy Head Start program (suitable for puppies 8weeks to 16 weeks).
If you’re worried about missing the critical bonding period with your pup— don’t fret. Throughout your puppy's stay, you will visit to learn and practice your puppy's new skills, in addition to daily updates from our team. This will give you and your puppy time to form a strong and healthy relationship, as well as see how they interact without your presence.
Once your puppy goes home, the little critter will quickly adapt to their new life; and you’ll be ready to pick up the training baton (with the foundation already in place), in no time. Potty training, crate training (quiet in the crate), “no jumping, nipping, or barking”; introduction to sit stay; down stay, heeling (walking on a loose leash), and “place” are just a few commands that your pup will be able to understand and execute.
A FREE phone consultation is available for all dogs.
We have trusted Dillon with our dog numerous times for a 4 week training, and multiple trainings. He creates a great environment for our 1 year old Doberman while keeping her up to date on training behaviors. He is always excited to see her even for short stays which reaffirms with me his love for our dog. Great guy and super reasonable and transparent.
An evaluation is important for our professional trainers to observe any inappropriate or unwanted habits, and to gather a baseline of your dog’s behavior, especially in public (we recommend doing evaluations here at our location). This also gives us a chance to discuss training goals, while creating realistic expectations for our students and clients.
Once the evaluation is complete, Dillon will be able to recommend an appropriate training program/package.
An evaluation enables us to make sure that the dog coming in to train with us will not pose a risk to any of our staff or students during their stay. If your dog is a behavioral case, we want to experience firsthand exactly what it is that we need to be prepared for. All breeds, issues, and sizes are welcome. We typically operate on a 2-week lead time.
The first step to enroll in any one of our Board and Train programs or private lessons is to schedule a complete behavioral assessment and temperament test. This allows us to observe your dog’s behavior, discuss your goals for them, and briefly work with your dog so that we can recommend the best course of action. Contact us now to schedule this.
Food, feeding instructions, as well as a paper copy of your dog’s vaccination records.
The best age to start the training is between 8 to 12 weeks of age because that’s the puppy’s critical socialization window. It’s when puppies are super impressionable, therefore socialization, exposure, and confidence building are very important. That said, if you do early socialization yourself, then anytime in the two-to-six-month age range is great. Puppy training makes a huge difference so the more you do, the better!
Yes. We are happy to accommodate any special diet requests, raw food diets, medication needs etc.
We guarantee we’ll do our job, and we guarantee your dog will be trained, but we can’t control you and we can’t make you follow-through once the dog is home. Ninety-nine percent of our clients do an amazing job with their dogs once their dogs are home. They follow-through, they ask questions if they have them, and they see great success.
Occasionally, we have clients who think their dog is a robot and will obey commands regardless of inconsistency or lack of follow-through on their part. Dogs aren’t robots and they aren’t perfect. We are doing the hard work. All we ask is that you maintain it.We give you specific, customized, written and verbal instructions to help you do so! Listen to your trainer, and your dog will do great
Some other trainers seemingly disappear after the dog has gone home. They don’t return your calls or follow-up with you. We’re not them! We care about you and your dog. We put a lot of hard work into your dog’s training and want to make sure we’ve done and continue doing everything possible to help you succeed. Follow-up lessons are included in most of our board & train programs, and after that we are always available by phone or email to answer any questions you might have.
Many of our clients continue sending us updates and happy stories months and years after their dog has graduated. We’re in this for the long haul and want you to know you can always count on us. We’re here for you!
Yes! This helps us to further generalize the dog’s training and allows us to answer specific questions clients have in regards to their home set-up and environment. In everything we do, we strive to set dogs and their owners up for success.
Both. We generalize our training, meaning once we’ve taught the dog the commands he or she needs to learn, we have him or her work for multiple handlers in multiple locations around a myriad of distractions. Generalization is a key aspect to training that many other trainers don’t do. Our handover process is very smooth. We ensure that the training transfers so everyone is happy, and the dog can be successful at home
No. In all our years of training, no dog has ever forgotten his owners. They may not realize their owners are in the room right away, during midway lessons for example, but once they see/smell them they are always happy to see them.
