Best In Class: Inside Crossbones Dog Academy In Providence, Ri

Crossbones Dog Academy, Providence, RI

OWNERS: Katherine Ostiguy and Daniel Lombard; founded: 2010; locations: 1; area: 8,000 sq. ft.; employees: 5 full time; website: crossbonesdog.com; FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE: xbonesdog; TOP BRANDS: 2 Hounds Design, Arya Sit!, BarkNBig, Bark Pouch, Earth Animal, Happy Howie’s Natural Dog Treats, Lambwolf Collective, Saint Rocco’s Treats, Stash Treat Co., Tucker’s Raw Frozen Food, Tuesday’s Natural Dog Co., Vital Essentials, Wag & Bright Supply Co., West Paw, Woof

“I WAS A TEENAGER when I got interested in dog training as a career,” says Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP, CPDT-KA, and owner of Crossbones Dog Academy in Providence, RI, with fiancé Daniel Lombard. “I took dog-training lessons with my family’s English Springer Spaniel Tessie, and the trainers were doing it as a full-time job.”

Ostiguy met her fiancé at Norfolk County Agricultural High School, which offers programs for students interested in animal and marine animal sciences. She majored in canine science and Lombard in marine biology. He got into dogs when they started dating. Lombard says, “We went together to agility trials and shows and ended up buying our first dog together, a Shetland Sheepdog named Strata.”

After high school graduation, Ostiguy graduated with distinction from the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional program, which filled the gaps in her training foundation. “Going through KPA was a tremendous launching point for my career,” she recalls. “My teacher was Emma Parsons, an expert in using positive reinforcement training to rehabilitate aggressive and reactive dogs.”

Ostiguy then suggested starting a dog-walking and private-lesson training business. Lombard says, “The goal was always to have a facility some day, but we knew we needed to start small.”

They founded Spring Forth Dog Services in 2010. In 2015, they launched Puppy Day School, their signature structured training and socialization program. Rebranding as Crossbones Dog Academy, in 2018 they moved into their current 8,000-square-foot warehouse, offering daycare and more retail.

Ostiguy shares, “We’re driven by the belief that early socialization, consistent training, and regular physical and mental enrichment are the keys to bringing out the best in any dog.”

Best-In-Class Services

Crossbones focuses on positive reinforcement. “We want training to be fun, enjoyable and effective for both ends of the leash,” Ostiguy says. “We use treats and toys to reward dogs for good behavior and to change the way they feel about things they don’t enjoy. We teach dogs alternative behaviors where the behavior that comes naturally to them isn’t ideal.”

The business’s revenue splits three ways, with year-to-date 55% training, 34% daycare and 11% retail. A variety of training services with ease of booking plays the biggest role in its brand.

Ostiguy explains, “Our group class registration system is fully online and has been since 2017. Clients can sign up, cancel and reschedule all on our website. They can also add themselves to class waitlists and immediately receive an email when a spot becomes available.”

The No. 1 program is Puppy Day School. “This is our comprehensive four-week training program for puppies,” she says. It includes Monday through Friday daytime care. “Pups enjoy playgroups, one-to-one training sessions, potty breaks and naps. Each week, clients get a Puppy Teacher Conference — a 30-minute private lesson — as well as a report card.” Clients also get Flex Class program access (See 5 Cool Things) so they can practice around distractions such as other dogs and people.

Educational Daycare is the maintenance program. Ostiguy says, “The dogs enjoy the same schedule as Puppy Day School, alternating between playgroups and crated rest periods. As a result, they go home with their socialization and exercise needs comfortably met.”

Other services include Flex Classes such as Core Manners and Advanced Manners, Reactive Recovery, behavior consulting, private lessons and agility classes. Agility students and dog sport competitors can also rent the facility’s training hall to practice.

What’s In Store

Clients enter Crossbones directly through the 800-square-foot, L-shaped lobby and retail space, which is a visual mix of unfinished wood, black, bright orange and galvanized metal.

“Our goal is to blend the warehouse’s industrial look with natural light wood tones and our orange brand color,” Ostiguy says. “We have black wire shelving for upright bagged treats and a wooden slatwall for plush toys, with stacking baskets below. The center of the retail space is our chew bar. The far wall has our glass double-door freezer of raw food and fresh supplements, and black shelving with other supplements, cleaning and calming supplies, and dehydrated dog food.”

The featured display on the 20-foot-long front desk changes with new or seasonal merchandise, as well as holds grab-and-go goods at the register and items such as odor-eliminating candles and nylon chews.

“My favorite part of the retail space is the ‘Enrichment Corner,’ a wood slatwall with lick mats, Pupsicle products, slow feeders and food puzzles, plus cube shelving with more food puzzle toys and creamy treats to fill them.” She adds, “Clients wait here to pick up and drop off their dogs, so we also place a freestanding sign announcing events or flash sales.”

Chews are the top-selling product at 42%, followed by treats 26%, food 11%, toys (plush, nylon) and enrichment (lick mats, slow-feeder bowls and treat-dispensing toys), at 6% each. The remaining 9% spreads across assorted retail such as harnesses, collars, leashes and supplements.

