Partners Dogs 360 (PD360) Assessment

Quick Answer

A PD360 Assessment is a full day of hands-on evaluation bookended by two 30-minute meets with your trainer: drop-off between 9 and 10am, pickup between 2 and 4pm. Pickup is a verbal placement debrief, not a written report, and your dog's plan lives in our system. The fee is $199 for your first dog and $149 for a second, applied as store credit when you enroll.

What a PD360 Assessment Is

A PD360 Assessment is Partners Dogs' full-day, in-school evaluation of your dog's behavior and obedience, bookended by two 30-minute meets with your trainer: one at drop-off, one at pickup. In between, your dog works through several hours of structured, dog-only evaluation.

Most Partners Dogs programs start here. Pet Parenting Classes, day programs, and board-and-train camps all begin with a PD360, because placement is the decision that shapes every session after it. A dog placed correctly the first time makes faster, more visible progress, since each session is pitched where that dog can succeed.

Why an Assessment Beats a Phone Description

Two dogs can arrive with the same line on the intake form: pulls on leash, recall falls apart outdoors. They still need different starting points. One is under-exercised and over-stimulated. The other is anxious and needs a slower, lower-arousal introduction. Guessing at that difference from a phone call wastes time and money, and it can set a nervous dog up to fail in a class moving faster than they are ready for.

PD360 answers the question by observation. Over several hours your dog works through situations a description cannot reproduce: thresholds, new people, other dogs, unfamiliar surfaces and sounds. A trainer watches how your dog responds under mild pressure and how quickly they recover afterward. What the trainer sees on the floor is what drives placement, because an intake form captures the dog at home, and the dog at home is rarely the same dog in a busy building.

The day also sets the frame for everything that follows. The Partners Dogs methodology incorporates most forms of feedback for a dog (treats, markers, structure, and more) and is phased by that dog's behavior, technique, and learning model rather than run from one script for every dog through the door. Across 28 years and more than 70,000 dogs, the phase a dog starts in has mattered as much as the program they start in. PD360 is where we determine both.

The Day, Hour by Hour

Complete the PD360 Quiz first. The online quiz covers your dog's behavior history, stress signals, and cue knowledge. Our team reviews your answers and calls you to schedule the school visit. Prefer to talk it through? Call either campus and we will fill out the quiz with you.
Drop-off, 9 to 10am (30 minutes). You meet your trainer, go over your dog's history, routines, and medical notes, and name your top priorities: loose-leash walking, greetings, settling, recall, whatever matters most in your house. Your trainer then primes you on the learning phases the evaluation reads against and maps out what the day will cover and why.
In-school evaluation, about 4+ hours, dog only. Your dog works through structured blocks with rest between them: engagement and baseline positions, name response, sit, down, and stay, recall, leash language and heel patterns, leave it, polite greetings and door routines, crate comfort, thresholds, and exposure to new surfaces and sounds. A handler swap tests whether your dog works for someone other than you. Neutral proximity comes next, meaning working near other dogs and people without direct contact. A supervised playgroup follows only when temperament and safety support it. Throughout the day, trainers watch resource routines around food and toys, comfort with body handling, and sensitivity to noise, crowds, and visual motion, while welfare tracking runs in parallel: appetite, stool quality, energy, and recovery time.
Pickup, 2 to 4pm (30 minutes). A second trainer meet closes the day, and you leave with a placement recommendation and the reasoning behind it.

What Your Trainer Is Watching For

Your trainer's frame for every Partners Dogs program is the same: Teaching, Reinforcing, Proofing, and Maintenance. Teaching introduces a behavior in a controlled setup. Reinforcing makes the right choice worth repeating. Proofing adds duration, distance, distraction, and real-world context. Maintenance holds a behavior reliable once your dog owns it.

An assessment uses that frame as a diagnostic rather than a teaching day. The work is finding out which stage each skill is stuck in. A dog who sits reliably in a quiet room and comes apart when another dog walks past is solid on Teaching and thin on Proofing, and that distinction changes what your trainer recommends. It is also why the day covers more than obedience. Arousal and recovery, handler focus, impulse control, reliability under distraction, and social comfort each answer a different question about where training should start.

What You Get at Pickup

Your trainer gives you a verbal breakdown at that 2 to 4pm pickup meet: what they saw, where your dog is strong, where the friction points are, and which placement they recommend. That recommendation is specific: a class grade, DaySchool or DayCamp, a camp type, or Private Lessons. Your trainer then updates the PD360 system, which sends your dog's revised score to you. Nothing is handed to you on paper that day. The plan itself is built into our system through the curriculum and advice program, so it keeps pace with your dog instead of going stale in a document.

Success looks like leaving that meet with a next step you understand well enough to explain to the rest of your household. It does not include a guaranteed timeline or outcome. Every dog and every home is different, and what an assessment gives you is an honest read of where yours is starting.

Where the Recommendation Can Point

Placement might be Foundation Camp for a dog who mostly needs manners and structure, Behavior Camp for reactivity, anxiety, or resource guarding, or Transform Camp when behavior work and advanced obedience have to happen together. It might be a grade-appropriate Pet Parenting Class, anywhere from Pre-School to Dogtorate. For day programs, the read decides between DaySchool, which works dogs in social small groups, and DayCamp, which runs one-to-one for less social dogs or targeted goals. For a household with specific routines to solve, it is Private Lessons.

The Fee, a Second Dog, and Store Credit

The PD360 Assessment fee is $199 for your first dog and $149 for a second dog assessed on the same visit. Multi-dog families still book separate assessments so each dog gets a clean, individual read. That fee is applied as store credit on your account when you enroll in the program your trainer recommends. Deposit, cancellation, and reschedule terms follow our Booking Policies. For a stand-alone overnight boarding stay, PD360 is optional.

