Best Friend Academy

Best Friend Academy offers three main training programs: Consultation/Evaluation (non-training assessment to determine next steps), Private Training (one-on-one sessions with Heather), and Boarding Training (dogs stay at the facility for intensive behavior modification, with a free private session at pickup). Training focuses on establishing leadership, structure, and communication to correct behavioral issues. All programs emphasize the balance between owner and dog, with attention to nutrition, genetics, and consistency. Boarding includes daily outdoor play and treadmill walking.

Pricing Summary

Private training is available in one-hour sessions or as a package of four hours. Boarding training includes intensive behavior work during the stay, with a free one-hour private session upon pickup. No specific pricing tiers are listed, but packages are offered for private training. Boarding and daycare rates are not disclosed.

Best Friend Academy is a dog training and boarding facility located in Gobles, Michigan, led by trainer Heather. The business offers private training sessions, boarding training programs, and daily daycare services in a spacious, climate-controlled facility with daily outdoor playtime. Heather’s training philosophy emphasizes establishing clear leadership, structure, and balance between dog and owner to create respectful, obedient companions. She focuses on correcting behavioral issues rooted in lack of discipline, unmet needs, or insecurity, helping owners become assertive yet kind leaders. Boarding training includes intensive behavior correction with a free private session upon pickup. The facility also provides dog boarding and daycare with strict health requirements including vaccines, flea/tick prevention, and negative fecal tests. Heather is praised for transforming anxious, aggressive, or untrained dogs into well-behaved family members, with clients noting her compassion, expertise, and dedication.

In addition to training, Best Friend Academy offers dog boarding and daycare services, making it a full-service destination for dog owners seeking both care and behavioral development. Clients report dramatic improvements in their dogs’ behavior, including reduced reactivity, improved obedience, and increased confidence. Heather also provides nutritional advice and probiotic recommendations to support overall dog health.

The facility is situated in the countryside west of Kalamazoo, accessible within 20 miles of Kalamazoo and Portage, 40 miles from Grand Rapids, and within 100 miles of Chicago and Lansing.

Heather has successfully rehabilitated dogs with severe trauma, including those previously mistreated, and has trained dogs for show rings and farm life. Her clients consistently describe her as kind, knowledgeable, and deeply committed to canine well-being.

Accomplishments

Heather has successfully rehabilitated severely traumatized dogs, including one previously unapproachable dog who became a beloved family pet for seven years. She has trained dogs for conformation shows and farm work, including herding goats and walking with ducks. Clients consistently credit her with transforming dogs with anxiety, aggression, and poor socialization into confident, obedient companions.

How to Get Started!

Prospective clients begin with a Consultation & Evaluation, which is a non-training assessment to help determine the best starting point for their dog’s training needs. After the evaluation, clients may choose private training, boarding training, or daycare services based on their goals and schedule.