Frequently Asked Questions
Your Questions, Answered
Do we train all breeds and work with all breeders?
Yes. We do train all breeds and we will work with any breeder.
Do we train dogs of any age?
No, not usually. We provide foundational puppy training - to puppies. Most often, we bring the puppies to training directly from the breeder at 8 to 10 weeks old. Prep Your Pup Trainers work with puppies in their homes. This allows the puppies to experience, and be trained through, situations that will be a part of their life forever while living in a household. But, because we are not in using a separate facility, we do not have the ability to separate older dogs from young puppies easily. This can pose a couple of problems. The younger puppies are vulnerable to disease because they are not fully vaccinated due to their age. Older vaccinated dogs could carry illness into the little guys. The little puppies are also less coordinated and much smaller than older dogs, making it hard for them to be put together. If a trainer has a window of time with no young puppies, we will consider bringing an older dog in (especially if they are a graduate of our program.) I would love to add a trainer to our team that works solely with the older dogs. If you know of anyone that would be interested, have them contact me!
What is the difference between the programs that Prep Your Pup offers?
Our two week stay focuses on crate training, safe socialization and establishing an event driven potty training schedule. Our longer stays add in basic commands, good manners, safe socialization, leash work and continued potty training. These skills are introduced and built upon through positive reinforcement training techniques. The longer the puppy stays with us, the more solid these foundational skills become. As the puppy matures, we build in longevity and training through distractions with the commands. Potty training becomes more reliable. The puppy is exposed to more and more experiences through safe socialization. We reinforce good manners both at home and in outside settings. Feel free to contact me with questions about your unique situation and what program may suit your needs the best.
What if I need 3 weeks of training? Is the training program length of time flexible?
Yes! We are flexible with our training timeframes. We can do anything from 2 weeks up ten weeks of training. If you need something outside of that, contact us so we can work something out.
How does veterinary care work while my puppy is in training?
Veterinary care is established and continued while your puppy is in training. Your trainer will take your puppy to the veterinarian within the first few days of arrival. This is a wellness visit that is required by the health warranties provided by most breeders. This exam includes a fecal check, an examination, getting the puppy started on preventative care and any vaccinations that may be due. Going forward, we keep the puppy up to date with preventatives (flea, tick and heartworm) as well as vaccinations while your puppy is with us. We will update you after each veterinary visit about how it went and their current weight. Your trainer will pay for the veterinary care at the point of service. We will ask for reimbursement for your puppy’s veterinary care prior to their homecoming to you.
What's not covered by the training fee?
We've got your puppy's training covered, but there are a couple of things that fall outside the training fee:
Veterinary Care: While we ensure your pup gets the necessary veterinary attention, the costs for their medical care are not included in the training fee. Your trainer will initially cover these expenses at point of service and will include this reimbursement in your final invoice before your new best friend heads home.
Extra Miles: We're more than happy to travel up to two hours in each direction from the breeder to our trainers and back again to deliver your puppy. This is all part of the service we offer. If your puppy needs to travel a little further, whether by car or plane, we can help out with that too as our schedule allows, though it will incur an additional cost.
Puppy's Palate: To make your puppy's transition as smooth as possible, they should keep eating the food they're used to. That's why we ask you to provide the food they have been eating with the breeder. To make it easier for you, we can get the food for you and add the cost to your invoice. Just let us know what they are eating, and we will take care of the rest. Any leftovers will be packed up with your pup when they finish their training.
And don't worry about any special supplements, we will handle that the same way as the food; just let us know what they are, and we'll make sure your puppy gets them and we will send any extras home with you.
That's the scoop! This way you know exactly what's included, and there are no surprises.
How is my puppy paired with a trainer?
