About Aloha Dog Academy

Positive training in Hilo

Aloha Dog Academy is a Hilo dog training school led by Dawn, who has been training dogs professionally for 30 years and moved to Hawaii in 2013 to build her training business on the Big Island. Her focus is behavior modification: she studied to become Hawaii's first Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Behavior Consultants and was one of the first Certified Fear Free Professionals. Her background includes wildlife education programs, 12 years performing with a crew of rescue dogs in a family show, and two seasons on Animal Planet's Pet Star. Classes use up-to-date, modern, positive techniques, and the academy wants dogs to listen "because they want to."

Classes

Five-week classes include Basic Obedience for dogs 6 months and up, a Puppy class for puppies 12-18 weeks and a Trick class open to all ages, each priced at $140-$145 plus tax. A six-week Canine Good Citizen class ($150 plus tax) prepares teams for the AKC test. Puppy socials, a small dog social hour, Coffee and Canines and Canine Fun and Fitness sessions cost $18, and free informational workshops run once or twice a month.

Service dog training

Two trainers specialize in service dog training. The academy asks for a letter from your doctor, evaluates whether your dog is a good candidate, and expects roughly 6 months to a year of training for public access and task work, with a starting range of $1,500.