Spring Forth is a must for all first-time puppy owners! I started my Golden Retriever puppy in the day school program when he was 4 months old. They helped to socialize him with other puppies, worked on crate training, loose leash walking, as well as self-control around food, toys and other dogs. Additionally, I have taken a number of "flex classes" with Spring Forth (training sessions with owner and dog). The trainers help owners work on small, incremental training methods with your puppy to get big results. They make training approachable and fun! I knew I wouldn't regret spending the money on training my puppy, but what I didn't realize was how much I would learn as an owner through the process! Spring Forth is a very special, unique dog training environment that is a must for anyone in the Providence area! read more

Awesome place for dog agility and reactive dogs! The flexible punch card style group classes are perfect for busy schedules.

I did not have a positive experience with Crossbones at all. It started with my first group class where the instructor told me we should not have taken it first because it was the hardest, and that he forgot to tell us that in orientation. Given that they claim on their website that the classes can be taken in any order with the Flex Pass, I asked the owner for a one class credit. My request was denied. I can't imagine being a business owner and denying this request when the error was theirs, not mine. We've now done 4 classes and trying to get the 5th scheduled is impossible. All the classes are booked through the end of this month and none are posted for next month. So, beware of their strict expiration dates on the flex passes and unavailable classes. The only bright spot was the trainer PJ Jones--she was very good, but overall I did not find the quality of the classes to be strong. They did not have a set of basic skills and building blocks that flowed for the owners and dogs as I've experienced in other training programs. We'll be continuing training and trying some agility classes, but we won't be spending our money here, and I would certainly never recommend them to my friends and family. read more

This not a serious option for working people and I'm surprised there are good reviews. My wife and I had a very bad experience (when it was called Springforth Academy [in Providence, so the second location attempt] but I see they just changed the name to Crossbones Dog Academy so who knows what name or location this operation will be when you read this.) We enrolled our puppy in the puppy kindergarten, and also attended a couple of puppy training classes (only because they forced enrollment as part of the kindergarten, but we only used 2 of the 10 and let the other 8 expire.) First off, it's just one room, with the outside of the room lined with crates, in one of which your dog will spend the better part of the day. Your pup will not go outside, but instead will pee and poop on a square of astroturf. It shouldn't need to be said that having your puppy pee and poop inside all day is not a fantastic way to housetrain, and leads to your cute little one thinking any mat shaped carpet is a bathroom. To the extent your dog gets one-on-one training, it's not magic. They are just click-training, meaning they press a clicker and give your pup a treat when he does something good. It's hard to tell how much actually happens during the day. They are good at marketing, so you'll see an Instagram picture of your puppy with a "friend" (weeks later they still used old pictures of our Irish Setter puppy as if he is still there), but whenever I got my dog home at night he had so much energy it was as if he didn't get any exercise at all. Oh, they will succeed in upselling, with tricks like the required special harness that buckles in the front that you can only find at their "store", or the required 4 foot leash when you brought a 6 footer, or the mandatory training classes for the daycare owners. Anyway, I knew about the facility and the indoor potty, so that's really on me. But where they really earned the 1 star is in the horrible customer experience I had with a morning drop off. We had been told that if we were going to be late for the 7-9 drop off time that we should call, and this had happened before and there was no problem on the drop off. But one Thursday I was running late and did call and left a message that I would be there at 9:25. When I arrived I knocked on the door and there was no response. I waited patiently but continued to knock every once in a while. I could hear a woman inside talking to the dogs, so knew she could hear me. I thought, ok, she is annoyed that I'm late so she is going to make me wait. But after 10 minutes it became clear she was not in fact going to let me in at all. She was hiding in there (and not alone, as it turned out). I yelled "please let me in" multiple times. It was bizarre. I could hear her whispering to the dogs to be quiet. I knocked louder, but the staff still hid, I guess expecting me to give up and leave. Honestly, what am I supposed to do with my puppy? I had driven 30 minutes into downtown Providence to drop off my dog, I was late for work, and they would not even open the door? I was confounded, but really I had no other options. Now I am a very mild mannered person, but the only thing I could do was bang on the door until my wrist hurt and it was so disruptive (the dogs in their crates were barking) that the staff member finally opened the door (with another staff member behind her.) All she said was that I was upsetting the dogs and then she recited "drop off is between 7 and 9". Later I called and asked to have the owner call me, but was only given an email (info@springforthdog) which was apparently the owner Katherine's email. So I sent an email asking her to call me, but she replied she was away and could only communicate through email. So I described the event and over a couple of emails received not the slightest apology and of course was rebuffed when I asked for a refund for the 10 pack of training classes we were forced to buy as part of the daycare (we had not used any of them at the time). So I learned that this childish lock out was not the behavior of a rogue employee but really an attitude that comes from the top. I suggest do yourself a favor and hire a dog walker while you are at work, or use any of the many great doggy daycare facilities (I have since found several) that understand about working families. And for training, if you happen to like the "click-training" idea then buy a 50 cent clicker and some treats and watch a youtube video about click-training, and train your puppy yourself. Your dog won't actually come home trained anyway (other than to pee on your oriental rug), so save yourself the expense and aggravation of this place. read more

