Puppy Student Portal
We’re excited to have your puppy in the program!
At the conclusion of your appointment, you received a paper copy of our Welcome to Day School handout. Please take a few moments and read it – it covers a lot of questions about the program! Please share this document with anyone who is picking up or dropping off your puppy at school so they are also familiar with our policies.
Morning drop-off is 7-9AM. Afternoon pick-up is 3-6:30PM. You may arrive at any time within these windows of time. Anyone dropping off or picking up your puppy must read the Welcome to Day School handout.
In the Morning (7-9AM)
Our lobby is closed in the morning. Anyone dropping off your puppy must watch our Drop Off Protocol video. Please share this link with any spouses, family members, pet sitters/dog walkers, etc. who will be coming to Crossbones in the morning.
You MUST text us upon arrival so a staff member can come out to get your puppy. Even if you think a staff member already saw you in the parking lot, please text anyway, then give your puppy an opportunity to go potty here at our facility (even if they eliminated at home). This keeps morning drop-off moving smoothly.
In the Afternoon (3-6:30PM)
Our lobby is open to the public from 3-6:30PM. You’re welcome to text for outdoor service, or you can come into the lobby to request your pup – the choice is yours!
If you have a Puppy Teacher Conference to attend, your instructor will chat with you first, then bring out your puppy for you.
If you have a Flex Class to attend, arrive at least 5 minutes before the start of the appointment so we can bring your puppy out to you. You’ll need to give your pup a chance to go potty outside and get all of those “happy to see you” wiggles out before training starts.
If you’d like to make a purchase from our retail store, we recommend making your selections and paying for your purchase before asking for your puppy. Alternatively, you can shop online and we’ll have your order ready and waiting for you at pick up!
If you are Late
If you are late for morning drop-off, you must text on arrival and wait outside until a staff member is available to come get your puppy. This may take 10-15 minutes, because all staff members are busy with the dogs after 9AM.
If you are late for afternoon pick-up, there is a $35 late fee.
If you are Picking Up Early
If you are picking up prior to 3PM, you must text on arrival and wait outside until a staff member is available to bring you your puppy. This may take 10-15 minutes, because all staff members are busy with the dogs after 9AM.
We have some dogs in our training programs who are fearful of strangers. Your presence in the lobby may disrupt their training or stop them from enjoying playgroup. For their safety and comfort, please do not enter the building between 9AM and 3PM.
By popular demand, we’ve created an extended version of Puppy Day School for owners with big goals for their pups! It includes lifetime access to Flex Classes, more one-on-one lessons with our training team, and off-site socialization field trips!
Click here to learn more about the Complete Puppy Raising Program.
We have two options if you would like to renew your puppy for another 4 weeks of Puppy Day School: a full renewal or a basic renewal.
Full renewals include Flex Class access, weekly Puppy Teacher Conferences with one of our staff members, and weekly report cards. Basic renewals do not include any continuing education or follow-up. We will continue maintaining your puppy’s training.
Our “Three Strikes” policy applies to all appointments available to you as a Puppy Day School student: Flex Classes & Puppy Teacher Conferences. This applies to in-person and remote appointments.
When you miss, come late to, or last-minute cancel (less than 24 hours notice) your first appointment, that’s strike one.
When you do this to a second appointment, that’s strike two.
If you do it a third time, all future appointments will be cancelled and you will not be able to sign up for anything else during your puppy’s current Puppy Day School program. When you renew, your strikes reset back to zero.
If you are more than 5 minutes late to a group class or playgroup, or 10 minutes late to a private appointment such as a Puppy Teacher Conference, your appointment will be considered a “last minute cancellation” and you will not be able to participate. This will count as a strike. You will be turned away at the lobby.
If half or more of the class students are late, at the instructor’s discretion, the class may start up to 5-10 minutes late. But if class started on time and you are more than 5 minutes late, you will be turned away and this will count as a strike.
Puppy Teacher Conferences are 30-minute one-on-one appointments with a member of our training staff. Students in their first 4-week program or on full renewals may book one PTC per week. These appointments are “use it or lose it” – you cannot save these appointments to book later.
Appointment Limits
On weekdays, your puppy can either attend a class OR a Puppy Teacher Conference. Attending Puppy Day School, coming to a group class, AND doing a PTC appointment is just too much in one day. Please be sure you are not scheduling multiple appointments on a weekday for your puppy. If you accidentally schedule both, and we notice it, we will cancel your class enrollment that day.
Remote Puppy Teacher Conferences
You may schedule a Remote Puppy Teacher Conference (held via Zoom video conferencing). This is a great option if you’re traveling or if your work schedule doesn’t allow you to be here by 6:30PM.
