FAQs

What is your COVID-19 policy?

For our protection and the protection of our clients, we follow the direction of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and require our clients to do the same. Properly fitted masks that cover the mouth and nose are mandatory during all in-person interactions as well as maintaining social distancing recommendations of 6 feet.

How is Positive Start Dog Training different from other board and train programs?

Treated Like Family: Your dog is part of your family and we treat them as such. During their program, they will spend the entire program with us in our home learning how to be well-mannered members of the family. At other board and train programs, your pet will spend most of their time in a kennel or doggie daycare and get maybe an hour or two of dedicated training time a day. With us, training happens all day long capitalizing on every opportunity to reinforce good behaviors. This immersive training experience results in faster learning!

Experience: Holly (Positive Start Dog Training’s owner and trainer) has over 15 years of professional animal experience, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis, studied with two Certified Applied Behaviorists (CAAB), and trained over 20 different animal species.

1:1 Training: This is a 1:1 program where your dog will get 100% of the trainer’s attention around the clock. Your dog will also be learning in real-world situations. Your goal is to have a well-mannered dog at home, so training them in a real home situation is ideal over large-scale board and train operations.

Video check-ins and tutorials: Each week you will receive a video compilation of that week’s training sessions in a private YouTube link. These are fun check-ins for you to see the progress your dog is making, as well as tutorials for you to reference and emulate the training process once your dog is back home.

Customizable: Every animal and family situation is unique. We create customized training plans that work best for your dog and for you. We make training fun with a focus on positive reinforcement and building a relationship based on trust, not fear. We are committed to humane, ethical, and scientifically-based training methods using applied behavior analysis.

Is my dog too young/old for the program?

The old adage was wrong… you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! It’s never too late to train your dog to have better manners. Vaccinated puppies 8 weeks and older are welcome into the Puppy Foundations program.

What if my dog needs to go to the veterinarian during their program?

It is possible that your dog will be due for a regularly scheduled vet appointment during their board and train program, such as for yearly physicals or vaccinations. In this case, we are excited to take your dog to their appointment for you and take advantage of a great training opportunity! It is a $50 charge (additional travel fees may apply) to take them to their vet appointment. During our scheduling phone call, please let us know that you anticipate or already have a scheduled vet visit so we can plan accordingly.

Do you offer a guarantee?

We will make every reasonable effort to achieve the training goals we outline for your dog; however, we provide no guarantee. Behavior is a function of numerous variables, some of which cannot be controlled by us during training nor by the owner at home. In the field of psychology, guarantees are not offered (whether working with humans or dogs) because of the infinite number of variables impacting behavior. That being said, we know there are factors that correlate with successful behavior change such as following Positive Start Dog Training’s instructions without modification, working with your dog daily, and consistently reinforcing appropriate behaviors. We will provide you and your dog with high-quality, humane, and science-based approaches to training as well as teach you about why your dog behaves as they do, how to interact with your dog in a positive way that builds a relationship based on trust, and how to reduce problem behaviors if they arise.