Saugapaws Luxury Board and Train & Boarding In Saugatuck, Fennville and Douglas
At Saugapaws, we go beyond obedience — creating trust, confidence, and joy in every dog.
Services
Saugapaws Premier Puppy (10 Days)
$1,850
Scope: Specifically designed for puppies 8 to 20 weeks old. This residency or daily drop-off residency focuses on the critical developmental window, handling the "heavy lifting" of early socialization, house training foundations, and basic manners.
Includes: A solid developmental foundation and a clear roadmap for your puppy's first year.
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✔ Private Boutique Residency — A low-stress, quiet, cage-free home-style environment limited exclusively to 5 guests, ensuring your puppy feels safe and secure during their stay away from home, featuring premium bedding and climate control.
✔ Crate & Potty Foundation — Intensive focus on house-training mechanics and building a positive association with crate rest to simplify your life at home.
✔ 3–5 Targeted Learning Sessions Daily — Short, high-success blocks focusing on focus, name recognition, and "no-bite/no-jump" foundations.
✔ Early Socialization Exposure — Controlled, positive introductions to novel sights, sounds, and surfaces to build a confident, resilient adult dog.
✔ Nightly "Bedtime Stories" & Cuddles: A 15-minute dedicated staff session for one-on-one snuggling and tucking the dog in.
✔ Serene Soundscape — Dog-friendly melodies that melt away outside noise for a state of pure, peaceful rest.
✔ Zen-Air Diffusion — An integrated scent-scape using subtle pheromone technology to neutralize stress and maintain a peaceful, low-cortisol environment. It is the ultimate invisible amenity to truly relax your puppy.
✔ Secure & Present: Integrated surveillance systems and 24-hour on-site care teams.
✔ Vagal Massage: Professional canine massage to boost parasympathetic, reducing stress, anxiety, and heart rate.
✔ Daily Digital Report Cards — Narrated video updates showing your dog’s "aha!" moments and daily progress.
✔ Go-Home 1-Hour Private Coaching — A hands-on transition session to teach you the specific cues and management strategies used during the residency.
✔ Spa Exit Experience — A gentle introductory bath to ensure a clean return home.
Scope: Specifically designed for puppies 8 to 20 weeks old. This residency focuses on the critical developmental window, handling the "heavy lifting" of early socialization, house training foundations, and basic manners.
Includes: A solid developmental foundation and a clear roadmap for your puppy's first year.
Saugapaws Puppy Manners (14 Days)
$2,500
Scope: Designed for puppies 4–6 months old. common adolescent behaviors, such as biting and jumping, while adding complexity to foundational skills. This residency or daily drop-off residency prioritizes emotional regulation and clear communication, transforming exuberant energy into a calm, confident foundation for adulthood.
Includes: Improved impulse control and a puppy that remains focused despite growing distractions.
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✔ Private Boutique Residency — A low-stress, quiet, cage-free home-style environment limited exclusively to 5 guests, ensuring your dog feels safe and secure during their stay away from home, featuring premium bedding and climate control.
✔ 3–5 Daily Precision Training Sessions — Building reliable Sit, Down, Stay, Come, and Loose Leash Walking.. Adding duration and distractions to basic cues.
✔ Personalized Behavior Plan — Training tailored to your dog’s specific needs and goals.
✔ Nightly "Bedtime Stories" & Cuddles: A 15-minute dedicated staff session for one-on-one snuggling and tucking the dog in.
✔ The Estate Sniffari: A daily half-mile sensory immersion walk in the woods designed to melt away stress and prime your dog for peak learning.
✔ Serene Soundscape — Dog-friendly melodies that melt away outside noise for a state of pure, peaceful rest.
✔ Zen-Air Diffusion — An integrated scent-scape using subtle pheromone technology to neutralize stress and maintain a peaceful, low-cortisol environment. It is the ultimate invisible amenity to truly relax your dog.
✔ Secure & Present: Integrated surveillance systems and 24-hour on-site care teams.
✔ Vagal Massage: Professional canine massage to boost parasympathetic, reducing stress, anxiety, and heart rate.
✔ Daily Narrative Video Updates — Consistent connection to your dog's learning journey.
✔ Go-Home 1.5-Hour Private Owner Session — Guided transition and coaching for success at home.
✔ Professional Spa Exit — A luxury bath, go-home presentation.
Scope: Designed for puppies 4–6 months old. Addresses common adolescent behaviors such as biting and jumping while adding complexity to foundational skills. This residency prioritizes emotional regulation and clear communication, transforming exuberant energy into a calm, confident foundation for adulthood.f
Includes: Improved impulse control and a puppy that remains focused despite growing distractions.