Today my 87 lb.lovable and precious 4 year old Staffi named Gracie and I finished the 7 week Reactive Training at Crossbones with John Barbagallo the instructor. I got her when she was just 6 weeks old and took her to parks and pet stores and anywhere i could to socialize her with other animals because of the stigma ....I wanted to be an advocate and prove that pitbulls are truely lovable and extremely intelligent.....but by the time she was 1 year old she got extremely strong and i couldn't allow her to play with other dogs in fear there would be trouble.....so basically wherever we go I have to be on major lookout cuz she howls, growls, and pulls me around like a rag doll just to look at other dogs......Sound familiar?I meet alot of people who own this breed.... So i found John and he has been our saviour...I was reluctant at first and didn't think anyone or anything could distract her when she fixates on other dogs but John has come to our rescue...He has tremendous knowledge about training dogs and also a heart of gold...He has all kind of ideas and different ways to work with Reactive dogs...from poodles to pitbulls John is just AWESOME! He also is super patient and understanding and simply a phenomenal trainor!.....I was in a very small class and he really got hands on with Gracie. Over last several weeks and sticking to all of John's simple and easy techniques and using them daily....I saw major improvements in Gracie....I would say Crossbones is a definate must for anyone with a reactive dog for you will be astonished at what your dog will do by using these simple easy techniques. Now I truely feel eqipped with the skills I need and have 100% confidence to get out there and walk anywhere i want because now i know what works and what doesn't...and i am so glad i signed up for this training. I am so greatful to John I can't express it enough.... ...not to mention the new facility is crazy Awesome! Thank you all so much for reading this ...it'll be the best investment you will ever make with your beloved pet. Best of Luck read more

We had to travel out of state for business for two days so we hired Spring Forth Dog Services to watch our 14 year old chow lab mix and our 16 week old heeler. Needless to say I was overjoyed when I returned to to happy, healthy dogs who seemed like they hadn't missed a beat. Our older guy normally gets depressed and stops eating and we didn't know what the little guy would do but again no worries there we got the play by play write up on there days on cute little post its that were even time stamped! I highly recommend Dan and Katherine to anyone who has dogs they love or worry about when they travel, they are worth it and then some! Thank you again Spring Forth Dog Services for peace of mind when we travel. read more

I have Katherine and Daniel to thank for a huge improvement in my dog Zuzu's quality of life, and mine too! Zuzu seemed to be suffering from separation anxiety--she howled and barked incessantly whenever I left the apartment even for a few minutes. .Katherine diagnosed her problem as boredom instead of anxiety and suggested several simple remedies. They worked like a charm, and within days I was able to leave and find Zuzu contentedly playing when I came back. Katherine an Dan are natural dog people as well as consummate professionals...and their services are a bargain! read more

