Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What boarding services do you offer? What are your prices?
2. What training services do you offer and what are their costs?
3. At what age can my dog begin training?
4. Could you give me more information regarding therapy dogs?
5. Where are the private and group classes located?
6. Where can I find the latest news and updates regarding Puerto Rico Dogs?
What boarding services do you offer? What are your prices?
Hello,
As per your request, here's more information on our boarding services. Feel free to email us after reading this if you have any other questions :-)
I have very limited kenneling capacity, because I do it at my house. I would need information on the dates you are looking for, and your dog (size, breed, age, manners, likes other dogs, house trained, diet
needs and anything else you might think is important) so I can prepare your dogs paperwork and verify if the space is available. Depending on where you live, I also offer house-sitting services, where your pet can stay in the comfort of its own home, and is visited twice daily for feeding and socialization (including daily exercise).
The cost is $25 per dog per day, and I suggest you reserve your space well in advanced. We require a non-refundable deposit to reserve dates (50% of total boarding cost), which goes toward your total payment when you bring the dogs in. We do this to try and avoid losses due to cancellations, which can be a problem sometimes (particularly during Holidays). I don't need much advance notice, as long as we have enough time to plan the stay (I'd say at least two days) but the more time in advance the better I can guarantee I'll have the space available.
Sundays are our only day off. To that respect, we don't return dogs on Sunday, or do pick-up/delivery. Dogs will either go home on Saturday by 7 pm, or stay until Monday. Pick-up/Delivery is done between 10am and 7pm Monday through Saturday.
I'll prepare your dog's record for boarding, and email you a copy of the form so you can finish filling out the remaining information. I'd need a copy of their vet records, so I can see they're up to date on
shots and have it on hand in case anything happens. Also, I'll need emergency contacts - a Vet you trust and a local contact, particularly if you'll be out of touch - (there's space on the form for that), and some notes on the daily routine (times for food, how much food- in cups - dates for any medication to be administered, how much exercise, likes, dislikes, crate-trained, potty-training preferences, etc.) and
personality. Most of this information you can fill out in the form I mentioned. You can get all that to me ahead of time with the deposit, that way I can have it ready when the dog comes in.
As I said, the dogs stay at my house in Toa Alta.
We pick up your dog at your house or we can meet at my office in Hato Rey. Pick up and drop off is an extra $30. My office is in Hato Rey, easily on the way to the airport, so its just a manner of planning ahead whatever works best for all.
The dogs would be staying home with us (Me, my husband, a Lab, a Border Collie, a Pug
and a Doberman). All my dogs are trained, and are pretty used to having strange dogs come to the house. They are very social, and like to play with dogs of all sizes. In any case, play time is under close supervision, to ensure that all dogs are comfortable with each other and everything is under control. All dogs sleep in separate kennels, and they all eat separately and under close supervision - preferably in their kennel also - so no resource guarding issues come up.
I'll also need to know if they are crate trained. The dogs stay in the house crated when I'm away and also sleep in their crates. We do this to avoid any potential problems when the dogs are unsupervised.
They have plenty of supervised play time and access to our fenced yard, with or without my dogs depending on their level of socialization. If they are not crate trained it's not a problem, most
dogs get used to the routine fairly quickly, but I'd rather have an idea before hand, so I'll know what to expect. I have extra kennels, big (24"x 36"), since most of my dogs are big (except for the Wonder
Pug :-) ), so you don't necessarily have to bring your own.
As far as what to provide for your dog, you'll need:
- food, snacks (OPTIONAL I probably have plenty of those, but just to make sure we
have their favorites :-) ),
- a blanket or bed that they like and smells like home so I can put in the crate with them (OPTIONAL we can't guarantee they won't damage it during the stay).
- Their food, dish,
- leash, collar,
- any medications you might need me to give during the stay.
Don't worry too much about anything though, I pretty much have everything they might need and can improvise if necessary, I'd just rather they felt as much at home as possible with their own stuff.