Saugapaws Essential Reset (7 Days)
$1,450
Scope: Specifically designed for the "mostly good" dog that has lost its edge. This intensive week is ideal for adult dogs (6 months+) who need a tune-up on leash manners, impulse control, or "listening the first time." It’s the perfect solution for owners heading on a short vacation who want their dog to return better than they left.
Includes: A dog with sharpened focus, polished leash manners, and a "re-tuned" willingness to respond to your cues in everyday situations.
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✔ Private Boutique Residency — A low-stress, quiet, cage-free home-style environment limited exclusively to 5 guests, ensuring your dog feels safe and secure during their stay away from home, featuring premium bedding and climate control.
✔ The "Focus" Reset — 4–5 rapid-fire daily sessions focusing strictly on engagement, "Look at Me," and reliable "Sit/Stay" foundations to sharpen their responsiveness.
✔ Leash Manners Polish — Intensive work on the 14-acre Estate Sniffari to reinforce loose-leash walking and neutral reactions to the natural distractions of the Michigan lakeshore.
✔ Gateway to Calm — Specialized focus on "Place" training and threshold manners, ensuring your dog remains settled at doors and transitions.
✔ Zen-Air & Serene Soundscape — An integrated scent-scape using subtle pheromone technology and dog-friendly melodies to neutralize stress and maintain a peaceful, low-cortisol environment for peak learning.
✔ Vagal Massage & Snuggle Sessions — Professional canine massage and dedicated one-on-one time to boost the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing anxiety and heart rate.
✔ Daily Digital Report Cards — Narrated video updates showing your dog’s "aha!" moments and daily progress throughout their reset.
✔ Go-Home 1-Hour Private Coaching — A hands-on transition session to hand over the "reset buttons" and teach you how to maintain their polished manners at home.
✔ Spa Exit Experience — A gentle luxury bath to ensure a fresh, clean return home.
Scope: Specifically designed for the "mostly good" dog that has lost their edge. This intensive week is ideal for adult dogs (6 months+) who need a tune-up on leash manners, impulse control, or "listening the first time." It’s the perfect solution for owners heading on a short vacation who want their dog to return better than they left.
Seven days allows for a "Behavioral Cleanse." By removing the dog from its home environment and placing it in Saugapaws, our structured, low-cortisol 14-acre estate, we can extinguish "naughty" habits and reinforce a high level of engagement.
Saugapaws Elite Foundation (14 Days)
$2,800
Scope: Ideal for establishing basic obedience and household manners for older pups (over 20 weeks) and adult dogs. Every session is tailored to your dog’s unique temperament, ensuring they return home as a refined, well-integrated, and more confident family companion.
Includes: A dog that understands the "rules of the house" and responds reliably to foundational cues.
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✔ Private Boutique Residency — A low-stress, quiet, cage-free home-style environment limited exclusively to 5 guests, ensuring your puppy feels safe and secure during their stay away from home, featuring premium bedding and climate control.
✔ Advanced Foundation Work — Essential skills such as sit, down, leash walking, coming when called, and polite greetings.
✔ Adolescent Behavior Management — Targeted work on impulse control and high-arousal distractions.
✔ Socialization Plus — Guided exposure to complex environments during fear periods.
✔ Early Socialization Exposure — Controlled, positive introductions to novel sights, sounds, and surfaces to build a confident, resilient adult dog.
✔ Nightly "Bedtime Stories" & Cuddles: A 15-minute dedicated staff session for one-on-one snuggling and tucking the dog in.
✔ The Estate Sniffari: A daily half-mile sensory immersion walk in the woods designed to melt away stress and prime your dog for peak learning.
✔ Serene Soundscape — Dog-friendly melodies that melt away outside noise for a state of pure, peaceful rest.
✔ Zen-Air Diffusion — An integrated scent-scape using subtle pheromone technology to neutralize stress and maintain a peaceful, low-cortisol environment. It is the ultimate invisible amenity to truly relax your puppy.
✔ Secure & Present: Integrated surveillance systems and 24-hour on-site care teams.
✔ Vagal Massage: Professional canine massage to boost parasympathetic, reducing stress, anxiety, and heart rate.
✔ Daily Narrative Video Updates — Consistent connection to your dog's learning journey.
✔ Two Private 1-Hour Owner Sessions — Hands-on coaching for the teenage months.
✔ Professional Spa Exit — A luxury bath, go-home presentation.
