Puppy Adventure Academy

Puppy Adventure Academy offers a variety of training programs tailored to different needs. Their Board & Train program involves puppies staying in a professional trainer’s home, treated like family, with custom programs focusing on specific issues. This includes access to digital tutorials, daily updates, pick-up/drop-off, a bath, a follow-up in-home lesson, and personalized videos. Minimum stay is 14 days, with common packages being 2-week Jump Start, 3-week New Puppy Preschool, 4-week Foundation Manners, and 6-week Potty Training Pooch Camp. They do not take aggression or separation anxiety cases for Board & Train.

Day Training programs, including Beginning Manners and Intermediate Manners, involve dogs coming to their facility for the day for training, play sessions, and nap times. Each package includes 8 sessions, access to their digital training library, a graduation video, and one private at-home lesson. Day training is available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Daycare is only available for graduates of their training programs.

Private Lessons are offered in the client’s home, allowing for a custom plan to address specific behaviors. Group Lessons are listed as “Coming Soon!”. Puppy Adventures provide weekly outings for socialization in new places, with pick-up and drop-off service. Pups get one-on-one time with a trainer at locations like pet-friendly stores, parks, and town squares, focusing on positive exposure and manners in public settings. They do not work on reactivity or aggression issues during Puppy Adventures.

Pricing Summary

Day Training packages (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced Manners) are $640 each, including 8 sessions and 1 private lesson. Board and Train packages are custom, with a minimum stay of two weeks. Example packages include a 3-week stay for $3,210 (approx. $160/day less intake lesson) and a 4-week stay for $4,190 (approx. $155/day less intake lesson). Refresher Board and Train stays for past clients are $140/day. A Board and Train Intake Lesson is $150, which is deducted from the final package price if purchased.

In-Home Boarding is $100/day for puppies under 6 months and $75/day for adult dogs. Day Care for graduates is $40/day. Private Lessons are $125 per hour with a Regular Trainer and $150 per hour with a Senior Trainer. Puppy Adventure Days are $100 for a single day or $380 for a package of 4 adventures. Transportation is $10 per day for on-route clients (includes both ways) and is included in all Board and Train packages.

Policies

For lesson cancellations, 24 hours notice is required to avoid a late fee, though the fee may be waived a few times a year. For Day Train and Daycare cancellations, 24 hours notice is required. If a pup shows signs of illness, they should be kept home and the day rescheduled. For boarding cancellations, there is no charge with 72 hours notice; a $100 charge applies after 72 hours. Holiday deposits for boarding are non-refundable. For Board and Train cancellations, the deposit is 70% refundable with more than 2 weeks notice, but non-refundable with less than 2 weeks notice. If a dog is pulled out early from a Board and Train, the entire contract amount is owed.

Puppy Adventure Academy aims to help dog owners get their dogs trained around their busy schedules, offering a menu of services to fit any family’s needs. They provide options for owners who prefer to do most of the training themselves and for those who want a jump start with professional teaching.

Their approach focuses on teaching life skills using positive reinforcement methods and gentle, effective techniques to build a foundation for a lifetime of manners. Clients receive access to digital lessons to continue training after their program.

The four cornerstones of their training program are Enrichment, Exercise, Communication, and Socialization. They ensure puppies are ready to learn through mental enrichment and balanced exercise, using a mark-and-reward system for communication. They also provide gentle exposure to new things for well-rounded development.

Beyond training, they offer in-home boarding for puppies and adult dogs, as well as daycare for graduates of their training programs. Transportation via their air-conditioned puppy bus is available for an extra fee for day training, daycare, and puppy adventures, and is included in Board and Train packages.

Accomplishments

Puppy Adventure Academy was co-founded by Ashley Johnson, CPDT, and Rachel Vogt. Ashley started her career at a doggy daycare and boarding facility, becoming a manager, and then attended the Karen Pryor Academy to earn her certification in dog training. She worked as a manners trainer at What a Great Dog (WAGD) in Frisco, TX, where she competed in rally, nosework, dock diving, and obedience. She became a rally instructor and Head Trainer at WAGD, writing much of their training curriculum for manners classes and the Puppy Preschool Program, and training new instructors.

Rachel Vogt got involved in dog training by helping foster dogs. She left her legal career in 2018 to pursue full-time dog training at What a Great Dog, where she was promoted to General Manager of the Frisco Facility. She taught classes, managed staff, and helped research and write curriculum for their online puppy preschool program and jumping workshop. Both Ashley and Rachel left their previous positions in 2021 to open Puppy Adventure Academy.

How to Get Started!

To get started, all new clients need to fill out a New Client Questionnaire to help determine if the facility is a good fit. All clients are required to book an in-home assessment lesson. If a Board and Train package is purchased, the assessment lesson price will be deducted from the final package price. For Day Training, an assessment appointment is required for any dog over five months old or any puppy that struggles in a crate. These assessments are free if the pup is brought to the facility between 12-4 pm, otherwise, a $40 charge applies for a full day of care plus transportation. For Puppy Adventures, puppies older than 6 months will need a day assessment with a small fee.