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Top Places for Puppy Training in Northern VA

October 27, 2017 by Mary Telesz

It’s (almost) universally acknowledged that puppies are absolutely adorable. Dogs have many different stages of development throughout their younger years, and each stage brings its own experiences. For example, a fledgling puppy will not know how to walk on a lead. When you bring it out for a walk, it sits down and looks at you like you have two heads. It doesn’t know what it’s supposed to do when you loop this odd contraption around its neck. Unfortunately for you, dogs are not born with an instinctive knowledge about humanity’s domestication habits!

puppy trainingAnother comical phase of development is when they hit the point where they want to explore but are too small to get up onto the couch or go up the stairs. Those little whimpers would break even the coldest heart when they keep trying to pull themselves up. There aren’t many things in life that are more adorable than a fluffy puppy doing their mini cry at the top of the stairs. While you want them to learn and progress, most puppy parents will give in and carry them down. Moments like these are what dog owning is all about.

Unfortunately, these adorable stages are inevitably accompanied by less desirable incidences, like when your puppy has been destroying the furniture or doing its business around the home when you aren’t home. As with all things in life, the highs would seem quite so high without the lows!

Owning a dog is a memorable experience, but it isn’t all fun and games. It requires a lot of time and dedication on your part to help your canine companion grow into a sociable adult dog with good habits and behaviors. If you have no idea how to train a dog, you might want to get help from the professionals. So, without further ado, here are the top places for puppy training in Northern Virginia:

Standard Puppy Training

Auburn Leach is the man for the task with regards to standard puppy training. Leach and his staff offer a range of training services including in-home training, doggie boot camps, training and rehabilitation, and also a boot camp especially for puppies! Can you imagine how fun it would be to watch all the clumsy puppies running around barking and falling over one another before Leach and his team work wonders?

The style of the training is praise-based, which is wonderful. Here at Pawpals we are strongly against training based on fear or punishment. Such training results in dogs who are frightened easily and jumpy. Praise-based rewards a dog for good behavior, and firmly corrects them using an authoritative voice and relevant gestures for bad behavior.

If you got a puppy from a shelter and are already noticing problem behaviors, there’s no need to panic. Leach specializes in problem behaviors including aggression, anxiety, submissive and excited urination, chewing, and separation anxiety.

puppy trainingIt’s always reassuring to know that the professional you’re hiring has more than pretty words to offer. Leach graduated from the Connecticut branch of the United States K9 academy in 1996 and has more than thirty years of dog training experience. He does not shy away from aggressive dogs, and will work with an aggressive dog even other trainers won’t go near. Puppies are rarely aggressive, but if you got a breed that is associated with aggression and require the extra peace of mind, you can consult Leach to see how to prevent such behaviors from ever materializing.

Therapy Dog Training

If you eventually want your puppy to become a therapy dog, you can benefit from the services of Off Leash K9 Training. These professional trainers certainly know what they’re doing, as just recently they got top marks with Therapy Dog International. Eight out of eight of the dogs they trained received their certification. After considering this fact, it comes as no surprise that they advertise themselves as celebrity trainers. If it’s good enough for a celebrity, it’s good enough for you!

There are a few things you should know before you jump into therapy dog training for your puppy or adult dog. It’s a lovely idea to think that your dog could help brighten up a stranger’s day, but not all dogs are suitable to be a therapy dog. Every dog is unique, and they have a wide range of temperaments. A dog who is possessive over his or her bone is not suitable to be around kids who may try to take it off them, for example.

The best type of dog for therapy is a dog who loves all people: young and old, male and female; quiet and overbearing. If you have a puppy that seems shy or withdrawn around strangers, therapy dog training isn’t for you. Similarly, if you have a loud puppy who barks when anyone rings the doorbell or delivers the mail, it might not be wise to put them forward to be a therapy dog in a quiet old people’s home!

Service Dog Training

puppy trainingService Dogs Virginia is a non-profit organization that operates out of Charlottesville. They raise and train dogs with the specific purpose of placing them with disabled people when they are ready. Service dogs allow people with disabilities to live a more content and independent lifestyle.

The organization offers a variety of programs including physical assistance dogs, autism service dogs, and diabetic alert dogs. Under certain circumstances, they will accept dogs who have been raised as puppies by their original owners. However, this is at the discretion of the Executive Director. You probably don’t want to give your puppy away, but if you’re getting too old or sickly to look after it, this could be an excellent opportunity for both you and your puppy.

Live in a Friendly Place

When you move somewhere new, you want to feel like a part of the community. Even if you live in the Northern Virginia area, you may live in a place that doesn’t allow animals. You’ve always wanted to own a dog, but your landlord is adamant about his or her ‘no pets allowed policy’. Well, you don’t have to worry. All you have to do is move to one of the best pet-friendly places to live in Northern Virginia, and all that’s left is a trip to the shelter to see which dog you want to adopt and bring home!

Owner Responsibility

It’s all fair and good to highlight the top places for puppy training in Northern Virginia, but not everything can be left to the trainer. It is important for you, the owner, to build on what the trainer does and not to contradict the lessons the puppy has learned. Your puppy might be very receptive to the professional training it gets, but if you are too lazy or busy to ensure it doesn’t fall back into bad habits no amount of training on earth will solve the problem.

It’s up to you to find out how to discipline a dog and make sure you teach it right from wrong in your household. If you live in a house with numerous people (family, housemates, students) it is important that you fill them in on your training style so they don’t undermine that you’re trying to teach your puppy or dog.

Filed Under: Pet Training

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
4.9
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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