Imprinted Paws

Imprinted Paws is amazing. The trainers work with you hands on with your pup in what way works best for the dog. My dog Zeus absolutely loved his group class. They meet you and your pup where you are and they will tell you what you need to know to be successful and have continued success for years to come. Highly recommend if you want to bridge the communication between you and your dog and want a trainer to train you as much as your dog. Thank you Val and team!

Unfortunately, our experience with this board-and-train program was disappointing. We paid approximately $2,100 for four weeks of training, and before enrolling our dog, we were very transparent about our main concern: he had worked with trainers before and would listen to them, but the training never transferred consistently to our family at home. This was one of the primary reasons we chose a four-week board-and-train program. While he clearly learned commands and behaved well for the trainers at their facility, he began reverting to his previous behaviors almost immediately after coming home. We consistently followed the instructions from the go-home lesson, including the leash techniques, place command, boundaries, feeding routine, and training tools, but struggled to reproduce the results they were getting. When I reached out for guidance, I was repeatedly told by the owner, Valerie, that this was a "handler problem" and not a transition or behavioral issue because our dog had performed well for multiple trainers at their facility. This was frustrating because him listening to professional trainers but not his family was the exact issue we had disclosed BEFORE enrolling him. I completely understand that owners have a responsibility to reinforce training at home, and we never expected four weeks of training to mean we wouldn't have to continue working with him. However, I expected a more collaborative approach when we explained that the training wasn't successfully transferring home. Instead, the conversation felt defensive and focused heavily on establishing that we were the problem. I also found the communication style unnecessarily patronizing and was frequently interrupted while trying to explain our concerns. Valerie did offer to come to our home to evaluate the situation, which I want to acknowledge. However, after the way our concerns were handled, we ultimately did not feel comfortable continuing to work with her personally. Amber, on the other hand, was courteous and helpful whenever I communicated with her, and I appreciate that. I can only speak to our family's experience, but for a program requiring this level of financial investment and trust, I expected not only successful training at the facility but also better support in transferring those results to the dog's actual home environment.

We cannot say enough amazing things about Val and her team at Imprinted Paws! They trained our 140-pound English Mastiff, Daisy, and boarded her several times. They have literally changed our lives for the better. They didn’t just train Daisy, they trained US too! They took the time to educate us about her breed, help us understand her better, and give us the tools and confidence to work with her. There are very few people I would trust with our favorite girl, and Imprinted Paws is at the very top of that list. We are so grateful for Val and her entire team and would recommend them without hesitation!!!