Our Story
Created by puppy parents, for puppy parents…
In 2012, I became a brand new puppy parent to my first-ever puppy, Coconut.
When my husband (the experienced dog owner between us) got stuck out of the country just weeks after us bringing Coconut home, I quickly realized I was in waaaaay over my head.
I was overwhelmed, stressed out, mentally and physically exhausted, and questioning my decision to get a puppy.
I was in an endless cycle of potty accidents, hand biting, ankle nipping, furniture chewing, and barking by day, followed by sleepless nights of whining, crying and 3am play sessions to attempt to tire her out.
I honestly thought I was the only one who ever had this much trouble with a little puppy and I felt totally alone. I started doing some online research to find help and I discovered these eye-opening stats:
Approx. 4 million dogs are surrendered to US shelters every year with the average age of 18 months old.
96% of these pups have never received any form of training.
The #1 reason why dogs are surrendered are because of “behavioral issues” which the majority of the time are normal puppyhood behaviors like potty accidents, barking, and chewing that many new owners don’t realize can easily be managed and fixed by implementing basic training.
I was relieved to know I wasn’t alone in my puppyhood struggles, but even more, it was so shocking and upsetting to know that so many new owners were having such a tough time that they thought the only resolution was to give up their puppy.
Knowing I couldn’t go down that route, I committed to work with a trainer, and that’s when everything quickly started turning around.
Training changed everything…
The ability to communicate with her and us beginning to understand each other changed EVERYTHING.
I began enjoying and appreciating her more; she was more calm and attentive; I became more confident; she started listening — and I understood her what she needed from me. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted!
Training COMPLETELY transformed by life and relationship with Coconut. I went from doubting the decision to get a puppy, to her being the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. I truly feel so lucky to have her in my life and the bond we share is something I never imagined was even possible with a dog.
I knew if this could happen for me, it could happen for anyone!
And I became obsessed with wanting to help new owners with their puppies.
…and The Puppy Academy was born.
I knew that the puppy training experience could be so different than what was currently out there, and that puppy parents deserved a better option with more support, guidance — and enjoyment through puppyhood!
With the help of some of the industry’s best puppy experts, we created our training program based on my vision and their tried and tested methods over decades of the most effective puppy training.
The Puppy Academy is everything I wish I had available to me as a new, first-time puppy owner going through puppyhood. We strive to bring all our pup parents the best experience, with the best trainers and support system to empower owners, deliver incredible training results, done in a place you feel good in, while we celebrate all the special moments and milestones of puppyhood.
We’re here to help make puppyhood easy.
Wishing you the most incredible life with your new puppy!