Hearts And Paws

What Hearts And Paws does

Hearts and Paws is a privately held, founder-led dog training and care services business headquartered in a single facility at 13291 Pond Springs Road in Austin, Texas. Founded approximately 1997–1998 by Certified Pet Dog Trainer Diana Smith (CPDT-KA, CGC Evaluator), the company delivers a comprehensive suite of services including group classes, private lessons (on-site, in-home, and in public settings), a two-week board-and-train program marketed as Super Dog Camp, supervised daycare and boarding, behavior counseling for aggression, anxiety, and reactivity, AKC-style dog sports instruction (agility, nosework, rally-o, lure coursing, tricks), and a youth summer program called Club Pup Camp. The training methodology is reward-based positive reinforcement, and the team carries industry certifications including CPDT-KA, NADOI-C, and AKC CGC Evaluator credentials, with founder-level expertise built on over 2,000 hours of study with leading behaviorists.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer, pay-as-you-go service model with unit pricing disclosed across categories: boarding at $60 per night, board-and-train at $1,750, Club Pup Camp at $520 per week, private lessons at $125–$150 per session, and dog sports classes ranging from $120 to $250 per multi-week course. Revenue is generated entirely from a single Austin facility's capacity plus mobile in-home and public-setting lessons, supported by marketing through the company website, an email newsletter ("Pawsletter"), Instagram, and a third-party scheduling platform. Customer relationships include institutional partnerships with Austin Humane Society's BRATT program, Austin State Hospital, and Divine Canines, which provide referral pipelines adjacent to direct consumer acquisition.

The company is positioned as an Austin-market specialty provider rather than a multi-location or technology-platform business, with a 25+ year operating history under founder ownership, no disclosed external funding, parent company, or subsidiary structure, and employee headcount of 1–10. Strategic emphasis appears to be on credentialed service depth and product mix expansion (behavior counseling, sports, enrichment add-ons) within the existing footprint.

Name

Hearts And Paws

Legal name

Hearts and Paws

Website

https://heartsandpaws.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hearts and Paws is a privately held Austin, Texas dog training and care facility offering group classes, private lessons, board-and-train, daycare, boarding, behavior counseling, dog sports, and a youth summer camp (Club Pup), serving local individual dog owners and youth participants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Training and Care Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Training-Integrated Dog Daycare (Day Training) (HSANAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cage-Free / Open-Play Dog Daycare (HSANAFAC), Overnight Kennel Boarding (Dogs) (HSANADAA)

Keywords

• Dog training services
• Pet daycare boarding
• Dog behavior counseling
• Dog sports training
• Pet care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Group Classes: Weekly group training classes taught by certified professional trainers covering basic manners, obedience, and dog sports. Classes limited to 10 dogs with family members.
2. Private Lessons: One-on-one customizable training sessions at facility, in-home, or public settings. Offered as single sessions or discounted multi-lesson packages.
3. Board-and-Train (Super Dog Camp): Two-week intensive boarding and training program. Includes 4 play sessions daily, daily training, initial assessment, update visit, in-home exit lesson, weekly updates, and follow-up lessons.
4. Daycare and Boarding: Daily daycare with supervised play and optional enrichment activities. Overnight boarding with supervised play and attention. Advance reservations required for boarding.
5. Club Pup Camp: Summer day camp program for children ages 9-16 and their dogs. Week-long sessions with training, agility, and team activities.
6. Dog Sports Classes: Specialized training classes including agility, nosework, rally-o, lure coursing, and tricks. Offered at various skill levels with AKC title preparation.
7. Behavior Counseling: Professional behavior assessment and modification plans for addressing aggression, anxiety, fearfulness, reactivity, and separation issues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hearts and Paws is an Austin, Texas-based dog training and care provider offering group classes, private lessons, board-and-train programs (Super Dog Camp), behavior counseling, supervised daycare and boarding, dog sports classes (agility, nosework, rally-o, lure coursing, tricks), and the Club Pup summer camp for children ages 9-16 and their dogs. The company applies reward-based positive reinforcement training methods and delivers services on-site at its North Austin facility, in customers' homes, and in public settings.

