Frequently Asked Questions

It is difficult to put our training in a box as we truly do tailor our training to each dog in our program and do not limit the tools within our toolbox. We describe our training as functional, fun, effective, and efficient. We tackle training situations holistically, with knowledge of the dog's diet, exercise, and home life. With all dogs we focus heavily on building a strong relationship of trust with us (the trainers) and with you (the owners) to build confidence in each pup. We also focus heavily on each dog's individual fulfillment needs including tug, fetch, off leash time, and other forms of mental enrichment. 

We teach a variety of commands in our Board and Train programs to make living with your pet more cohesive and fun! All dogs in our programs learn sit, down, go to bed, and walking on a loose lead and we teach off leash and high distraction obedience in our longer programs. All dogs learn leash pressure, spatial pressure, and marker words. While we try to teach your dog as many obedience commands as possible in the time we have them, our priority is always to create a calmer mindset and practical leash and house manners. 

Right away! Whether you just brought home a new puppy or a more mature rescue, the sooner you show your dog the desired behaviors the easier training will be.

Puppies as young as 12 weeks are eligible for the board and train program, where we put an emphasis on positive introductions to new people, places, and things while they are in their critical socialization period.

The saying 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' is a myth, as long as the dog is healthy and physically capable of doing what we are asking they can learn at any age. However, with age comes years of practiced behaviors (good and bad), so building up better habits typically takes longer with older dogs.

Absolutely! Your dog's training relies on cooperation and consistency from everyone who lives in the home. Training is a lifelong commitment, we will give you the tools to success but it will be a constant process. We will provide you with the guidance necessary to continue on with your dog's training once they are back home with you. While your dog is learning with us you will be learning at home through our Go Home Reference Packet and videos and you can follow along on their progress through our Instagram stories and posts. At the end of the program we have a Go Home Session with you where we go over the tools, communication system, and help you practice for the transition back home. In addition to the three follow-up sessions included in the board and train cost, we provide unlimited training support via email.

We understand it can be difficult to be away from your pup for 2+ weeks, but our experience proves that visits by the owners midway through the program can add stress to the dogs stay. You will get almost daily updates from us via our Instagram page and an email three quarters through your pups stay with a more in depth summary of their training so far. We are always available via email should you have any questions or concerns through your pup's stay with us!

In general, we exclusively offer our Continued Education services (Field Days, and Structured Boarding) to dogs who have gone through our program. We do occasionally take dogs who have graduated from other training programs with referrals from the previous trainer.

**Crate trained Mother Pupper attendees are now eligible for Structured Boarding services through Rascal.**

All dogs stay with us (Zoe and Kyran) at our home. After working in commercial dog kennels, we feel that a home based environment is the best way to for dogs to go through a board and train program and for future boarding needs. Not only is it much less stressful for the pups, but they will be practicing in a realistic and applicable environment to their usual day to day life.

Our home is on 4 acres 25 minutes North of Portland. We have multiple fences yards for the dogs to enjoy, a trail on the property for off leash hikes, and an indoor play space with rubber mat (no-slip) flooring. The dog room is temperature controlled with heat and ac. Cleanliness is our top priority, in addition to requiring all pups to be up to date with their core vaccines, each pup’s crate gets cleaned daily and fully sanitized in between each stay. Our kennel space is secure and monitored 24/7 with cameras.