I am so thankful for the care and dedication of Katherine and Dan. My puppy loves school and as a first time puppy owner (as an adult) their guidance and support is so helpful. One of the best things I've noticed with my puppy is how nice she is when she meets a new dog. She gets so excited and is so happy to make new friends! This is the direct result of the socialization that occurs at Spring Forth and it's priceless. read more

These guys deliver! We brought our puppy, Rusty, to Puppy Day School and with love, patience and discipline they trained him and us! It gave Rusty a chance to socialize in a controlled environment. We get compliments on how well behaved Rusty is for such a young pup (not quite 10 months old) and are smart enough to give Spring Forth the credit. We can't thank them enough. read more

We called Spring Forth Dog Services as we just adopted a 3.5-month old puppy and were merely looking for a dog walker in Milton MA that could come mid-day to ensure her housebreaking stays on track. I was VERY pleasantly surprised to learn that we not only got a dog walker, but a professional dog walker/trainer (Charles) that immediately gave us excellent advice concerning crate training, housebreaking, harnessing, and socialization. Spring Forth are TRUE PROFESSIONALS that care greatly about your dog and your family and are extremely communicative and helpful. With their guidance and help our now 4-month-old puppy is nearly completely housebroken, crate trained, and advancing leaps and bounds in socialization and training, in a mere 2 weeks! I can't recommend Spring Forth enough for anyone seeking caring and professional services for their dog! Thank you Spring Forth!! read more

I have been to many dog trainers across the state and I must say Katherine and Dan are absolutely something special. We have seen huge improvements in our reactive dog who no other trainer could help and also got our new puppy off to a fantastic start! I wish I had found them years ago! They use positive training techniques that really get results. They are very professional, friendly and great at communication; always answering my zillions of questions promptly by email or phone. Great dog skills AND great people skills. They have made our lives better by helping our dogs live better. If you're looking for a great trainer, look no further. read more

I take my furry niece here. I wanted to do something different while doggy sitting last July. They make you take an orientation class (only for humans) before any training classes. They go over their positive reinforcement philosophy, how to use the clicker with treats, and a tour of the facility. That led to that first class in July. The dog is a 2 year old, ready to please, loves to learn new stuff, but is a as close to an introvert dog as you can get, if that makes sense (her favorite place is her home, her favorite people are her family - she'll go where her family goes.. Doesn't care about other dogs/animals, wary of strangers - none of which are bad traits). Her first class was 'Settle and Stay Put' - learning to settle down on a mat of some kind and stay there. I had to literally drag her through the door and she was not happy to be there. Once the training started, she settled down a bit and did well. But this is by far the hardest behavior for her out of all of the classes, yet a necessity, and they use it in every class. Since then, we've taken a couple other 'manners classes' where she does quite well, but those are classes that you really have to work on stuff after class, too. We did a 'nosework' class once, just to see if she would like it. She seemed to, and I can attest to the fact that she was exhausted for the rest of that day! For a high energy dog, that was impressive. We've also done their trick training classes a couple of times. Last week, she learned how to crawl. It took about 10 minutes before she could do that across 10-15 feet, I was blown away by that. Don't give up on one class. The dog was very nervous during the first time there (as was I!) Overall, we've been to 5 classes so far, tonight will be the 6th. I had to drag her into the building the first couple of times, the 3rd time, she did OK, by the 4th, she walked in like a boss. Her confidence level there has improved each time we've been there. Her tail starts to wag in the car when we are a few streets away, which makes me happy. The first trick class, she had to get on a low platform (kind of like those dog hammock things). It took a long time, she was very hesitant since it was a new thing for her. The next week was walking on a balance beam which she did on the first try, I was amazed. For us, it's a combination of training, but also confidence. The trainers have been excellent. They are patient, offer good advice, and know their stuff, offer alternative training techniques sometimes. During the last trick class, one of the tricks was 'kiss'. They use peanut butter to get a dog to kiss your cheek. The dog wanted nothing to do with it (she normally loves peanut butter, but I had hot dog pieces in my treat bag, there's no comparison). The trainer said with her dog, she hums and for some reason that works. So we tried humming... and the dog immediately responded to that (and has ever since that class). We've been in classes that are just us, and we've been in classes that have up to 5 dogs in them. A couple of the classes have included dogs that are reactive to other dogs (barking constantly and lunging). In both of those cases, they simply put a barrier between that dog and the others that they can't see through. It does the trick, no further barking or lunging. In my experience, they give equal attention to all dogs. Obviously, if my dog understands something right away but another dog has a harder time with something, they will spend a little more time with the other dog, which makes perfect sense. They offer many options and have suggestions for training treats (you will need a lot of them). The dog's favorite turned out to be hot dogs (she spit out the house turkey flavored treats, LOL). The trick is to get them no larger than pea size. They will be sucking them down and the slimier and smaller than are the better. During orientation, they introduce you to their treat bag which you wear during classes. I suggest you spend the $15 for their bag. It opens and closes easy and there's a tiny pocket for your clicker (so you will never forget it) It has a belt and can clip onto your waistband. It also washes well after it's been full of slimy treats (I tried a baggy inside of it, it gets very clumsy). They do a 'flex pass' type of thing where you buy a package of 6 classes at once (or more, but 6 is the cheapest). I really only wanted one class during that week I was doggy sitting, but I gave in. I'm thrilled that I did that now since I see an improvement each time I go. I think I would have had a different opinion if I had only gone to one class. It's super easy to pick and choose the classes you want online through their calendar and they keep track of how many sessions you have left. I've never had trouble picking the classes I've wanted. I'm buying another flex pass this week. Two thumbs up! read more