Product overview

Hearts and Paws is a comprehensive dog training and care service provider offering multiple interconnected products: Group Classes and Private Lessons for basic obedience and behavior modification, a Super Dog Board & Train Program for intensive in-facility training, Behavior Counseling for addressing problematic behaviors, Daycare & Boarding for supervised care with enrichment add-ons, Dog Sports programs for competitive activities including Agility, Nosework, Rally-O, and Tricks, and Club Pup Camp for children ages 9-16 attending with their dogs. The company uses reward-based positive reinforcement training methods and has served Austin dogs for over 25 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Club Pup Camp: Summer camp program for children ages 9-16 and their dogs, teaching agility, dog training, and responsibility
• SuperDog Camp

Products and services

• Group Training Classes Weekly group dog training classes taught by certified professional trainers covering basic manners, obedience, and dog sports fundamentals; limited to 10 dogs with family members per class.
• Private Lessons One-on-one customizable dog training sessions delivered at the facility, in the customer's home, or in public settings, covering basic obedience, crate training, housetraining, and leash walking; offered as single sessions or discounted multi-lesson packages.
• Super Dog Board & Train Program Intensive two-week boarding and training program where dogs stay at the facility and receive daily training on sit, stand, down, come when called, and leash walking, with four supervised play sessions daily, initial assessment call, update visit, in-home exit lesson, weekly progress updates, and follow-up lessons.
• Behavior Counseling Professional behavior assessment and customized behavior modification plans addressing aggression, anxiety, fearfulness, reactivity, and separation issues in dogs.
• Daycare & Boarding Supervised daily dog daycare with thoughtfully assembled playgroups and optional enrichment activities, plus overnight boarding with supervised play and attention at a climate-controlled North Austin facility.
• Dog Sports Classes Specialized group classes for competitive dog sports including agility, nosework, rally-o, lure coursing, and tricks, offered at multiple skill levels with AKC title preparation and CGC testing.
• Club Pup Camp Week-long summer day camp program for children ages 9-16 who attend with their own dogs, teaching dog training skills, agility, teamwork, and responsibility in a structured camp environment at the Austin facility.

Quantifiable outcome

• Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) certification for trainers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• SpiritDog Training: Online dog training platform offering virtual courses and 1-on-1 coaching. Not a facility-based competitor, but increasingly competes for the same Austin-area dog owners seeking professional training at lower price points.

Direct peers

• Camp Bow Wow: Multi-unit dog daycare, boarding, and training franchise. Highly comparable in service mix (daycare, boarding, training) and target customer (dog owners seeking professional care), but operates at franchise scale across many markets rather than a single location.
• Bark Busters: In-home dog training franchise serving local markets. Comparable on private-lesson training services and target customer, though differentiated by an in-home, one-on-one delivery model rather than a facility-based approach.
• Dogtopia: National dog daycare franchise with enrichment-focused playgroups and optional training add-ons. Direct competitor in the daycare/boarding/training space with similar target customer and premium positioning.
• Zoom Room: Franchise offering group dog training classes, agility, and dog sports in a retail-style facility. Closely comparable on training methodology and dog sports offerings, though structured as a multi-unit franchise.
• The Dog Wizard: Dog training franchise offering group classes, private lessons, and board-and-train. Direct competitor in the professional dog training services category with similar delivery model.
• SIT Means SIT: Dog training franchise with group classes, private lessons, and board-and-train programs. Direct competitor in the professional dog training space, with a similar full-service training portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Petco: National pet retailer and services operator offering dog training, grooming, and veterinary care. Overlaps with Hearts and Paws on training and daycare-adjacent services, but training is one of many categories within Petco's full-service pet care platform.
• PetSmart: Large national pet retailer offering in-store dog training classes, grooming, and boarding through partners. Comparable in the training and dog care category, but training is a complementary service within a much broader retail portfolio.

Regional players

• K9s Only: Dog daycare and boarding operator with a strong regional presence. Comparable on facility-based daycare and boarding services, but does not focus on training as a core offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/heartsandpawsatx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hearts-and-paws

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hearts And Paws