If you’re booking a Remote Puppy Teacher Conference, consider scheduling it to take place while your dog is here at the facility, and you are home or at work. This isn’t intuitive, but it allows your instructor to demonstrate exercises with your dog while you watch. The students who have done remote PTCs this way are very pleased with the information they’re getting. If you prefer, you can still pick your puppy up before your Remote PTC or book an in-person PTC instead.
Puppy Day School clients in their first 4 weeks or on full renewals have access to our Flex Class program. Dogs may attend one class per day and must meet eligibility requirements in order to register (some classes have prerequisites.) We recommend attending approximately 3 classes per week. It is important that you have time to practice with your puppy outside of group classes, too!
You must register in advance for Flex Classes! Currently, most classes are filling a few days in advance. We recommend signing up for classes immediately after your evaluation is complete. If a class you are interested in is full, e-mail us to be added to the wait list.
Please only register for classes and appointments you intend to attend. Please review the “Three Strikes” policy for missed, late, and no-show appointments prior to booking.
Your access to Flex Classes ends on the last day of your puppy’s Puppy Day School program. If you would like to schedule classes beyond that date, you must purchase a Flex Pass or renew your puppy in Puppy Day School. If you’re not sure what day is the last day of your pup’s program, just e-mail us and ask!
Click here for details on our Flex Class program. The first class you need to attend is Orientation.
Appointment Limits
Each day, your puppy can either attend a class OR a Puppy Teacher Conference. Attending Puppy Day School, coming to a group class, AND doing a PTC appointment is just too much in one day. Please be sure you are not scheduling multiple appointments per day. If you accidentally schedule both, and we notice it, we will cancel your class enrollment that day.
We have a Dropbox folder full of resources for you to follow along with as you train your puppy. Be sure to read “What is my puppy learning at Day School?” first, as that answers the majority of the questions we get about our curriculum.
Puppy Day School students can transfer to Educational Daycare when the following criteria has been met:
Your puppy is over 6 months old, or your puppy has attended at least 2 consecutive sessions of Puppy Day School,
AND,
Your puppy meets the behavior benchmarks for Educational Daycare, such as: rarely having indoor potty accidents, consistently coming when called, playing nicely with their peers, greeting people politely, and under control during pick up & drop off.
(This means, if your puppy is doing any of the following, they still need more training: having accidents at school, not coming when called during playgroup, jumping up on staff, or barking at dogs or people during pick up or drop off.)
How is Educational Daycare different from Puppy Day School?
There is a significant difference in the two programs.
Educational Daycare is for owners who are satisfied with their dog’s current level of manners training, and want to maintain what they have created. If your puppy’s basic manners are still a bit rough around the edges, they should stay in Puppy Day School.
Your puppy will not receive dedicated training sessions in Educational Daycare unless you purchase them as add-on events. Our staff will reinforce your dog’s existing manners training while interacting with your puppy – for example, only opening gates or doors when they are sitting or have four paws on the floor, only letting them out of the crate when they are calm, throwing fetch toys or giving them treats for sitting instead of jumping.
Meals are not included in Educational Daycare. You will give your dog breakfast in the morning before bringing them to the Academy. If your puppy still needs to receive lunch, this is available for an additional fee.
There are no other perks or appointments included in Educational Daycare. Training progress report cards and weekly Puppy Teacher Conferences are unique to the Puppy Day School program and cannot be purchased elsewhere. Flex Classes are not included and you will have to purchase a Flex Class Pass if you’d like to continue attending classes with your puppy, which we highly recommend to help ease the transition between Puppy Day School and Educational Daycare.
In Puppy Day School, your pup’s nails are trimmed weekly as part of the program curriculum. If you would like your dog’s nails trimmed, you can purchase that as an add-on for Educational Daycare.
Educational Daycare is meant to maintain your dog’s current level of training, while most standard daycares do not place any importance on making sure dogs don’t jump up, don’t bark, rest quietly in their crates, etc. If you feel your dog needs more work, keep them in Puppy Day School or purchase training session add-ons for them to enjoy during Educational Daycare visits.
If you have any questions about making the transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
To transfer to Educational Daycare
If you’ve made the decision to switch from PDS to Educational Daycare and our trainers feel your dog is behaviorally appropriate for that program, your puppy does not need an evaluation and you do not need to fill out the online application if they are transferring straight into EDC with no time off. Please email us with the following information as soon as possible:
- How many days a week will your puppy attend – 4x or 5x/week?
- If 4x/week, which weekday day are they not attending?
We will send you a current list of add-ons to choose from. Once we hear back from you regarding those, we will send you an invoice for your Educational Daycare program and any add-ons you’ve selected.
