(360)652-2924
Dog Training Boarding and Daycare Services in Marysville, Everett, Snohomish County and the Greater Seattle Area.
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Training Consultations
 
Training Consultations and Evaluations:
 

We offer a free Initial Consultation for Training and Free Evaluations for Boarding & Daycare at Adventure Dog Ranch.

 

During the Initial Training Consultation, we will meet with you and your family and canine companion. This initial consultation allows us to evaluate your pet's socialization skills and where additional training would be beneficial. It also allows us to approximate how many sessions may be needed and whether or not your pet may be suited for Free-Range Boarding or Benefit from Daycare.


Evaluations; What Are They and Why Do you Perform Them? 
 
Evaluations are only one little part of what sets us apart from other dog boarding facilities. Another of our big bonuses, is Steve's experience observing thousands of dogs in a pack environment and his skill as a behaviorist/trainer.
 
He can often spot the subtle body language and facial expressions that signal stress or annoyance, long before the average person would. Steve can sense a change in "pack energy," sometimes even before Fido and Spot have even noticed.  His skills provide him with a great advantage, he doesn't have to wait until there is an issue to intervene, he can be proactive. Steve is able to prevent annoyances from escalating into growls, posturing or bites.
 
Our Evaluations give us an opportunity to see your dog interact with you and a few select adventure dogs to judge their overall temperament and how comfortable they are around new humans (us) as well as new dogs.
 
For dogs that will be boarding with us, it also gives them an opportunity to check us out and get to meet us while their human companions are there to keep them feeling safe and secure. It takes time to develop trust on both ends of the leash so any opportunity to gain some and cement that new friendship is advantageous and will improve your dogs overall experience. Just like people, Some dogs aren't great with strangers, but you'd be surprised how quickly most dogs pick up on Steve's leadership Vibe. When they finally do come to spend the night, we are no longer strangers, we're now old friends and playmates.
 
All of these things rolled together, help us to identify and weed out aggressive types, helps alleviate fear and anxiety and in general just keeps your dog SAFE!
Why Do You Need to Meet my dog? 
 
We use this opportunity to judge your dogs level of stress, (Is their tail tucked? Are they avoiding eye contact?) If they appear scared, we may offer them a dog treat to see if will they take food? A dog that will accept food, is not overly fearful, just cautious or very excited. (It is not uncommon for even a well adjusted, well socialized dog to refuse a treat when they're really excited, they can be dis-interested in food when there is so much new to see and do!) 
 
A dog that appears scared during an evaluation, gets a much slower introduction than an easy-going, confident dog. They'll first meet Starbuck, our oldest, most "Omega" dog. Starbuck is friendly and confident and has a knack for making all new guests feel welcome and safe.
 
We will always take the time to make sure that your dogs' initial experience here is a positive one. Since it's far simpler to create an initial good experience than it is to help a dog that's had a succession of bad experiences regain his/her confidence.
 
We also judge their level of excitement and How they act with other dogs. (Are they running up to other dogs with too much exuberance? Are they bouncing off the walls? Or greeting new dogs with a level of expertise comparable to a diplomat meeting the queen?) All of this is taken into consideration including their level of experience and excitement level to help us judge how they'll react with dogs of different temperaments.
  
At Adventure Dog Ranch
(360) 652-2924
 
Okay I'm Sold, When Can I Bring My Dog For An Evaluation?
Evaluations are normally performed on Saturday Afternoons and are by appointment only. We perform evaluations in this fashion so that we have more control over who your dog will meet and the overall energy of their first visit. This is just another extra step we take to keep everyone happy, less stressed and safe.
 
Human Behavior at the Ranch:
Small children will not be allowed in the Play Yard During Boarding or Daycare Evaluations.**
This is for the safety of the children as well as the dogs and it is not negotiable.  We have a wide variety of dogs that stay with us that have had differing experiences with small children, some good & unfortunately some bad. Many dogs are terrified of small children, as they move erratically and tend to make quite a bit of noise. We recently had a small child run up and lay a bear hug on an unsuspecting dog. Fortunately, that dog was Starbuck, our CCO, who ADORES children. Had it been a different dog, it may not have had a happy ending. Your children are welcome to watch, under parental supervision, from a distance of at least 12 feet from the fence line. We want your children to have fun, but it won't be fun for either child nor dog, if someone gets bitten and we will not be held liable for children entering the play yard, even under parental supervision.
 
PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THE PLAY YARD FENCE. We rarely have dog altercations at the ranch and we prefer to keep it that way.  Most dogs will not fight without a reason, however they will fight, and brutally so, for the attention of a human. For this reason, we request that you stay at least 12 feet away from the fence at all times.
 
PLEASE! Drive Slowly On Our Street!
The Lives of our pets and neighbor kids depend on it.
Starbuck, Java and MaxShadow Thank you
 
 
 
(360) 652-2924
 
 
 
**Small Children are welcome to participate during one-on-one Training appointments when we are working individually with your family and dog.