The way we train is fun for dogs, so in their minds their whole day is fun! Depending on the dog’s specific training goals and needs, we will do a combination of obedience, agility, urban agility, treadmill training, clicker training, and more. Many owners see how much fun their dog is having and wonder, “Will he want to come home?!”
As much as he/she needs! We work with dogs often throughout the day. For example, a puppy might receive 15 short training sessions in one day plus a field trip and play time with other dogs! A rehab dog may do longer sessions to work through behavioral issues but will still be worked with often throughout the day. On average, board & trains do multiple sessions per day for a total of 1.5 to 3 hours of training (sometimes more).
That depends! If your dog is overweight then yes, we will put your dog on a diet. If your dog is underweight then no, we will increase your dog’s food intake to help your dog gain weight. If your dog is a good weight, we will maintain your dog’s weight. Our in-home board & train is different from a stressful kennel atmosphere. Dogs aren’t surrounded by loud, barking dogs and overworked/underpaid kennel workers. They are part of our packs and have a great time visiting us for training!
In the rare case that something happens to your dog, we take care of your dog like one of our own! We contact you so that you can take your dog to the vet, or we get your permission to take your dog to the vet ourselves. We’ve trained hundreds of dogs in board & train, and we’ve had zero accidents ever happen. We would like to keep it that way, which is why we are selective as to what dogs we take on for training. Since we are selective, are able to keep a close eye on dogs. This is how we keep dogs safe and healthy! We always know where they are, what they’re doing, what their stool looks like, if they’re eating and drinking enough, etc.
Absolutely! We send post to social media and, in some cases, we text photos and videos to our clients. We want you to always know how your dog is doing. That said, we do ask that you don’t ask for daily, detailed updates. We are busy training and want to use our time wisely. You can always ask for a quick update, but lengthy updates are usually sent weekly.
Yes! Any programs longer than two weeks offer midway lessons. This is an opportunity for you to visit your dog, spend time with, and learn from the trainer. For programs shorter than two weeks, we do not offer midway lessons, but if you really need to see your dog we can make it happen!
In our program, your dog stays at our licensed facility attached to our vet, where our staff is able to attend to him/her. We’ve found this is the best way for dogs to get around-the-clock care and individual attention, as a trusted individual is with your dog 24/7.
A FREE phone consultation is available for all dogs.
We do appointments by scheduling only as we are not open to the public. No dog is permitted on our property without undergoing a complete behavior assessment and temperament test.
“Hi Dillon, After conferring with Nicholas, I can confidently give the following opinion of the effect of your training: We adopted a 4 year old Doberman from our local animal shelter, where he was described as “smiling" and not aggressive with other shelter dogs. Within a few weeks in our house his true personality emerged; while he was happy to go on walks, he was very aggressive with approaching dogs. Three times he snapped at a family member who came into my son's room or approached my son unexpectedly. He also bit me twice resulting in stitches. The veterinarian recommended returning him to the animal shelter, having him euthanized or administering a high dose of a sedative daily. At that point, I contacted Dillon of Full Potential K-9 to come to my son's apartment and do a behavioral evaluation. The "smiling" trait, he said, was actually an aggressive expression in certain cases, but he felt that the Doberman was one he could work with. Dillon picked the dog up at my son's apartment and worked with him for 4 weeks in a board and train situation. During that time, Dillon sent texts, pictures, and videos to describe progress and lingering problems. Now the dog is off sedatives, much friendlier to visitors, and obeys commands well on walks and in public. Dillon was realistic, though, about the Doberman needing to be my son's only dog. So, in summary, Dillon has an accurate eye for evaluating and correcting canine behavior and is honest in telling us what problems still remain. The photos of our dog at Dillon's home look like he is having fun there and is treated as a member of the family, so I would definitely send our dog back for further training or boarding as needed.”