Please have everything together in a bag or box and label it if possible to avoid confusion. There's a section on the form for you to list all the stuff they are bringing with them, so I can make sure we
have everything when they go back home :-)
Payment in full for the boarding session id due at the time of pick up or drop off, either in cash or check (to Puerto Rico Dogs). Please call me ahead of time so we can arrange the drop-off and pick up times befote the actual day.
Regardless of what you decide to do, I encourage you to be very careful as to what facilities you take your pet to here in the island. Some of the best known dog businesses are not necessarily the best
for your pet. This is just something I've learned as a dog owner here, and I appreciate the difficulty you have leaving your pet as I've been in your shoes when I've had to leave mine behind :-) I know of other people that do boarding at home also, so if I can't fit you in I can recommend others that might.
I can't think of anything else you might need to know, but feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I know this is a lot of information, but I hope its helpful.
Thanks, and hope to see you and your doggy friend soon!
Sheyla Gutiérrez
CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer)
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At what age can my dog begin training?
We accept dogs of any age for private classes, especially if they are in-home classes, bacause there is no risk of contagious disease.
For group classes, vaccinations must be up to date, which is why you must contact your vet to verify how soon you can start vaccinations.
There is no maximum age to start training. Dogs, like humans, learn all their life. With large breed dogs, we recommend owners to start as soon as possible. The bigger the dog, the harder it will be to control the dog if it doesn't have basic manners. If we start at an early age, we can teach the dog the proper manners from the start. This is a better approach as opposed to having to fix a bad bahavior after the fact.
Our methods are completely positive and we use reward, thus there is no risk of harming young dogs.
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What training services do you offer and what are their costs?
Greetings,
Thanks for your interest in our services. PuertoRicoDogs offers basic dog obedience private and group classes. Our group classes are in Hato Rey (Calle Sergio Cuevas Bustamante near the Amphitheater and Domenech Ave). The a cost starts at $175 for six or seven classes depending on the dates. We have space for a maximum of 10 dogs, so if interested, contact us to reserve your space. In addition, please fill out the registration documents available at our group class registration page HERE, and mail the check and copies of the latest vaccines before classes begin. You can also send the vaccine information by email or fax and pay with credit card through our online payment page HERE.
Our postal address is:
517 Calle Sergio Cuevas Bustamante
Parque Central
San Juan, PR 00918
Below we include a fairly lengthy email of information about all our services.
Our private basic obedience course, consists of 4 or 6 classes approximately 30 minutes each. When private, we can make adjustments to the curriculum, but typically training covers the basic behaviors:
sitting (“sit”) ,
laying down ( "down"),
walking with a leash ( "heel"),
coming when called ( "come"),
staying still ( "stay").
Private class sessions can take place in our office in Hato Rey or in-home. The private classes are personal (one-on-one) sessions. We will arrange a time schedule that will work for both us. For private classes the costs are: Single Session Consult - in our offices in hato rey $80; $115 in-home. Four session package -$300 in our offices; $400 in-home. Six session package - $450 in our offices; $550 in-home. Prices for In-home classes may change depending on the location and distance of your residence fromo our offices(ask in advance).
We also offer a "House Training" course, in which we work problems the dog might have going to the bathroon insiede the house, chewing on furniture, etc., which includes four (4) appointments at a cost of $300 in our offices and $400 in-home. In these sessions/lessons, we visit your home, make an evaluation and discuss your dog's behavior.
I present my observations and recommendations, and establish a work plan and schedule. The other three (3) sessions/lessons will be to discuss the progress of your pet.
The questionnaire for registration has many questions. It is important that you fill it with all the details you can (for me to have this information before our meeting), taking into account the descriptions of each question. Complete the electronic questionnaire in our online private class registration page HERE.
Please let me know as soon as you have filled it, and let me know which service you are interested in (whether class or consultation) and what is your schedule availability in order to coordinate the appointment.
In addition to our training services, PuertoRicoDogs offers consultation services for you to learn all about your dog, whether nutrition, grooming, fitness, training, skills, socialization, and many other topics. If we can not help you, we will do our best to recommend someone that can.
