Why train with Jakey’s Academy

Intentional 1-on-1 training with your dog:
When your dog participates in our Board-and-Train, they live as a part of our family. We keep our program intentionally small, working with 2 to 3 dogs per session to make sure your dog gets ample 1-on-1 attention. Because of this, we are able to curate aspects of our training to your personal needs - Off-leash hiking goals? Mobility Impaired? Struggling with reactivity? We can help!

Socialization:
While we only have 2-3 dogs in our program at one time, we know how imperetive it is for dogs’ to have positive interactions with other dogs - especially dogs working through behavioral issues. We frequently call on dogs that have completed our program - dogs we know and trust - to engage with your dog and help boost their confidence.

We won’t leave you hanging!
 We are confident that your dog will be transformed after completing our Board-and-Train program. Our ultimate goal is to transform your relationship with your dog, which includes you! We know how hard learning a new skill is, and we are here to help. Our program inlcudes:
-An in-depth training manual
-Weekly 1-hour in-person lesson (during your dogs stay)
-Access to training videos and excercises
-Weekly email updates
-Photos and Videos of your dog uploaded several times a week!
-45 day follow-up period - Access to weekly 1-hour in-person lessons as requested
-Lifetime support - We consider ourselves your dogs’ trainer!

Philosophy and Tools

We are Positive-Balanced Trainers. This means we aim to have your dogs’ tail wagging for the entirety of our time together, yet we know it is important for a dog to understand “No” with clarity in order to help them navigate the human world. The intentional structuring of our 3-week program is aimed to develop a relationship where “Yes!” gets your dog elated, and “No!” is gentle and quiet.

Positively Playful. All dogs are different, and we shift our training techniques to match a dogs personality. However, we love using PLAY to train your dog!

3-week Overview

Week 1 - Positive Only Training - Before we expect your dog to perform, we make sure we spend generous time teaching them what we want! We use error-less learning techniques to set your dog up for success as we introduce and clarify our 9 obedience cues. During this week, we focus on conditioning the e-collar to be associated with “Yes!”
Week 2 - Balanced Training - Once we are certain your dog understands what we are asking of them and have developed a caring relationship, we begin to hold your dog accountable for their behaviors and performance of cues. No harsh punishments - we use the same stimulus we conditioned to mean “Yes!” in week one to help encourage your dog to behave how we’ve taught them.
Week 3 - Balanced Training with increased challenges
We expect your dog to behave in any environment! During week 3, we take your dog into challenging and highly stimulating environments, making sure that all the things they understand at home translate well at the park, in public, on a hike, or anywhere else that your dog may have previously struggled.

E-Collars (included in program): We use Dogtra products, and believe in the gentleness and effectiveness of e-collar training. While the e-collar is not a mandatory component of our training service, we ask that you allow us to explain our methodologies during our consultation if you have an aversion to the device. Our 3-week program and 45-day follow-up protocol is designed to reduce dependency on the e-collar. We believe that tools should help in the process of training your dog, but ultimately fade away as your dog progresses.
Rebate available for returned e-collars

  • Email us to set up a consultation. We’d love to hear more about your relationship with your dog, and communicate our availability.

  • We accept most cases, including reactive and aggressive dogs. Dogs with a bite-history are required to be muzzle conditioned - If we feel a dog/person will jeapordize our safety or the safety of the animals in our home, we will decline our service.

  • We believe effective training is all about the relationship between you and your dog. We understand that learning new things is a huge challenge, and make sure to include you in your dogs training! We include 3 in-person lessons in our program, as well as 6 optional in-person lessons afer your dog has graduated our program.

  • Our e-collar protocol is gentle. We use a combination of electronic stimulus at a low level and/or vibration to communicate with your dog. We aim to use the e-collar at the lowest level they can perceive, so low that you wouldn't be able to feel it!