our services
At A Pleasant Dog, we strive to make learning with your dog fun and easy through a wide variety of training offerings. We offer everything from one on one private training sessions, to group classes, to stay and train offerings, and everything in between. Click any of the below options to learn more.
training
private training
Looking for one-on-one attention? We’ve got you.
group classes
We offer a group classes for dogs of all ages + comfort levels led by our trainers.
behavior support for fearful, anxious and aggressive dogs
Your dog is a square peg in a round hole. All your friends’ dogs are going to dog parties and dog parks, love to be petted by strangers, manage to chill when they aren’t home. Not your dog. Your dog struggles with fear, anxiety, reactivity, or aggression. You’ve tried other trainers. Maybe you’ve even asked your vet and started medication to no avail. A Pleasant Dog can help.
getting ready for baby
Expecting? Make sure your furry family member knows what to expect. We LOVE to come to your home and help you and your pup(s) prepare for baby’s arrival. $150 gets you an hour with our Family Paws® Parent Educators, a feeling of preparedness, and a cute little Pleasant onesie.
For more significant behaviors, we may need to do a full behavior session to get ready for baby.
weddings
Our professional trainers are happy to provide excellent care, transport, and handling to your beloved dog on your wedding day. Whether they need a ride there and back for a few quick photos, or you want your pup walking down the aisle in the ceremony, we would love to help. An initial consultation is required at a cost of $100 to determine goals and a training plan. Additional sessions may be needed depending on your goals. For the big day, cost is $75 per hour, per handler, including travel time. The best time to reach out is around 6 months prior to the big day!
a pleasant cat
We are excited to launch a new feline-centered behavior consulting and training program for the people and cats in our community!
new! a pleasant horse
We are excited to launch a new equine-centered behavior consulting and training programs for the people and horses.
grooming
new! force free grooming
At A Pleasant DogⓇ we offer both standard grooming for pets who are accustomed to being happily groomed and who do not have a history of aggression when being handled, as well as concentrated cooperative care training for those dogs who do struggle with being groomed.
daycare
stay & train
During the day, your dog will receive 30-60 minutes of individualized training on the skills of your choice and the foundations necessary therefor. The rest of the day, their time is divided between play groups with appropriate friends, and napping in a comfortable crate/kennel. If your dog is not comfortable in a crate/kennel, please let us know and we would be happy to get you started with some private lessons so they might be comfortable coming to school in the future!
puppy day camp
This is a Pleasant version of a board-and-train for puppies up to 6 months of age in a daily drop off format. If you would like to bring your dog into our school for training and playtime for the day, we'll set up a private consultation to get you started, evaluate your dog and see your training goals.
adventure camp
For puppies six months and older. One day per week, Four total weeks. Puppies and teens will receive:
1. 1 hour of one-on-one training, including a field trip to various dog friendly spaces in the Grand Rapids area to expose pups to new people, environments and stimuli in a safe and positive way.
2. exposure to a variety different stimuli (sounds, objects, textures).
3. socialization with stable adult dogs of different shapes/sizes. Faculty to pup ratio is one to four.
other
rescue groups + shelters
We are pleased to offer evaluation of dogs, staff and volunteer training, screening of potential adopters or foster homes, and other services on a pro bono basis to shelters and rescues within the greater Grand Rapids area.
new! cooperative care
Cooperative care for veterinary procedures: our veterinary nurse, Kaylee Barker, can meet with you at our facility, or at your veterinarian’s office and help you teach your dog to participate in their own veterinary care without force or fear. We can help teach your dog to voluntarily submit for blood draws or vaccines.