About A Crate Escape

A veterinarian-owned pet resort with training

A Crate Escape is a veterinarian-owned and operated pet resort at 1301 N. Interstate 35 in Round Rock, offering dog boarding, daycare, grooming, cat boarding and dog training. It was founded by Dr. Chelsea Pearce, DVM, an emergency veterinarian, after she saw animals injured in unsafe boarding situations. Staff are on site 24 hours a day, and dogs have large fenced play areas with misting systems and climate-controlled indoor kennels. It calls itself "Voted Best Boarding Facility in Round Rock" in the Best of Round Rock Awards.

Training approach

A Crate Escape says training should never involve harsh punishment, yelling or hitting, and treats obedience as the foundation of all training. Rather than sending owners home to do the repetitions, the trainers set the foundation with the dog, then show the owner how to build on it. Enrollment starts with a training questionnaire.

The trainer

The trainer profile names Skyler Winchell, who attended Starmark Academy Dog Training School in 2018 for a Dog Training and Animal Behavior Specialist Certification, and whose experience includes board and train, group classes and remote collar obedience work.

What to ask

Ask who leads training today, the program lengths and rates, and whether training runs alongside boarding or daycare.