Puppy Training
Boot Camp

Overview

Puppy Camp is a program where your puppy comes and stays at our facility for 4-weeks, 8-weeks, or 12-weeks in length. This is referred to as 'Board-and-Train,' because your puppy will be boarding overnight, and training 7-days a week, from course start till graduation. This immersion into a learning environment is how we can train young dogs to such a high standard at a young and impressionable age. Imagine, a team of experienced dog training professionals, dedicated to working with your puppy, 7-days a week.

Our focus is on teaching dogs and puppies to be excellent pets, family companions, and manners for living in the home.

Puppies that graduate from our Puppy Camp become super learners; because they will develop focus and learn how to engage processes for extended periods of time. Many of the puppies that graduate from our Puppy Camp will excel at therapy work, dog sports, and be capable of higher levels of learning, due to this type of foundation training.

The Puppy Camp we offer is unlike anything you will find, worldwide. This inboard camp will immerse your puppy into obedience training exercises, structured learning activities, confidence building, and provide social experiences that will create a foundation that will shape and mold your puppy for life.

4-Week Puppy Boot Camp

The 4-week puppy camp establishes proper responses to obedience commands while working in a controlled environment. During the four-week course each puppy will perform hundreds of repetitive exercises, developing permanent command associations, learning, and mastering proper responses to commands. Puppies will learn name recognition, sit, down, stay, walking on-leash without pulling, and not jumping on the handler. The daily routine will include play groups to provide a healthy outlet for energy, and socialization with other friendly dogs. The 4-week puppy camp covers basic ON-LEASH obedience. All the training is on campus in a controlled environment (no distractions), working one-on-one with a trainer.

8-Week Puppy Boot Camp

The 8-week puppy camp covers everything described in the 4-week camp; however, during weeks 4-8 dogs will begin working outdoors learning how to respond to commands under distraction, undergo obedience drills with simulated distractions, sit automatically when you come to a stop, get in/out of a vehicle on command (if your dog is large enough or physically able), participate in OFF-LEASH exercises to come when called, go on nature hikes on campus, treadmill training, and learn a drop-it command.

12-Week Puppy Boot Camp

The 12-week puppy camp covers everything described in the 8-week camp; however, during weeks 8-12 dogs will go into public places the final month of training for distraction proofing, public-etiquette, and conditioning to environmental stimulus. This includes stopping and sitting automatically at a crosswalk, holding stationary positions when people or cars pass, and responding to commands in an urban environment. Training also includes long-distance OFF-LEASH recall exercises, OFF-LEASH heeling next to the handler, and duration building to teach the dog to follow commands like down/stay, place, and focus exercises to further develop impulse control.

Training Curriculum

• Confidence Building
  Obstacle courses, environmental stability, and dealing with adversity is why we call this boot camp. Dogs learn to work through various conditions that build confidence such as jumping in/out of vehicles, going over agility equipment (A-frames and dogwalks), and going up/down stairs.
• Obedience Training (on and off-leash)
  Practical and necessary commands for daily living. Commands to walk at your side without pulling, sit automatically when you stop sit-stay, down-stay, 'come' when called, 'wait' at doors or in a kennel until released, go into a kennel on command, and more!
• Proper Etiquette
  Boot camp dogs learn to meet-and-greet humans under control and without jumping (all four paws on the floor), sit and wait at heel position when the handler stops, and wait to get in or out of a vehicle on command.
• Treadmill Training
  Boot camp dogs learn to run on a human treadmill; these workouts improve stamina, tone muscles (incline, intervals, power walking), and will help your dog absorb more during the training process.
• Pack Socialization
  A dog needs to be able to co-exist within the pack and have proper play style. Boot Camp dogs in training get to run and play in groups of dogs, learning how to act as a pack, and take direction from human pack leaders, the trainers at Neuman K-9 Academy. Dogs in our boot camp also learn to come when called even while engaged in play with other dogs or on a nature hike. Group play and pack exercises are not intended to solve or address dog aggression. If a dog is aggressive, it may be excluded from pack socialization.
• Field Trips
  Dogs enrolled for the 12-week course will go into public places the final month of training for distraction proofing, public-etiquette, and conditioning to environmental stimulus. This includes stopping and sitting automatically at a crosswalk, holding stationary positions when people or cars pass, and responding to commands in an urban environment.
• Video Proof
  At the end of boot camp, we create a YouTube video of your dog, demonstrating their ability to wait in a kennel, run on a treadmill, and respond to obedience commands for male/female trainers. This video illustrates our high standard of training, proving your dog's ability to follow commands.
• Handler Training
  Each one of our boot camp programs includes handler training and instruction at graduation. Handler training is a daylong seminar, with hands-on training for owners. Each client or family will learn about the training their dog has received, how/when to use the commands, and proper reinforcement of the training. Handler instruction includes a YouTube seminar of the instruction, as well as a video demonstration of the owner's dog performing the commands, written instructions, a daylong seminar + hands on training, 2-hours of post course completion coaching (group or private session), and lifelong support from the Academy.

Upon completion of boot camp, your dog will receive a certificate of completion in recognition from the Academy.

How our Academy is different

In 2007, when our puppy camp course came to be, we were one of the few in the Midwest offering this service. Over the years, we have seen franchise pop-ups, and other trainers imitate this course. We have created the industry standard, often referred to as the ‘Ivy League' of puppy training schools, and for good reason. We include a comprehensive learning process for dogs, utilizing all four quadrants of operant conditioning, distraction proofing, impulse control, physical conditioning, pack socialization, and more. We provide video proof of every puppy that graduates from our Academy, published to YouTube (publicly). We also understand the importance of owner training; ensuring a lifetime of happiness, freedom, and the ability for dogs to go more places, and be a bigger part of the family.

Our facility is conveniently located in Hugo, Minnesota. We are 28 miles from downtown Minneapolis or 22 miles from St. Paul (Twin Cities, MN). We receive dogs from all over the country and can arrange shipping and receiving from the Minneapolis International Airport (MSP). The in-board training or board-and-train options we provide allow you to enroll your puppy for camp, even if you are not close to our Academy.

Click here to learn 10 Key Benefits of Our Boot Camp.