About Blue Ribbon Acres

What it is

Blue Ribbon Acres is primarily a boarding and daycare business on a 13-acre farm in Lovettsville, in western Loudoun County. Training is one of six services it sells, alongside boarding, daycare, grooming, swimming and transport. The site says it has served the D.C. region "since 2002".

Who runs it

Jennifer Donnelly, who lives on the premises. The About page describes her as "a nationally acclaimed breeder of Bernese Mountain Dogs and Clumber Spaniels, as well as an experienced dog trainer" with "more than 25 years of breeding, training and raising dogs". The training page adds that she "has more than 25 years of experience in dog training and has achieved dozens of AKC titles". Those are conformation and performance titles earned with her own dogs, not trainer certifications; ask about trainer certification if it matters to you.

How the training works

One-to-one. The page is explicit that this is not a class: "we don't just teach commands; we cultivate understanding, working 1-on-1 with your dog and reporting back to you." It is pitched at manners and at specific problems rather than at a fixed curriculum. Training is $75 per hour, a rate the site dates to September 2023. Private lessons "can also be conducted at your house for an additional fee".

The setting

The boarding side is described in detail and is worth reading if your dog is staying: individual climate-controlled indoor runs with raised beds, three large play yards on the farm, play groups kept to two or three dogs, individual yards available at no extra cost for dogs who would rather not socialize, a vet on call, and all-inclusive pricing that covers special diets and medication. Puppies under one year are accepted with age-appropriate vaccinations plus Bordetella, at $10 a day extra.

What to ask

Ask about the training curriculum, any class schedule, program lengths and whether behavior or aggression cases are taken. Ask too whether training is available to dogs who are not also boarding.