About Happy Hounds Hotel & Day Spa

Happy Hounds Hotel and Day Spa has been operating in Lakewood since 2016 and describes itself as "the premier provider of daycare, grooming, boarding and fun for dogs of all ages and breeds in Chautauqua County." It is included here for the training program, which is a full offering rather than an add-on.

Three ways to train

The site publishes "three proven training paths – Private Lessons, Daycare & Train, and Board & Train – each designed to strengthen obedience, build better behavior, and deepen your bond," and it prices all three. Private Lessons run $60 a lesson over a six-week program of one-hour sessions. Daycare and Train is $780 for a five-week program of twelve sessions, which "includes 12 full daycare days with daily training, structured play, and report cards showing your dog's progress," with trainer-parent follow-ups each week. Board and Train is $1,500 for a two-week program that includes boarding in the facility's Executive Suites, multiple training sessions a day, and two follow-up appointments after the dog goes home. Published prices at this level of detail are rare in this county and make this the most useful single reference point for what training costs locally.

The obedience ladder

Courses run Obedience 1 Beginner, Obedience 1 Intermediate, Obedience 2 and Obedience 3. The first sets "several different basic commands to set their foundation"; Obedience 2 covers advanced command words; and "Obedience 3 builds on Obedience 2 with off-leash walking and safe e-collar training." The site names its trainer Kate and states that the certified trainers are "ABCDT-certified, first aid and CPR trained, and have completed 11 stages of instruction."

The facility

The building runs to 10,665 square feet and is climate controlled year round, with webcams in the daycare space and four luxury suite options on the boarding side. Management staff are described as having had "extensive training with a national training organization, which includes temperament testing, behavioral language, emotional states, stress, aggression, and human and dog social interaction."