About Dog Retreat Center

Mindfulness meets dog training

Dog Retreat Center in Garden City describes itself as the place "where mindfulness and dog training meet." Its method focuses on the energy and body language exchanged between people and dogs. The team teaches a 4-step formula built on a series of pressure points meant to condition a calmer, "follower state of mind," which it sums up as a "Coffee Shop Dog" mentality. The center calls the method gentle and effective, and says it asks for patience over pressure, with owners learning to use their own energy as a training tool.

Programs

Daycare and Train runs 3 to 5 days a week, with 5, 10 and 15 day programs, weekend homework and a weekly session with the owner. Board and Train lasts from 5 days to 3 weeks, with 2-3 training sessions and at least 2 socialization sessions a day. The Supportive Shadow Socialization Program helps undersocialized dogs learn alongside a pack of well-adjusted dogs under a trainer's guidance. The center also offers classes and private, in-home training.

Daycare and boarding

Dogs that have finished a training course can attend training-based daycare and boarding seven days a week. The team says it specializes in social skills for dogs ranging from extreme fear to reactivity and aggression.

What to ask

Ask about pricing for each program.