About A Pup’s Valley

A Pup's Valley is a Haymarket facility whose training is a properly structured class program rather than an afterthought. Four courses are offered – "Puppy Training, Basic Obedience Training, Fun and Games, and Canine Good Citizen Training" – and all four are priced on the page: "Puppy $150", "Basic $250", "Good Citizen $300 plus $10 Testing Fee" and "Fun and Games $250".

The method and the trainer

Stated with an attribution, which is rare: "Our training classes use positive reinforcement training techniques. Our Seasoned Trainer is Deanna Scott; she follows the teachings of Dr. Ian Dunbar and other positive reinforcement trainers." In her own words: "I believe in setting your dog up for success and rewarding your dog for getting it right! Using positive training helps to increase the human-canine bond and makes for a pleasant experience for owner and dog."

What each class covers

"Puppy Classes are targeted for pups 8 weeks to less than 5 months of age", run a "4-week curriculum" with the "First week Orientation is on Zoom", and cover socialization, "House manners and child-dog interaction" and problems including "house-training, jumping up, destructive chewing, excessive barking, leash-pulling, puppy biting". "Basic Obedience class is targeted for pups over 5 months of age" on a "6-week curriculum" and is not gated behind the puppy class – "Puppy class is not a prerequisite for this class". "Fun and Games" is a "6-week in person curriculum" limited to six dogs, teaching "10 skills for the A.K.C. Novick Trick Dog and A.K.C. Intermediate Trick Dog lists". The CGC class is a "7-week curriculum" teaching the ten test skills, from "Accepting a friendly stranger" to "Supervised separation".

Around the classes

Daycare, "Day School", boarding and a grooming spa run from the same Haymarket address, and the site publishes an actual weekly class calendar with named sessions. A "5% discount on all daycare and boarding" is offered to "our active military, veterans, and first responders".