Scope: Ideal for establishing basic obedience and household manners for older pups (over 20 weeks) and adult dogs. Every session is tailored to your dog’s unique temperament, ensuring they return home as a refined, well-integrated, and more confident family companion.
Includes: A dog that understands the "rules of the house" and responds reliably to foundational cues.
Saugapaws Polished Companion (14 Days)
$3,200
Scope: Best for impulse control and outdoor reliability. This residency bridges the gap between home manners and real-world performance in public settings.
Includes: Strong, reliable obedience in distracting outdoor settings paired with total owner confidence.
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✔ Private Boutique Residency — A low-stress, quiet, cage-free home-style environment limited exclusively to 5 guests, ensuring your dog feels safe and secure during their stay away from home, featuring premium bedding and climate control.
✔ All Elite Foundation Features — Refined obedience and structure in our boutique setting.
✔ Off-Site Walks & Real-World Exposure — Guided training outings to downtown Saugatuck or Douglas.
✔ Curated Enrichment Sessions — Specialized engagement including scent work and games.
✔ The Estate Sniffari: A daily half-mile sensory immersion walk in the woods designed to melt away stress and prime your dog for peak learning.
✔ Serene Soundscape — Dog-friendly melodies that melt away outside noise for a state of pure, peaceful rest.
✔ Zen-Air Diffusion — An integrated scent-scape using subtle pheromone technology to neutralize stress and maintain a peaceful, low-cortisol environment. It is the ultimate invisible amenity to truly relax your dog.
✔ Secure & Present: Integrated surveillance systems and 24-hour on-site care teams.
✔ Vagal Massage: Professional canine massage to boost parasympathetic, reducing stress, anxiety, and heart rate.
✔ Daily Narrative Video Updates — Consistent connection to your dog's learning journey.
✔ Three Private 1-Hour Owner Sessions — Dedicated instruction during and after the residency.
✔ Skill Transfer & Hands-On Coaching — Intensive coaching for management in any environment.
✔ Professional Spa Exit — A luxury bath, go-home presentation.
Scope: Best for impulse control and outdoor reliability. This residency bridges the gap between home manners and real-world performance in public settings.
Includes: Strong, reliable obedience in distracting outdoor settings paired with total owner confidence.
Saugapaws Signature (14 Days)
$3,500
Scope: Level 2 residency for graduates of Saugapaws Polished Companion. Adds significant duration, distance, and distractions for total reliability.
Includes: Advanced focus and reliability, allowing for more freedom in public and at home.
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✔ Private Boutique Residency — A low-stress, quiet, cage-free home-style environment limited exclusively to 5 guests, ensuring your dog feels safe and secure during their stay away from home, featuring premium bedding and climate control.
✔ Advanced Skill Building — Focusing on distance stays and "Coming when called" under distraction.
✔ Refined Leash Work — Polishing heel positions in high-arousal environments.
✔ Real-World Distraction Training — Proofing behaviors against local wildlife, noise, and movement.
✔ Curated Enrichment Sessions — Specialized engagement including scent work and games.
✔ The Estate Sniffari: A daily half-mile sensory immersion walk in the woods designed to melt away stress and prime your dog for peak learning.
✔ Serene Soundscape — Dog-friendly melodies that melt away outside noise for a state of pure, peaceful rest.
✔ Zen-Air Diffusion — An integrated scent-scape using subtle pheromone technology to neutralize stress and maintain a peaceful, low-cortisol environment. It is the ultimate invisible amenity to truly relax your dog.
✔ Secure & Present: Integrated surveillance systems and 24-hour on-site care teams.
✔ Vagal Massage: Professional canine massage to boost parasympathetic, reducing stress, anxiety, and heart rate.
✔ Daily Narrative Video Updates — Consistent connection to your dog's learning journey.
✔ Two Private 1-Hour Owner Sessions — Personalized instruction for increased skill levels.
✔ Skill Transfer & Hands-On Coaching — Intensive coaching for management in any environment.
✔ Professional Spa Exit — A luxury bath, go-home presentation.
Scope: Level 2 residency for graduates of Saugapaws Polished Companion. Adds significant duration, distance, and distractions for total reliability.
Includes: Advanced focus and reliability, allowing for more freedom in public and at home.
Saugapaws Boutique Boarding (per night)
$85.00
Scope: Exclusive, limited-availability cage-free home-style boarding for dogs who enjoy a quiet, high-end environment without the stress of a traditional kennel.
Prerequisite: A mandatory free 4-8 hr Vibe Stay is a prerequisite for all extended bookings. This ensures your dog is comfortable in our quiet, high-end environment and confirms they are a suitable fit for our exclusive, limited-occupancy sanctuary.
