Puppy Academy

There is nothing like sending your baby off to school, and you’re sending them to the best with Greenlin. All puppies have an opportunity to learn life-long skills at our puppy academy. With consistent engagement, top-rated care, and trusted staff, your puppy can join the Greenlin family to make exciting memories and master impressive abilities.

Listen to our Puppy Academy Podcast

Greenlin Puppy Training Classes

The first few months of a dog’s life are a crucial part of their development. This stage is about exploring the world, assessing stimuli, and learning to respond. Without proper care and nurture, a dog can develop fears and anxieties over common sounds or stimuli. They may also learn habits that could be generously described as "anti-social". For most puppy owners, this early phase can be stressful, but early-life training works to combat undesired behaviors by promoting confidence and encouraging composure in young dogs.

We employ various learning styles and personality types when building your puppy’s training program, so your dog can learn and grow in a safe, comfortable environment. Their feelings toward their surroundings directly impact the speed and level of success you’ll see, so our trained staff go out of their way to create a positive environment for all visitors.

The puppy academy is our day program that usually comes with more rapid results due to the consistent engagement your dog will have with training activities in their learning environment. Our trainers know how to schedule a balanced day of training, playtime, and relaxation so that your dog is refreshed and on top of their game every day of their stay.

Ready to start your dog’s adventure at our puppy daycare school? Learn more about our facilities and the amenities we offer overnight guests by contacting us online or calling one of our six central Pennsylvania locations.

Our Trusted Training Methodology

Greenlin uses a 5-step training process that has been successful for various canine learning styles. Our adaptable approach means we can use this strategy to help achieve a diverse set of goals. No two dogs’ training will look the same, but this standard 5-step method is a great way to incorporate skills into the puppy's natural rhythm using customizable techniques and pathways towards learning.

  1. Evaluation -– This is the orientation process where we pinpoint the specific needs of your dog and tailor our curriculum to meet your desired goals.
  2. Behavior Shaping — We focus on a more detailed approach that breaks down tasks into small successes and meshes them together to meet the final goal. This process of patiently building off of small successes will help your dog complete the final task with more confidence and fewer errors.
  3. Imprinting (Teaching the command) — Another way to describe imprinting is the retention of skills through example and repetition. This process starts with basic verbal commands like “sit,” “drop it,” and “leave it,” but can easily progress to more advanced cues, including those that are non-verbal or situational. The goal is to instill these cues and desired behaviors into your dog’s natural rhythm.
  4. Proofing — This stage of training involves solidifying what they’ve learned earlier in their training by introducing complications. Distractions, commanding in different ways and operating in different settings mean that your dog can execute on-command more reliably. By changing the environment (adding loud noise or distractions), distance from the dog, or duration in which they are expected to hold command, we are able to thoroughly test how well the dog has accepted a command into their natural rhythm.
  5. Maintenance — This stage of training is conducted at home or in follow-up revision lessons at a Greenlin facility, and it is beneficial for animals that have encountered new challenges or that wish to adapt their existing learning into new skills.

How Long Does it Take to Train a Puppy?

Every dog learns at a different pace, and a dog’s training journey is never truly over. In a sense, the most accurate answer is “it depends on the dog.”

Training is a life-long journey that begins with basic commands and evolves into advanced, customized learning. In theory, with multiple sessions per week, a dog could have basic commands mastered in as little as a few months. Consistency and repetition are important aspects of permanently instilling life-long skills into your dog’s natural rhythm.

When a dog has a change in environment or lifestyle, like a new home or sibling, they may need maintenance training. This practice is a revision of skills they have previously learned in order to remind them of their abilities even with new factors in their life.

The best way to clearly understand your dog’s training duration is to speak with one of our certified instructors about their unique learning path. While an estimate may not be manageable, we can offer you an outline of their progress and upcoming benchmarks.

The Luxuries of Our Puppy Academy Program

When dogs enter our puppy academy, they enter a world of luxury. Our amazing amenities and locally recognized 5-star care make Greenlin the place to be.

