Gladwater Puppy Academy · East Tennessee
Four Weeks of Training. Home Every Weekend.
A positive-reinforcement puppy training and development program that combines focused weekday care with in-home family coaching and support after graduation.
What a week looks like
A Rhythm You Can Picture
Your puppy receives focused weekday care and training, then returns home each weekend so your family can practice what is transferring.
Pickup + settle in
A planned pickup window starts the Academy week with rest, care, and a calm transition.
Focused training
Age-appropriate skill-building, enrichment, rest, handling practice, and thoughtful real-world exposure.
Return + owner lesson
Erik returns your puppy, demonstrates progress, and coaches your family through a manageable weekend plan.
Home with you
Your puppy is home with the people and routines that matter most. Your feedback guides the next week.
The complete experience
Support Before, During, and After the Academy
Your family participates throughout the process so training can transfer into the home instead of ending at the facility door.
Private preparation visit
Prepare routines, management, equipment, cue language, and family expectations.
Academy weekdays + Friday transfer
Your puppy trains Monday through Friday, then comes home with a lesson and weekend practice plan.
Academy weekdays + graduation
Review realistic progress, practice together, and leave with a transition plan.
Two private follow-ups
Use both lessons within 90 days to troubleshoot home implementation and strengthen new patterns.
Practical puppy development
Skills That Matter in Everyday Life
The Academy works on routines, emotional skills, communication, and practical behavior—not a performance of perfect obedience.
Training is individualized. The order, duration, environment, and priority of exercises may change according to the puppy's welfare, safety, development, and family needs.
Core cues practiced
Everyday foundations
- House-training routines
- Crate comfort and healthy rest
- Healthy separation foundations
- Chewing and puppy mouthing
- Polite greetings and settling
- Loose-leash walking and recall
- Door, gate, and household manners
- Cooperative grooming and veterinary handling
- Confidence and thoughtful social exposure
- Age-appropriate emotional regulation
Your family stays involved
The Puppy Comes Home Every Weekend
GCA generally picks your puppy up Monday morning and returns them Friday with an owner lesson. At least one adult primary caregiver attends the preparation visit, each transfer lesson, graduation, and both follow-ups.
Weekend practice helps reveal what is transferring well and what should guide the following week's work.
See the Work
Each Friday includes a demonstration of current skills and realistic progress.
Practice Together
Hands-on coaching helps your family use the same cues, reinforcement, and management.
Build the Habit
Short, manageable practice supports the puppy without turning the weekend into hours of homework.
Program investment
One Complete Puppy Academy Experience
$4,485
Regular tuition for one accepted puppy and cohort.
A 25% reservation fee is due when GCA accepts your puppy and reserves the position. The remaining balance is due seven calendar days before the first Academy day.
Ask About AvailabilityTuition includes
- One in-home preparation visit
- Twenty scheduled Academy weekdays
- Three progressive Friday transfer lessons
- One Week Four graduation lesson
- Two follow-up lessons within 90 days
- Routine pickup and return transportation within the included service area
- Training equipment selected for use during the program
Families provide normal food, prescribed medication, and the home equipment recommended for continued practice.
Admission and health
Is the Academy a Good Fit?
Puppies are generally 12 through 16 weeks old on the first Academy day unless GCA approves a written exception. Acceptance is based on health, temperament, development, needs, and fit for a small two-puppy environment—not breed alone.
- Application, veterinary information, and a family consultation are required.
- Complete veterinary records are due seven days before the first Academy day.
- A wellness examination and negative fecal examination must be completed within 30 days before the program.
- Age-appropriate vaccination and veterinarian-recommended parasite prevention are required.
- Material health, behavior, confinement, escape, ingestion, or safety concerns must be fully disclosed.
Acceptance remains provisional through the first three Academy days so the puppy's welfare and cohort fit can be evaluated carefully.
Concierge transportation
Monday Pickup. Friday Return.
Routine pickup and return transportation is included when the service address is within approximately two hours of normal one-way driving time from Bulls Gap, Tennessee.
GCA determines eligibility using the route and ordinary estimated travel time at booking. Weather, traffic, road conditions, and safety may change a transportation window.
Transportation at a glance
- Assigned Monday pickup window
- Friday return and owner lesson
- Puppies ordinarily travel in an individual secured crate or other appropriate restraint
- Transportation outside the included area requires a written exception
- Owners may transport by advance arrangement
Enrollment path
A Clear, Careful Start
A Facebook message begins the conversation. It does not reserve a space or create a payment obligation.
Introduce Your Puppy
Share age, breed, location, goals, health considerations, and any behavior or safety concerns.
Discuss Fit
GCA reviews whether the cohort and planned environment appear appropriate for your puppy.
Review and Reserve
Accepted families review the dates, agreement, requirements, and payment terms before reserving a place.
Prepare Together
The private preparation visit creates a clear plan before the first Monday pickup.
Training philosophy
Humane Methods and Honest Expectations
GCA uses reward-based training and promises professional effort, communication, and the services described—not an identical result for every puppy.
“I won’t ever use an e-collar, pinch collar, choke chain, slip leash, or any device meant to cause fear or pain on your dog.”
A four-week Academy can build unusually strong foundations. It cannot guarantee complete housetraining, off-leash reliability, permanent behavior, or a finished adult dog.
Puppy Academy enrollment
See If Puppy Academy Is a Fit for Your Puppy
Start with a no-pressure Facebook message. Tell Erik your puppy's age, breed, city, health considerations, and the kind of life you hope to build together.