Includes: A stress-free, luxury vacation for your dog while you are away.
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✔ Private Boutique Residency — A low-stress, quiet, cage-free home-like environment limited exclusively to 5 guests, ensuring your dog feels safe and secure during their stay away from home, featuring premium bedding and climate control.
✔ Nightly "Bedtime Stories" & Cuddles: A 15-minute dedicated staff session for one-on-one snuggling and tucking the dog in.
✔ The Estate Sniffari: A daily half-mile sensory immersion walk in the woods designed to melt away stress and prime your dog for peak learning.
✔ Serene Soundscape — Dog-friendly melodies that melt away outside noise for a state of pure, peaceful rest.
✔ Zen-Air Diffusion — An integrated scent-scape using subtle pheromone technology to neutralize stress and maintain a peaceful, low-cortisol environment. It is the ultimate invisible amenity to truly relax your puppy.
✔ Secure & Present: Integrated surveillance systems and 24-hour on-site care teams.
✔ Vagal Massage: Professional canine massage to boost parasympathetic, reducing stress, anxiety, and heart rate.
✔ Daily Video Updates — Consistent connection to your dog's journey.
✔ Professional Spa Exit — A luxury bath, go-home presentation.
Scope: Exclusive, limited-availability cage-free home-style boarding for dogs (no more than 5 dogs) who enjoy a quiet, high-end environment without the stress of a traditional kennel.
Prerequisite: A mandatory One Day Vibe Stay is a prerequisite for all extended bookings. This ensures your dog is comfortable in our quiet, high-end environment and confirms they are a suitable fit for our exclusive, limited-occupancy sanctuary.
Includes: A stress-free, luxury vacation for your dog while you are away.
Why Saugapaws?
You imagined leisurely walks to your favorite local spots and relaxed outings with friends, but the reality has felt a bit more frantic. When leash pulling, boisterous greetings, or unpredictable barking take over, it’s natural to feel frustrated and wonder if this is truly how life with your companion was meant to be. We understand that feeling—and we’re here to help you turn those stressful moments back into the joyful experiences you first envisioned.
The Saugapaws Difference
An Intimate, Home-Style, Boutique Setting Board and Train and Boarding on a 14-acre estate: We believe in quality over quantity. We provide a home-stay, cage-free residence because we know the dog’s environment is the foundation of their well-being. By limiting our care to no more than five dogs at a time, your dog receives the individualized attention and high-touch care they deserve.
Science-Based, Reward-Focused Training: As a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Trainer, we use humane, positive reinforcement techniques instead of corrections (no collar, prongs, etc.). This science-backed approach reduces stress and builds a calmer, more enthusiastic learner who wants to do the right thing because it feels good.
Daily Coaching and Updates: You aren't left out of the process while your dog is in training with us. We provide daily updates and tailored coaching throughout their stay, ensuring you have the skills and confidence to maintain and grow those positive behaviors the moment your dog returns home.
The Saugapaws Partnership — Enrollment in our programs includes professional support. for the first year. Whether you need a quick refresh or have a new question months down the road, you have a permanent line of communication to our training experts.
At Saugapaws, we don’t just strive for obedience; we nurture a lasting, trust-based connection that enriches your life together for years to come.
The Saugapaws Standard: Guest Requirements.
The signature Vibe Stay
Our commitment to a serene, high-standard environment begins with a mandatory free Vibe Stay (4 -8 hours). This introductory visit ensures your dog’s temperament perfectly aligns with the sophisticated, low-stress atmosphere of our 14-acre estate. It is the essential first step in curating a peaceful experience for all our guests.
Elite Health & Veterinary Protocols
To ensure the collective well-being of our boutique community, we require formal documentation from your veterinarian for all "core" vaccinations. Please note: To guarantee full immunity, all vaccines must be administered at least 7 days prior to your dog's arrival for boarding or training.
Rabies: Required by state law.
Distemper/Parvo (DHPP or DHLPP): Comprehensive protection.
Bordetella: Prevention of kennel cough.
Canine Influenza: Required for the safety of all guests in our care.
Social & Behavior Standards
Spay/Neuter: To maintain a balanced and harmonious environment during group activities, all guests over the age of 9 months must be spayed or neutered. Exceptions will be made for veterinary records and a successful vibe stay.
Custom Nutrition & Care
Dining: To prevent digestive upset and maintain your dog's specific routine, we request that you provide their preferred diet in labeled, airtight containers.
Medications: For the highest safety standards, all medications must arrive in their original prescription bottles with clear, professional dosing instructions.