Spring Forth has helped us SO MUCH with our sweet, yet nervous pup. I won't lie, I was initially hesitant about the price and tried Petco lessons instead. When that wasn't cutting it, we tried the puppy day school program at Spring Forth when our dog was about 6 months old (we got her at 5 months). Well, there is NO comparison! No offense to Petco trainers, but Spring Forth is ridiculously worth the money. The trainers are all so professional, consistent and friendly. And they really get to know your dog's strengths and quirks. They use only the most positive and effective training methods and have tons of experience with all types of dogs, including fearful and reactive dogs. Their programs are comprehensive and flexible. They understand that life is busy and we're all doing our best as owners. You get no judgement here, only encouragement, guidance and great support. Katherine especially has gone out of her way to make sure we get the right resources for our complex little doggo. She's incredibly knowledgeable, organized and responsive. The day school programs are amazing -- training is balanced with playtime and rest. The manners classes were a great way to reinforce what our pup was learning during the day. And we continue to go to Nosework classes with Joanna, who is awesome! She's incredibly patient and knows how to adjust any activity to make sure each dog is growing at the pace that's best for them. The whole staff at Spring Forth has been wonderful. It's clearly a team effort to training and they're all very dedicated. The facility is bright, clean, welcoming and convenient. We are really fortunate to have such a great resource for training in our neighborhood and we'll be back again and again. read more

SF Reactive/Aggressive Class: when my JRT became (seriously) aggressive toward other dogs I was shocked, overwhelmed, insecure and heart broken. I had never dealt with this behavior and had concerns and nightmares that I would not be able to handle her, and would eventually have to give her up to a person better equipped to deal with this behavior issue. Previously, when Zel was a pup (and not yet reactive) I worked with professional trainer Sheryl Chiles on puppy basics, since she was a wonderful trainer and teacher I contacted her again and she suggested we enroll in the "aggressive/reactive" class at SF (which I did). Zel and I completed classes today and the results have been astounding. I found the class settings to be professional, comfortable, easy to maneuver, safe and judgement free. In my opinion all of these components are CRITICAL for a successful result and Sheryl and the academy delivered 100 fold. I am thankful beyond words to Sheryl and SF and cannot wait to get started on the next class with my girl Zelda! read more