We have thought it out to the finest detail because we know how important it is to give your young pup a positive experience with boarding in their early life.

  • The Comfort of a Private Suite: Every guest will have their own private room to relax in. Our private suites have enough room to eat and rest comfortably. Your puppy will have their water bowl replenished multiple times daily, and some suites even have television access for pups who can’t miss their favorite shows!
  • Meals On Schedule: We understand how important your dog’s feeding schedule is. We encourage all pet parents to bring in a portioned supply of their dog’s usual food for lunch if they usually have lunch at home.
  • State-of-the-art Air Filtration System: To prevent dust, dander, and pet hair from floating all around the facility, we have invested in a top-of-the-line air filtration system that filters out the debris from the air, ensuring that our guests are only breathing in fresh, clean air.
  • Strict Sanitization Schedule: Our facility follows a strict sanitization schedule. Every day, the common areas are disinfected and sanitized. In between classes, we do the same for toys and equipment so that all dogs use sanitary equipment to learn.
  • Immunizations Required for the Safety of All Guests: Guests must be up-to-date on their vaccines for rabies, distemper, and Bordetella. This is an essential part of keeping our facility clean and allows us to board and train with confidence that our community of pups is safe.

How Do I Keep Up At Home With What My Dog Learned in Puppy Academy?

We encourage all dog owners to take the resources we offer in class and utilize them in at-home training. Continuing to train outside of the classroom is essential in getting your dog to fully retain what they learn at puppy school. It is important not to compromise on commands, and to always enforce behaviors that they have previously learned in order to maintain your dog’s skill level.

Greenlin will offer all puppy parents at-home resources like training activities and habits to promote in the house. These will play a vital role in increasing the rate at which they retain skills. We also offer maintenance lessons for dogs that have previously completed our puppy academy, and need a small refresher as grown-up dogs.

Prepare for the AKC S.T.A.R Puppy Program

One possible set of training goals you could include for your young dog is to have them ready to complete the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program exam after their training.

The S.T.A.R Puppy Program was created to standardize the mannerisms of well-behaved young canines. The American Kennel Club (AKC) has been a not-for-profit organization for over 130 years, shaping the way we conduct dog training today. The aim of this program is to enrich the lives of young pups by giving them skills for success. Your puppy will learn life-long skills, interact with other dogs, and can even lodge with us for rapid results and consistent engagement.

The S.T.A.R Puppy Program promotes wellness in pups by ensuring all certified S.T.A.R certified puppies have:

  • (S) Socialization skills
  • (T) Training
  • (A) Activity
  • (R) Responsible owners

Get Them Ready for Adult Training and the Canine Good Citizens (CGC) Program

The S.T.A.R Puppy Program is a natural step into the CGC Program, which prepares adult dogs for the Canine Good Citizens Test. This test is a standardized measurement of good behavior in dogs, and passing it is a venerable accomplishment for both the dog and the owner.

Many of the skills your puppy learns with us in their boarding school days act as prerequisite training for tasks expected of dogs in the Canine Good Citizens Test.

The 10 Canine Good Citizen Test Items are as listed:

Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger
Test 2: Sitting politely for petting
Test 3: Appearance and grooming
Test 4: Out for a walk (loose lead)
Test 5: Walking through a crowd
Test 6: Sit and down on cue and stay in place
Test 7: Coming when called
Test 8: Reaction to another dog
Test 9: Reaction to a distraction
Test 10: Supervised separation

Comprehensive Training With Greenlin Puppy Academy Sets Young Dogs Up for Success!

Early-life training helps dogs build confidence and communication skills for a fulfilling life with you as their caring owner. We love dogs just as much as you do, and our personalized approach is perfect for all types of learning styles to succeed.

Are you thinking about signing your dog up for puppy training? Questions about our facility? Check us out by contacting us online or contacting one of our 6 central Pennsylvania locations. In the neighborhood? Come see our spacious classroom in person, we’re sure it’s not like any class you’ve ever seen before.