About Saugerties Dog Care LLC

Saugerties Dog Care is Gary Buckman, working from 56 Cobble Creek Rd in Saugerties. Most of the business is pet care – sitting, house sitting, drop-in visits and dog walking, all with a published rate card – but the training is a real service rather than a line on a menu, and it is priced as clearly as everything else: "Dog Training: $40/session (local) | $50 (10+ miles)." That is the lowest published training rate in the county by a considerable margin, and the mileage tier tells you he comes to you.

What is on offer

The distinctive thing here is a focus on American Kennel Club titles, set out in his own words: "I offer comprehensive evaluations and training programs to support your dog in achieving a wide range of American Kennel Club (AKC) certifications. From the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program, designed to help puppies and their owners start off on the right paw, to the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test and its advanced levels, including AKC Community Canine and Urban CGC, I can guide you and your dog through each step." Sessions are tailored to the specific requirements of each certification – he names polite behavior in urban settings and the AKC's Video Home Manners as examples – and he also offers training and testing for the AKC Trick Dog program.

The rest of the rate card

Sitting and house sitting are $60 a day, $72 on holidays, with $35 for an extra dog and $72 for a puppy; drop-in visits are $30, with $17 more for a sixty-minute visit; dog walking is $30 a walk. Long stays get a discount. The practical value of this to a training client is simply that nothing is hidden: you can work out what a month costs before you call.

How it is described

The framing is deliberately domestic – "a unique rustic experience that feels just like home," and a promise that a dog is "cherished as part of our family" rather than processed. Testimonials on the site are from walking and house-sitting clients rather than training ones.

Who it suits

Saugerties households who want a title to work towards and a fixed per-session price to get there, and anyone who wants the same person handling the walks, the holidays and the training. Best for: puppy foundations, Canine Good Citizen and Urban CGC preparation, trick training, and training that comes to the house.