When pairing a puppy and a trainer we look first at schedule. Our trainers are on duty 24 hours a day and 7 days a week when they are working with puppies. They work hard and earn a few weeks at a time off multiple times a year. We also have puppies coming and going often. These two factors can make scheduling a bit of a puzzle, so we look at the schedule first. Second, we look at location and any extra requests. All our trainers are remarkable! We know your puppy will be in good hands and happy with any one of them.
Can I fill out paperwork and send in a deposit from the website?
No. Our spaces often fill up in advance. We do not want you to send in the paperwork or deposit until we check our availability to be sure we can accommodate you and your puppy.
Reach out to us via the website, email, phone call or text. We will send you everything you need to take the next steps.
Phone call or text to 301-237-6157
Email PrepYourPup@gmail.com
or smash that "Get Started" button you'll find throughout this website.
I need to order PawTree food for my puppy. Where do I get it?
Here is the link for PawTree food:
https://PawTree.com/PetProducts
Check out their treats and other products. They've got some great stuff!
Why am I asked to pay a deposit?
We ask for a deposit, so we know you are serious enough about training for us to hold a training space for your puppy. When we receive your completed paperwork and your deposit, we will hold that training spot for your puppy. The deposit for training is $1000, regardless of which training program your puppy is attending. It is fully refundable if you choose not to send your puppy to Prep Your Pup.
What is my next step if I want to reserve a spot for my puppy at training.
Placing a deposit and returning your completed paperwork will hold your puppy’s spot for training. Connect with me and I will send you the paperwork via Adobe Sign and an invoice with payment instructions if we have availability. You can also click the "Get Started" button at the bottom of this page. Fill out and submit the form and we will get the ball rolling!
How will I know what is going on with my puppy while it is at training?
You can expect a great deal of communication with your trainer while your puppy is at training. You and your trainer will receive each other’s contact information prior to your puppy’s arrival at training via an email introducing you to one another a few weeks prior to your puppy’s arrival at training. You can begin developing a rapport with one another then. You will begin receiving updates about your puppy on the day we receive them. These updates are via text, email, phone call, video calls and social media (our Facebook and Instagram pages are @PrepYourPup). Communication is typically every day for the first week or so and then tapers to every 2-3 days as the brand new experiences become a bit less and the progress builds with each skill. You will be updated after each veterinary appointment as well. Just prior to your puppy coming home to you, you will receive our Going Home Notes. This is a handbook, about 15-20 pages long, that is jam packed with information. It is personalized to your puppy and goes over tips and tricks for a smooth transition, your puppy’s schedule and routines while with the trainer so you can more easily shift them to the schedules of your household, where your puppy is in training, how they got there and what the next steps are, when their preventatives and next veterinary appointments are due, what their potty schedule has been and tips for success at home, and a whole bunch more!
Can I wait to reserve my puppy's training spot?
Of course you can wait, but we cannot guarantee availability. Our spots tend to fill up 6 to 8 weeks prior to a puppy's arrival. Many people reserve their puppy's training spot when they are placed on a waiting list.
If you did not reserve a spot early, call us to check our availability. We will do our best to accommodate you and your puppy.
Will my puppy be potty trained when it comes home to me?
Potty training is a combination of skills. A puppy needs to recognize the urge to eliminate, they need to understand that there is an appropriate place to eliminate, they need to have the physical ability to "hold it" and they need to understand that they will be taken to their appropriate potty spot in a timely manner.
We work from the first day to begin setting up an event driven potty schedule. With consistency and an attentive owner puppies will do very well from a young age. That does not mean they are potty trained though. That means that they have a fabulous owner that is consistently taking them outside with appropriate frequency. If that same puppy is given to much space, unsupervised or left for too much time between trips outside, they will have an accident.
When your puppy comes home to you, we will give you the tools needed to stay on track and have great success with your puppy, and you may experience no accidents at all, but your puppy will not be truly potty trained until they have gained additional physical maturity.
Where are you located?
With Prep Your Pup, your puppy is trained in their trainer's home. Our trainers are located in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Massachusetts. We are coming soon in Colorado!