During our board and train program, your puppy will stay in the trainer’s home and be treated as a member of the family. This ensures that your puppy receives consistent care and training 24/7. It’s also a less stressful environment compared to staying in a kennel or facility!

Our programs are customized to meet your puppy’s specific needs. We will establish a strong foundation for basic obedience training and address any particular issues you may be experiencing. Our focus includes housetraining, sitting down, recalling, settling on a mat, leaving it, dropping it, leash walking, waiting at doorways, crate training, and more. Additionally, your puppy will be able to socialize and interact positively with other animals.

Your puppy might miss you a little, but that doesn’t mean they will be sad! Most young puppies quickly adjust to the routine and consider our home their second home. Many of our previous students continue to visit us years after their first stay at Sleepaway Camp. That’s why it’s important to expose your puppy to experiences away from you at a young age so that it’s not stressful for them when you eventually go on vacation!

Absolutely! We want you to see your pup’s progress and our training process, so you’ll receive photos or videos daily while your dog is here.

We use various tools, such as leashes, martingale collars, harnesses, crates, gates, and playpens. We DO NOT employ shock collars, electronic collars, prong collars, or choke chains!

At Goldstar Puppy Academy, we prioritize positive reinforcement techniques to train your dog effectively. Our approach revolves around understanding what motivates your furry friend—be it treats, playtime, or access to preferred activities—and utilizing those incentives to reinforce desired behaviors.

We firmly believe in rewarding your dog for its efforts, treating each task as a job for which it should be compensated. With consistent positive reinforcement, your dog will develop a solid inclination to perform the behaviors we encourage. Over time, this creates a positive association, making it enthusiastic about cooperating with you, whether or not food is involved.

Additionally, we employ methods that involve removing desired stimuli to discourage unwanted behaviors. For instance, if your dog barks for attention, we may promptly exit the room, teaching them that barking leads to removing attention. Once they remain quiet, we reintroduce ourselves, reinforcing the desired silence.

Crucially, alongside discouraging undesirable behaviors, we focus on teaching alternative, more polite ways for your dog to communicate their needs. For instance, if your dog tends to jump up for attention, we’ll calmly withdraw until they have all four paws on the ground. Then, we’ll provide the desired attention, reinforcing the importance of proper behavior.

With our balanced approach to training, your dog will learn valuable skills and develop a harmonious relationship with you based on mutual understanding and respect.

While staying overnight is great for consistent training, we understand that some may find it hard to be away from their furry friends all week. We can offer a day school option, which we can discuss during your consultation.

Your puppy will need their food, medications/supplements, and sometimes a favorite item from home, such as a blanket or toy. We have crates, pens, leashes, beds, and all the toys you can imagine.

You need to remember that the behaviors your puppy learns will carry over to your house, but it’s up to you to consistently practice with them for the behaviors to stick! Our programs provide plenty of support before and after your puppy’s stay at Sleepaway Camp. We must teach you the necessary skills to help your puppy behave at home just like they do with us. By following our recommendations and dedicating time to practice these skills, you can ensure your puppy’s behaviors will transfer home, and they will listen to you.

Goldstar’s puppy training programs offer a unique combination of in-person private puppy training, home-study tutorials, and group puppy classes. Through years of experience, we have found that this approach is the most effective way to train your puppy successfully. Your puppy will quickly learn new skills in the best conditions, leading to long-lasting learning. This will allow you to enjoy life with a confident, well-behaved, and respected member of the dog community!

The Honor Student program is our advanced program for dog owners whose puppies are ready to progress to the next level. We focus on developing your puppy’s leash-walking skills, teaching them to stay calm, and instilling excellent manners so that they can be welcomed anywhere you go! Additionally, you will master your training skills, gaining confidence in communicating with your dog to encourage excellent behavior.