Triple Crown Boarding and Training

Dec 18, 2010 by Kelly    4 Comments    Posted under: Pet Bytes

I found Triple Crown Dog Academy because of a blurb I wrote for an Austin Monthly feature. In my research several key phrases kept coming up: “Dogs get to swim in famous bone-shaped pool” “training school critically acclaimed” and “one of the best kennels in the Austin Area”; so when my husband and I went on a thanksgiving cruise we decided to leave our six-month-old half-Lab-half-Dalmatian puppy there for a week. 

I admit that upon doing a tour of the facility, it was very loud with barking, which made me a little nervous. What if Kanna was scared? It had been a while since we had rescued her from Town Lake. Maybe this would bring up traumatic memories for her. And unfortunately I couldn’t afford one of those private rooms with the TVs, possibly sound (and bullet?) proof glass with its own private grassy yards where the spoiled dogs were kept. But the facility seemed clean, the staff friendly and everything seemed in order, so we took the gamble.

When we picked her up she seemed happy, healthy and tired (and unfortunately bigger. Puppies grow so fast!). She was also bigger sideways which meant that they had somehow managed to stay on top of her vacuum-cleaner-like appetite. We also threw in a little extra so she could have playtime every day and, apparently, they also noticed that she plays by refusing to do anything but run in circles for 20 solid minutes (She tends to create her own obstacles and run around them fast, since she’s half Dalmatian.), so I know they actually played with her.

They also provided me with pictures of her happily playing and a description of her behavior. They honestly admitted that she was a little sad the first two days (likewise, even on a cruise) but by the third she had settled in and enjoyed “exercising and exploring, hugging, playing with the staff, relaxing, eating (*Very healthy appetite) and running (*Kanna loves to run.)” They also provided her with a fleece bed for free since she chewed up the towel we had sent with her to sleep on.

Because of this positive experience, it was an easy choice to use this location for my training needs as well, especially since I live on the edge of Hutto. 

For a six-week course at $175, basic obedience training at Triple Crown is a steal this holiday season, especially since I’m in a class of three and get plenty of one-on-one instruction. Though the adorable Kanna is already on her way to being very obedient on her own, she still has a tendency to chase the cat and eat undesirables (meaning small rocks and rabbit droppings) in the backyard. Plus if I ever want her to excel in agility (to satisfy her need to run fast around obstacles), she must first master basic obedience. 

Our instructor, Abel Escamilla, is (as you would expect) good with animals and easily shows us straight-forward ways to get Kanna to focus and follow directions. I think the voice he takes on when talking to a dog is soothing to them and his dog-whisperer-like movements have dogs easily falling in line. He’s also good at distracting them when they start to misbehave and steering them when they’re doing well. But of course, Kanna already being partially-trained by us at home (we’re not professionals but we’ve gotten the basics down), had a lot to do with it.

I would go as far as to say that Kanna was the star pupil for our first round of obedience class. She already knew how to dance, sit, shake and lay down…though there was that whole “Marley & Me at the Dog Beach” moment in the middle of the giant concrete floor. But she is learning fast, cementing things she already knows and easily gaining skills that I know will serve her well in the future. So far I am impressed with the training, and hopefully it will be no time before Kanna is an agility star because of her Dalmation half, but I’d settle for her not trying so hard to jump atop all the kitchen counters because of her Lab half.

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