What to Bring and How to Prepare

Your dog needs to be at least 20 weeks old and fully vaccinated for at least a week before the visit. Rabies, DHPP (or DAPP), and Bordetella are required. Canine Influenza and Leptospirosis are not. Upload vaccination records and any allergy or sensitivity notes to your Parent Portal ahead of time, and bring a paper copy if your dog's medical history is complicated; our Vaccination Policy carries the full list and timing. Recently adopted dogs wait 30 days after adoption before a first visit. If your puppy is younger than 20 weeks, at-home foundational work plus an online private lesson bridges the gap until they qualify for a school visit.

Bring a flat or buckle collar and a standard, non-retractable leash. Bring your dog's regular food if the visit spans a mealtime, approved treats if your dog has allergies, and any medication in its original packaging or clearly labeled with dose and timing. Trainers work your dog on neutral, widely used equipment during the assessment: flat or buckle collar, standard leash, food rewards. We do not introduce a new tool such as an e-collar or prong collar that day. If your dog already trains on a specific tool at home, tell us and we will note it for context.

Keep feeding normal in the week or two beforehand and skip any big diet changes. A light potty walk before drop-off helps most dogs settle and focus once they arrive. Arizona heat shapes the day: we test surfaces for paw safety and limit outdoor blocks during peak heat, and we ask you to stay current with your vet's flea, tick, and heartworm guidance year-round.

If the Day Does Not Go to Plan

My dog is anxious or reactive on assessment day. Trainers pivot to lower-arousal setups, build engagement at a pace your dog can handle, and document what worked. You still leave with a clear plan; it may start with DayCamp or Private Lessons before any group setting.

My dog shows signs of illness during the visit. We isolate your dog right away, call you, and pause the session. Dogs need to be symptom-free (no cough, sneeze, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or unusual lethargy) for seven days before their next visit.

My dog is intact, or in heat. Intact dogs can be assessed. Active heat may mean rescheduling for welfare and sanitation reasons, so ask your campus for current timing guidelines.

Getting an Accurate Read

Answer the PD360 Quiz honestly, including the behaviors that feel embarrassing to admit. A trainer working from an accurate picture places your dog correctly the first time. A trainer working from a flattering one has to re-diagnose partway through camp or class, and your dog pays for the delay.

Resist the urge to coach your dog through the assessment itself. It is tempting to prompt an extra cue or manage the environment the way you would at home, but the baseline your trainer needs is the dog on an ordinary day. Drop off, then let the day happen.

Bring your true priorities to pickup. If loose-leash walking matters more to your family than a polished recall, say so, even if it feels like the less impressive goal. Placement should reflect what will change your daily life.

When PD360 Points Past Training

PD360 is a training and behavior assessment, not a veterinary exam. If a trainer notices something that reads as medical (an unusual gait, sensitivity to touch, a health issue sitting underneath a behavior problem) they will tell you and point you toward your veterinarian instead of guessing.

On the training side, a bite history, significant anxiety, or resource guarding moves the conversation past manners work. Your trainer will explain why Behavior Camp, Transform Camp, or Private Lessons fits better than starting in a group. Private Lessons run at the school by default, with in-home lessons available at trainer discretion for obedience-focused goals; behavior cases start at the school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do most programs start with a PD360?

Placement saves time and money on both ends. PD360 confirms your dog's baseline, flags any safety considerations, and points to the fastest realistic path forward instead of guessing and correcting course three weeks into the wrong program.

Do I get my dog's results in writing?

Your pickup meet is a verbal breakdown from the trainer who worked your dog, and nothing is handed to you on paper that day. Your dog's revised PD360 score is sent to you once the trainer updates the system, and the plan itself lives there too, inside the curriculum and advice program, so it stays current as your dog progresses.

Is the PD360 fee refundable?

The fee is not refunded as cash. It is applied as store credit on your account when you enroll in your recommended program. If you decide not to move forward with training, we keep your dog's results and recommendation on file in case you change your mind later.

Can my dog start training right after PD360?

Often, yes. Your trainer will help you reserve start dates for whichever program fits, and your $199 (or $149 for a second dog) applies as store credit toward it. Ask at pickup about the specific dates open for your placement.

How long does the placement stay good for?

If you start within about 90 days, the placement typically stands. A long gap or a significant life change (a new dog, a new baby, a move, a medical event) may warrant a brief re-check so your dog starts in the right place.

Do you use a prong collar or e-collar during PD360?

No new tools are introduced during the assessment. Trainers work your dog on neutral, widely used equipment and marker-based communication. If your dog already trains on a specific tool at home, tell us and we will note it as context for the read.

We have two dogs. Can they be assessed together?

We schedule separate PD360 visits so each dog gets a clean, individual read, and we note any household dynamics worth planning around. The second-dog rate is $149 per additional dog assessed on the same visit.

Will my dog interact with other dogs during the assessment?

Only if the temperament read supports it. We check neutral proximity first, meaning working near other dogs without direct contact, and move to a supervised playgroup when it is appropriate and safe for that dog.

Foundation Camp: the board-and-train path for dogs who mostly need manners and structure.
Behavior Camp: the board-and-train path for reactivity, anxiety, and resource guarding.
Transform Camp: behavior work and advanced obedience in one program.
Group Classes: how the grade-based Pet Parenting Classes are structured, Pre-School through Dogtorate.
Private Lessons: one-on-one coaching built around your household's routines.
Vaccination Policy: required vaccines and the timing your first visit depends on.
Booking Policies: deposits, cancellations, and reschedule terms.

Check current grades and schedules for Group Classes if your assessment points to a grade-based class instead of camp.