Wealso offer workshops, talks or single session training sessions, about 2 hours in length, in which we focus on specific areas of training. We will cover from tricks, rally, agility to obedience, shaping, clicker training, and many other subjects. Please stay tuned to our latest news or visit our Workshop page.
We also provide short-term boarding for when you need to travel without your pets. This service is by appointment only, and has some requirements necessary, so email ahead of time for information.
Greetings and I wish you well with your furry friend! :-)
Sheyla Gutiérrez
CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer)
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Could you give me more information on therapy dogs?
Greetings!
Therapy dogs are trained dogs that visit hospitals, schools and others to bring joy to those who need them. Our group, Puerto Rico Dog Therapy Dogs Services, was established to coordinate visits and activities for this purpose. We make regular visits to Puerto Rico Children's Hospital in Bayamon, every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.. Also we visit several other facilities on the island, including the Auxilio Mutuo Hospital, which we visit the last Friday of each month, and the Hogar Plenitud Dorada a nursing home in Carolina (in the Escorial area) that we visit the third Saturday of each month . Currently, there are other activities, where we visit schools, or give demonstrations, and have other facilities under evaluation. The members of this team are volunteers who give their time to share the love of their pets. Every member visits with his/her own dog, and is responsible for the care and preparation for it.
To join the group, it is necessary for your dog to be registered as a therapy dog with Therapy Dogs Inc., an international organization dedicated to assessing and registering these dogs through their Tester / Observers. At the address below you can get more information about this organization:
www.TherapyDogs.com
I am one of the Tester / Observers in PR, so if you want to evaluate your dog, I would suggest you to add your email address to our mailing list to be informed of the next evaluation dates.
To be evaluated and registered your dog must:
1. Be at least 1 year old
2. Behave well in the presence of strangers
3. Behave well in the presence of strange dogs
4. Be calm when touched and manipulated by strangers
5. Be able to walk calmly on leash in strange environments with distractions.
Training is not required, although it is always recommended that you and your dog attend a Basic Obedience course to learn basic commands such as sit, down and walking with a leash. This will teach you to control and handle your dog in an environment full of distractions (other dogs and people) and at the same time gives you the opportunity to expose your dog to strangers. If you understand that your pet meets the requirements listed above, again I recommend you contact me to coordinate an appointment for evaluation. If you understand that your dog still needs a review of Basic Obedience, please let me know so i can send you information about our training courses.
Thank you for your interest in our program! If you have any other questions, please email us at therapy@puertoricodogs.com.
Sheyla Gutiérrez
CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer)
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Where are the private and group classes located?
Our address is: 517 Sergio Cuevas Bustamante, San Juan, PR 00918.
View Larger Map
From the north on Expreso las Américas (#18): Continue going south after passing Plaza las Americas and the Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Keep to your right and take the exit to Domenech Street. At the STOP, turn left and continue until you get to the traffic light. There will be a gasoline station to your left. At the traffic light, turn left and continue up to building 517 which will be to your right. There is a white gate with a Puerto Rico Dogs banner on it.
From the south on Expreso las Américas (#18): Continue going north up to the Domenech Street exit to your right. You will see the Luis Muñoz Marin park to your left. At the STOP turn right and continue to the traffic light. There will be a gasoline station to your left. At the traffic light, turn left and continue up to building 517 which will be to your right. There is a white gate with a Puerto Rico Dogs banner on it.
Where can I find the latest news and updates regarding Puerto Rico Dogs?
For the latest news and updates regarding Puerto Rico Dogs and its events you can visit:
- our webpage on www.puertoricodogs.com
- our blog page on puertoricodogs.blogger.com
- our twitter page on www.twitter.com/puertoricodogs
You can also add your email address to receive updates on our latest events, workshops and group classes. Visit our main page at www.puertoricodogs.com and add your email address in the box titled: "Join our mailing list" and press the JOIN button.
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