Serving Waynesville, Asheville & Western North Carolina
They knew “sit” at 12 weeks. Now they act like they have never heard it.
Private lessons, day training, and board & train for dogs 5 to 18 months old. Over a decade of professional training experience serving Asheville and Western North Carolina.
Your dog was doing so well as a little puppy. Now they are 6, 8, 12 months old and everything is falling apart. You are not alone. These are the exact problems people call us about every week.
They used to come when called. Now they look right at you and keep doing whatever they want. “Sit” only works when you have a treat in your hand. Commands that were solid at 4 months have completely evaporated.
At 15 pounds the pulling was manageable. At 50 or 60 pounds it is dangerous. They lunge at every dog, chase every squirrel, and turn a simple walk into a full-body workout. You have started driving to the park just to avoid the neighbors.
They can reach the counters now. Nothing is safe. Food disappears off plates, trash gets raided, and the kitchen table is a self-serve buffet. The behaviors that did not exist at 10 weeks are now daily problems.
Every person who walks through your door gets body-slammed by a 50-pound dog who thinks they are still a lapdog. Guests stop coming over. The delivery driver is terrified. You have given up trying to correct it yourself.
They bark, lunge, and lose their mind at other dogs on walks. It might be excitement, it might be fear, but either way you cross the street every time you see another dog coming. You have started walking at 6 AM just to avoid the issue.
Forget the brewery patio. Forget the trail with other hikers. Forget having guests over without your dog jumping on everyone and stealing food off the table. Your dog is basically under house arrest. And so are you.
Most people assume their dog will calm down on their own. They will not. The adolescent stage, roughly 5 to 18 months, is when dogs are at their most challenging. They have the size and strength of an adult but the impulse control of a teenager. Commands they learned as little puppies start falling apart because their brain is literally rewiring itself.
The behaviors you are seeing right now are not going to fade with time. They are going to become permanent habits. A dog that pulls at 8 months will pull at 3 years. A dog that ignores recall now will ignore it forever unless something changes. And a 60-pound dog that jumps on every person who walks through the door is not just annoying. It is a liability. The longer these habits cement, the more time and money it takes to undo them.
The adolescent window is where most dog owners lose the battle. It does not have to be that way.
Every dog is different. Your schedule is your schedule. That is why we offer three training formats so you get results without rearranging your life. Pick the one that fits, or call us and we will help you figure it out.
One-on-one sessions at our Waynesville facility. Just you, your dog, and a trainer with over a decade of experience. We work on the specific problems you are dealing with: recall, leash manners, impulse control, reactivity, jumping, or whatever else has gone sideways since your dog hit adolescence.
Every session ends with a clear homework plan so you know exactly what to practice before the next one. We train you too, because your dog needs to listen to you, not just us.
Schedule a Lesson
Drop your dog off in the morning. We handle the repetitions, the structured exercise, and the focused training sessions throughout the day. You pick them up in the afternoon with a tired, well-worked dog who made real progress.
This is the best option if you work full-time or just do not have the bandwidth to run training exercises every single day. Your dog gets professional-level work while you go about your life. We send daily photos and updates so you never have to wonder how things are going.
Ask About Day Training
Full immersion. Your dog stays at our facility for one or more weeks and gets daily training sessions, trail walks, structured exercise, and downtime in our climate-controlled Mason Kennels with Mitsubishi Mini Split heating and cooling.
This is the fastest way to make serious progress, especially with adolescent dogs who need consistency they are not getting at home. Your dog gets professional work every single day with no gaps. When they come home, we do an owner turnover session so you know exactly how to keep the momentum going. $400 per week. Daily photos and updates are always free.
Learn About Board & Train
No hidden fees. No contracts. No surprises. Just clear pricing for real results.
One-on-one sessions tailored to your dog’s needs
Four sessions to rebuild a solid foundation
Drop off in the morning, pick up a better-trained dog
These programs are designed for dogs 5 months and older. If you have a younger puppy you would like to get started with, give us a call at (828) 508-4448 and we can talk about options.
The fastest path to a well-trained dog. Full immersion training with daily sessions, trail walks, and climate-controlled kennels. Ideal for adolescent dogs who need consistency and structure. Includes owner turnover and free daily photo updates. Minimum one week.
Learn More About Board & TrainThis is not a trick show. We focus on the behaviors that make your dog easier to live with every single day.
✓ Reliable recall, even with distractions
✓ Loose-leash walking without pulling
✓ Impulse control around food and doors
✓ Calm greetings (no jumping)
✓ Sit, down, stay, come, and place
✓ Focus and engagement around distractions
✓ Polite behavior around guests
✓ Settle on command and calm indoor manners
✓ Leash reactivity management
✓ Ready for the trail, the patio, and real life
Puppy training is just one of the things we do. Here is what else is available.
For adult dogs or older puppies that need a solid foundation in commands, leash manners, and real-world behavior.
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Field training, AKC and UKC hunt test prep, and advanced retriever work. Chuck’s specialty for over a decade.
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Full immersion training for puppies and adult dogs. $400 per week. Climate-controlled kennels, trail walks, and daily updates.
Learn more →