Words don't really express how grateful we are that we were able to find you, we are so thankful to everyone at Spring Forth. Our puppy has really changed and made progress - he is much easier to be around, we are having more fun and less frustration as we learn the best ways to keep him busy, and we are finally enjoying our puppy! I know that he is enjoying class, he is excited to head out every morning! read more

We did not have a good experience and left partway through the process. They did give us back our money for the unused session. Although this was my 3rd puppy and I have some experience with animals and animal behavior, my interactions with SFDA sapped my self confidence. We started with puppy day care and training. We left the dog off in the morning and when we returned in the afternoon there was never feedback on how the day had gone; nothing on specific things they had worked on with the puppy nor how she had done, nor what we might work on at home. I felt bullied into buying gear I was not yet ready to buy and neither harness works on our dogs, who have unusual shapes. So that was money lost. ' In the separate training sessions I felt neglected, that the trainer spent very little time with me or the puppy, and loads with other owners, and the high value treats they insisted on made the puppy puke! I can't figure out why this interaction was so bad, but I suspect ageism (the owners and staff are very young and I am not!), and certainly a lack of respect for our family situation which had one of us out of town on business quite a lot, leaving the other to cope with two dogs, one of which was a little 8 week old wild child. Generally I found them to be rigid and unsympathetic to the humans, although perfectly nice to the dogs. Their services are expensive, and if it is a human-to-human personality and lifestyle match it is worth it. But in the end I have done better on my own AND I am still smarting, months later from what I found to be a very negative experience. read more

If you are like me and have an incredibly busy work schedule during the week and are a first time dog owner, Spring Forth Dog Academy is the absolute perfect place for your puppy. I went to most, if not all, of the dog daycare centers in providence and nothing compares to the dedication and effort put in by the team at Spring Forth. My Shiba Inu - an incredibly tough breed to train - has become a delight to have and it can all be attributed to him attending puppy school. He is very social with other dogs, has come such a long way becoming house trained, and has even started to sit on command at only 4 months. I am beyond thankful for sending my Shiba Inu to Spring Forth and your puppy will more than likely have a similar experience! read more

We found Spring Forth when we got our Dutch Shepherd, Sage. Unfortunately when we got her a bunch of life events popped up that left us unable to give her the proper training she needed. We felt we were slacking and worried she would get stuck in unwanted behaviors because we were distracted. We enrolled her in puppy day school where she spent the week days getting proper socialization, learning important commands, they even taught her that being in the crate is not the end of the world . Dutchies are tough breeds and we knew that going into this, a lot of people would suggest a firmer "not as positive" training approach on this breed but we really weren't sure that was the best solution. Thankfully Spring Forth has an amazing approach to positive reinforcement where the dog learns to do a command/behavior because they want to not because they are scared if they don't they will get punished, sounds better right? It takes patience, your dog is a family member and deserves this. We certainly aren't perfect! But feel so grateful we have this amazing place to turn to when we need some help. After Day School we continued to go to classes and learn new training as well as new outlets for this incredibly driven, energized dog! She is totally exhausted after a session of Nose Work, which is a great alternative to those days where taking her to play outside isn't doable. These are just some of the incredible tools you will learn if you choose this place. Thank you guys for everything! read more

I've been a dog owner for virtually my entire life. About a year ago I took in two puppies, but then a few months later my current profession required some unexpected long-term travel so I no longer had the time to give my dogs the proper attention. I contacted Spring Forth for some assistance and the services they provided were absolutely phenomenal! They regularly walked my dogs and worked magic on their behavior...I left two rambunctious, loud, and troublesome puppies and arrived home to two happy, polite, well tempered dogs. All for a very reasonable price! I highly recommend their services to any busy dog owners out there. read more