Most training programs ask you to do all the work between sessions. Jumpstart is different.
With Jumpstart, your trainer works directly with your dog multiple times a week, building the skills and habits that make daily life easier and adventures together better. You stay fully in the loop through weekly Transfer Sessions, where you learn to take over everything your dog has been building.
The best of all worlds: expert training for your dog, plenty of coaching and guidance for you, and support that doesn’t stop when the package does.
Three times a week, your certified trainer comes to your home to work directly with your dog. No drop-off, no boarding kennel. Your dog stays home, relaxed and comfortable, while we do the foundational skill-building that would otherwise fall entirely on you. We’ll train at home or take your dog to an ideal practice spot and return them home tired, happy, and better trained.
Once a week, we meet with you. This is where the magic happens. We’ll demonstrate what your dog has been working on, coach you through how to use and support each skill, and make sure you feel confident and informed every step of the way. Transfer Sessions happen at your home or wherever is most relevant to your training goals.
Every Jumpstart package includes two Follow-Up Sessions to ease into being your dog’s primary trainer with confidence. If you want even more support, our Post-Grad packages are available to all JoyDog graduates at a discounted rate.
We’ve spent years studying, practicing, and refining our skills to become the most effective trainers we can be. Jumpstart lets you put that expertise directly to work for your dog, maximizing their learning in every session.
Jumpstart offers the same accelerated learning as a board-and-train program without the downsides. Your dog never spends a night away from home. Forget about a stressful stay at a boarding kennel, missing your dog for days, and wondering how they’re doing. Instead, they sleep in their own bed every night, and they have fun learning with a trainer throughout the week.
Reward-based training provides structured midday activity and mental enrichment. For high-energy dogs, this is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade. Your dog gets a productive, joyful midday session. You come home to a calmer, more settled dog.
Here’s an example week-by-week breakdown so you can picture what the experience looks like:
4 sessions per week:
1 session per week:
Discounted, lighter-touch support on a monthly basis for JoyDog package graduates:
OR:
Jumpstart is our strongest recommendation for most clients, but it isn’t the right fit for everyone. Here’s when we’d point you somewhere else:
Jumpstart gives your dog a significant, expert-guided head start. But lifelong behavior change is a marathon, not a sprint. Your continued involvement after the package ends is essential to lasting success.
Dogs with true separation anxiety panic disorders need a very specific type of support that falls outside our Jumpstart format. We’re happy to provide referrals to separation anxiety specialists who can help.
Dogs who have displayed fear or aggressive behavior, especially towards unfamiliar people need time and space to get to grow comfortable with our trainer, before they’re ready for Jumpstart training. We’ll support you with managing and improving your dog’s fear or aggression through an in-person or virtual Coaching package instead.
If you’re excited to be your dog’s primary trainer from day one, do the daily practice, and bond with your pup through training, our Coaching packages are a wonderful fit.
Our role is to give your dog a head start, doing the initial reps with your dog to install new skills. Your role is to engage in Transfer Sessions and to continue reinforcing the behaviors for long-term success.
Effective dog training is a team effort (yes, even with Jumpstart!). Your participation in weekly Transfer Sessions is essential. You’re the one living with your dog day in and day out, and your interactions with them will have the biggest long-term impact.
This is what each weekly Transfer Session is for, and where the name comes from. We’ll transfer each skill over to you and make sure your dog responds equally well when practicing with you, too. You and your dog build your skills simultaneously throughout the package, so that taking the reins at the end feels easy.
In addition to weekly Transfer Sessions, we’ve also built two or more Follow-Up Sessions into every package. This ensures you find success integrating new skills into daily life once you’re the one holding the leash.
No problem at all. During your dog’s training sessions, you don’t need to be present, or even home. You can be away at work, working from home, or taking a well-deserved break. Our focus during those sessions is entirely on your dog. We’ll catch you up on everything at your weekly Transfer Session.
Much like us, dogs can have good and bad days. Rather than perfection, more realistic goals are an improved connection, understanding, and confidence in how to support your dog in any situation. At the end of training, your dog will have improved skills for a joyful life together, and you’ll know how to promote their best behavior in the situations you care about most.
The best way to ensure continued success is to take full advantage of your package’s support features: your Report Card updates and Trainer Chats, and to actively participate during Transfer Sessions. Filming demos or taking notes is encouraged. We’ll coach you through exactly how to reinforce your dog’s skills like a pro, long before it’s time to fly solo.
Not to mention, we never really have to be “gone” thanks to our ongoing in-person or virtual support packages, discounted once your dog’s main package is complete.
Jumpstart Training takes place at your home, in your neighborhood, or at public locations like cafes or parks. One advantage of private training is we can practice skills together where you need them, so you can feel confident taking them out into the real world.
We’ll make a home access plan during or shortly after your Start Right Session. Most clients leave a spare key, provide a door or gate code, or let us in if they happen to be home. All arrangements are confirmed in your Jumpstart Training contract before sessions begin.