01 / CRATE READY

Crate readiness is the starting point for both daycare and boarding in my home.

Your dog doesn’t need perfect KENNEL command fluency. They need to be able to enter without being physically placed inside, tolerate being contained or separated from me and the other dogs, and repeatedly settle and regulate comfortably within about 10–15 minutes.

Some whining, barking or disagreement doesn’t automatically mean a dog isn’t crate ready. I’m looking for a dog who can work through it and settle—not one who has to love every second of being in there.

Dogs still working toward crate readiness start at +$50 Development while we build and reproduce that settle.

Intensive Development may be required when their response creates additional management or capacity constraints—for example, prolonged vocalization loud enough to disrupt other dogs or carry between floors or outside the home.

Pawing, scratching or biting at the crate may also require additional camera observation and more repetitions while I determine whether your dog is protesting confinement and learning to settle, or becoming increasingly uncomfortable in a way that could become damaging or unsafe.

As your dog becomes more comfortable and requires less support, the Development fee for crate readiness is meant to go away.

02 / DAYCARE READY

SIT · DOWN · LEAVE IT/DROP IT · COME · NO

These are the basic communication skills I use to safely manage dogs through a normal daycare day.

They don’t need perfect obedience. I need enough familiarity with these cues to call your dog back to me, interrupt something when needed, manage toys and resources, ask them to settle, and communicate without having to physically manage every decision.

Crate readiness is required for daycare, too.

Puppies only need to be very responsive to SIT & DOWN, gets disrupted to a pause on their behavior with NO, and beginner engagement with the others.

They’ll get enough reps naturally in my care, however repetitive physical intervention requires a development fee based on where they are at.

03 / BOARDING READY

OFF · WAIT/STAY · UNDERSTANDS A RELEASE CUE

Boarding builds on the daycare skills because your dog is living in my home beyond the normal daycare routine.

These cues help me manage everyday household life—doors, furniture, meals, movement through the house, downtime and all the ordinary moments that come with an overnight stay.

Your dog doesn’t need to use the same release word I do. OK, BREAK, FREE or something else is fine. What matters is that they understand when I ask them to WAIT or STAY, they hold it until they’re released.

Crate readiness and the daycare skills are required for boarding, too.

NOT THERE YET?

That doesn’t automatically mean your dog isn’t a fit.

Development gives us a way to work on the skills standing between where your dog is today and the level of care they need to be ready for.

That might mean rebuilding crate skills, strengthening a COME that disappears when something more interesting happens, learning to settle around other dogs, or making familiar commands more reliable during everyday life.

The goal is simple: build the skills your dog needs so they can outgrow the extra help.