We can not say enough amazing things about Gabby and Happy Pup Manor. We started communicating with Gabby months before we put our deposit down with the breeder. Gabby took the time to educate us both on our preferred breed, ideal size and time of year we should target for bringing home our puppy. Gabby was along for every step of the way, helping us choose qualities when selecting our puppy, giving us tips for the first few nights at home and answering millions of questions via text in the first few weeks. "Gabby, why is Arnold not finishing his breakfast, should I hand feed him?" "Gabby, Arnold was up for 6hrs crying in his crate last night, so I took him out at 3am, did I mess up?" etc, etc. Each reply made me feel like we were doing the right thing with our little guy and having Gabby as a resource was HUGE when you're questioning your every move as a new pup parent.
When it was finally time for Arnold to visit Gabby at Happy Pup Manor (at 10 weeks), I was so excited and nervous to be without him for 10 days, but also ready for some well-deserved rest. We got video or photo updates daily or every other day from Gabby and her team. It was great to see his milestones along the way. We even got to watch his swimming lesson, along with commentary on how well he was doing! We missed Arnie, but were so excited to have a well-behaved dog upon return.
Our in-home lesson lasted for almost 2 hours! Gabby was patient as can be, helping us navigate raising a puppy in our specific space. We live in a high rise in downtown Chicago, so Gabby helped us with training specific to our apartment. We worked in the elevator, walked around outside on his normal "potty route". Trained at the building entrance door and talked through what to do "if" scenarios with other dogs, other people, and downtown scenarios. Gabby could not have been more patient, understanding and she was truly able to customize the lesson to our specific needs.
Post-HPM life has been fantastic. Arnold is much more obedient and at only 12 weeks, I feel like Happy Pup Manor paved the perfect foundation for us to continue to build on. I firmly believe that bad habits are hard to break and although Arnie's training is definitely not finished (see you again soon, Gabby), I am confident that we did the right thing by teaching him the basics of obedience early in his life. Having Gabby as a constant resource is invaluable and speaks to the fact that this is so much more than just a board and train. Gabby is a part of Arnold's life and I know she will be for many, many years to come.
I know there are some concerns about someone "else" training your dog and whether or not he/she will listen to you. We've had no problem with the transition from Gabby to us, as we're all using the same queue's and holding him to the same standards. Additionally, my vet had concerns about Arnold being boarded before he was fully vaccinated, again, we did what was best for us, and were reassured by the fact that Gabby only has a handful of dogs at one time, ensuring that they are all properly vaccinated if old enough. Most of the pups Arnold was with were also too young to be fully vaccinated, and there were zero issues when he came home. All of these fears were immediately wiped away when I saw his progress in just 10 short days.
New Puppy Owners: send your puppy to train at Happy Pup, you won't regret it. It's worth every penny. read more