Paws Up Vacay -

Cheri Pike

Paws Up Vacay has been amazing! My dog and I have learned so much. Molly is my 1 year old German shepherd mix. She has had training off and on in the last few months. Her manners are so much better. No more jumping on guests or pulling on walks. I’ve also had her go to daycare and she was boarded while we were on vacation. She gets so excited as we get off the freeway to take her for daycare. She loves hanging out with her dog friends. Mariah and Vinnie are so knowledgeable about dog training and care. They are very professional as well as one of the kindest couples I’ve met. They have set up dog walks a few times each month that are super fun! I can’t thank Mariah enough for her help with Molly. I love being with my dog even more now that we both know how to interact. I have confidence in myself that I can calm her and show her how to behave. She now looks to me for direction instead of me chasing after her. My expectations have been surpassed and I would definitely recommend Paws Up Vacay!!

Baleful Flower

My main goals when dropping off Epona were leash training, car rides, and calmness/confidence. Even with 7-8 years of built up dog anxiety, they were able to not only complete those goals but even include off leash training all in 3 weeks!
My pup was over 25lb for a chiweenie who’s had knee surgery, we were very worried as she’s gained more weight after the surgery. Mariah and the whole team were able to get us on the right path of losing weight and keeping the weight off.
I want to point out it has been months since she’s been to training (6-7months), and she’s doing amazing!!
I am so grateful for the for all the hard work and tough love they were able to do with Epona, as I was not willing to express the tough love. Mariah mentioned that the biggest challenge would be changing my ways with epona and that was 100% true! That was the hardest part, but as long as I stuck to the instructions and my notes, the good behavior would continue! My lil girl can now thrive and be the dog I’ve always wished she could.
Thank you again!!

** we went on a long 4hour car ride to the mountains and stayed for a few days. She was able to be off leash almost the whole time and her recall was perfect! Not to mention she slept in the car!!! Big change!

marina paige

This year we were gifted a wonderful pup that has separation anxiety. We searched around for doggie daycares to take him and our other pup too while we work. After talking to and trying out a couple different doggie daycares we decided paws up would be the best place for our separation anxiety dog to thrive. He has been going to doggie daycare at paws up for a couple months now along with our other pup and their progress has been outstanding! Mariah and everyone who works at paws up has been so kind and knowledgeable. So glad we found a place that our pups are excited to go to and where I feel comfortable leaving my anxious boy. We also love seeing pictures/videos throughout the day of the dogs playing, learning, and relaxing. Thank you so much for the peace of mind and happy tired pups.

TrekFresh TrekFresh

Sending our 3 dogs to pawsup vacay to board and train was literally the best thing we could’ve done for them, and for us. Mariah, Vinnie and their crew are absolutely amazing. In just a couple weeks our dogs came home respecting space, their recall on point, walking pleasantly on a loose leash, following commands appropriately, exactly what we hoped for! I only wish we had sent them sooner!

Ray Ambler

We Love Paws Up.. Our Libby dog goes there every week. She always comes home exhausted from playing all day. We can always count on the staff to take Great care of her. We also love having a place to take her when we go out of town. We can check the Paws UP IG page and see our pup playing and doing pack walks and making new friends.

Need a place you can trust, Paws up is it…

Kortni Gilbertson

I’ve sent my pups to paws up vacay multiple times for training, boarding, abs daycare! Every time my dogs come back happy and tired from all the playtime! My dogs went from being complete terrors to complete angels with the magic hands of Paws Up Vacay! I 100% highly recommend all dog owners try out the amazing services of paws up!

Madison Marcum

Mariah is one of the best trainers I’ve ever worked with. She truly understands dog behaviours and teaches me how to correct them. She has helped my Queenslands so much.

J K

In case some don’t want to hear the whole story, I will say that this is a glowing 5 star review of Mariah and Paws Up Vacay.

Now onto the story of Rickie the 2 yr old labradoodle. Mariah was asked to take him in as he was dropped off at a shelter on was on the kill list. He had aggressive tendencies, but it was clear that those were due to the neglect he had experienced the first 2 years of his life. So in December she took the little guy in and knew she had work to do. When she posted him for adoption, Dec 8th to be exact, I knew he was going to be mine. Mariah warned me of his current state of mind and asked that I come over each weekend, but she would not release him to me until the end of January as he needed time to decompress and trust humans again. She was patient with him and just allowed him to be a dog with no expectations. Little by little he started to come out of his shell and by January 27th after several weekly visits, we celebrated his “gotcha day” and he came home with me.

And this is when things got tough. Although I have had 7 dogs over the last 30 years, I had never adopted a rescue. I always had them from the fun and crazy puppy stage. Nor had I ever been around a dog that came from a neglected home and was aggressive. His first night I saw what I call the Cujo side. This 25 pound “build a bear” labradoodle went dark. His growl was fierce and when I went to try and sooth him, he bit me. I was overwhelmed. What did I get myself into? I am not skilled in this behavior. Maybe he is not a match for me. I video taped the Cujo episode and texted Mariah. She came straight over the next morning. She brought different leashes to use and a long stream of patience and kindness for me. She believed in Rickie and most importantly she believed in me. She knew that Rickie would never be able to go to a home with children. She also knew that our match was perfect and that if I was willing to learn she would not only train Rickie but me as well on how to bring out the best in the little guy.

6 months later and we are still a match! The stories of it taking at least 3 months for a rescue dog to feel safe and secure are no joke. They are real. He has enjoyed many firsts; off leash at a park to catch a ball, the dog beach to also catch a ball, the pool where he isn’t much for swimming but he will drop the ball in the water for you to throw in the yard for him. He smiles, wags his tail and now sleeps on his back. A sure sign he feels safe. Does he have his Cujo/Resource Guarding moments? Yep. Does it cause me pause that not an hour before he was in my lap asking for love and attention.? Yep. Do I continue to use the tools Mariah shared to get us both through it? Yep. But at the end of the day if it weren’t for Mariah, Rickie would no longer be on this earth and that is not an option. She is one of the most amazing humans I have ever met. She is calm and supportive. She and her team understand animals like no one else. Her training techniques are wise, firm and kind. I can’t recommend her and her team enough for both boarding and training. Trust me, your fur kids are in the best hands with Paws Up Vacay.