Training plans include suggestions, which naturally tie into retail. “For example, we coach puppy owners to give a safe, edible enrichment item to their puppy in the crate at nap time. That might be a Pupsicle, a bully stick or a lick mat,” Ostiguy says.

Crossbones only carries products they love and recommend. Lombard explains, “We want what serves our clients’ needs and makes life with their puppies better and easier.”

The rest of the building consists of training and daycare spaces, including the 75- by 45-square-foot Training Hall. Ostiguy says, “We have smaller rooms for one-on-one appointments and video calls, and larger, open spaces for group training.”

The hall includes a full ring with agility equipment built to American Kennel Club’s competition specs. While not large enough for competitions, all aspects of agility training can be taught there. “I have been teaching agility since 2008, and my students have gone on to make national finals and earn many championship titles,” she says.

Gold Standard Team

With 40 years of combined experience in off-leash dog play, in 10 years the Crossbones team has raised 12 of their own puppies to adulthood and coached more than 700 client puppies. All staff are full-time and receive benefits.

“Our team is seven people — myself and Dan, plus five full-time employees,” Ostiguy says. “They include a lead trainer certified as a dog trainer and behavior consultant, an apprentice dog trainer, and three canine-care team members who supervise playgroups and maintain the facility.”

Lombard runs the daycare department. Ostiguy says, “He schedules and invoices daycare clients, manages the dog-care employees and talks to potential clients.”

They split retail, with Ostiguy ordering and contacting reps while Lombard does pricing, stocking, data entry and adding products to the online store. “We share a lot of the load of hiring new team members and updating social media.”

Training is all Ostiguy. “I schedule and create the curriculum for classes, write blog posts and client reference materials, manage the training employees, run payroll and paid ads. I’m also in charge of the website, which I built and maintain myself.”

To keep everyone working toward the same goals, they introduced key performance indicators into the business in 2023. These include group class fill rate, daycare client retention and paid marketing ROI. “You need to find the metrics that actually move your business forward,” Ostiguy says. “It’s so important to go by data, not your gut feeling, whenever possible.”

Exceeding Expectations

Ostiguy and Lombard share their home with eight dogs: 14-year-old Spark, 11-year-old Anthem, 7-year-old Kerosene, 6-year-old Wick, 4-year-old Riot, and puppies Volt and Chevelle. Ostiguy says, “We are preservation breeders of Shetland Sheepdogs and have three generations in our house right now. The odd dog out is the love of my life, Ska, my 8-year-old, field-bred English Springer Spaniel.”

The dogs regularly participate in playgroups, and the puppies attend Puppy Day School. “Riot stars in video lessons that accompany my Dog Sport Fundamentals class. Ska is a total ham and features in our social media posts,” she adds.

Agility plays a huge part in their lives. Crossbones actively supports the local dog agility community, with vendor booths, sponsorships, and providing raffle and award prizes.

“I have been competing for over 20 years,” Ostiguy says. “Dan started nine years ago, making the International Federation of Cynological Sports World Team with his first agility dog, Anthem. Together they represented Team USA in England in 2023 and were selected as an alternate for the AKC European Open agility team in 2024. I have made national podiums in the U.S. and Canada with Spark and Ska. Dan has made championship finals appearances in the three largest American agility venues (AKC, United States Dog Agility Association and UK Agility International), ultimately winning Biathlon at USDAA’s Cynosport World Games in Tennessee last fall.”

Running the business rarely proves easy, but Ostiguy doesn’t see herself doing anything else. “Owning Crossbones has pushed us to grow in every way imaginable: more patience, better communication skills, more dog knowledge, more leadership skills, better understanding of finances and stress management … the list goes on and on.”

Ostiguy says she and Lombard are a “heck of a lot better” than when they started in 2010. “But, what hasn’t changed is our commitment to making dogs’ lives better and helping their owners enjoy them more.”

Five Cool Things About Crossbones Dog Academy

1. SLACKING AROUND: Crossbones uses Slack for internal observations and updates. A client asks, “Has Fluffy been drinking more water or peeing more frequently?” The staff member can search for “Fluffy” and see the latest notes about their behavior.

2. GOTTA POTTY: A fully fenced 20- by 40-foot outdoor yard — enclosed by concrete walls, the building and a 45-foot cedar privacy fence — sits next to the parking lot. Ostiguy says, “We love being able to offer outdoor space for our daycare dogs to relieve themselves and think it really helps with the housebreaking process for our puppy clients.”

3. ORANGE YOU GLAD: Crossbones’ signature bright orange color can be found throughout the academy, marketing pieces, website and social media. Even store fixtures are spray-painted orange. “I admit, it’s my favorite color!” Ostiguy says. “And Dan’s Honda Element was Citrus Fire Metallic. So we built it around my love for the color and the car we used as we launched the business.”

4. TAKE IT FOR GRANTED: Rhode Island’s Incumbent Worker Training Grant program quadruples Crossbones’ education budget, reimbursing for continuing education and certification. “We have to pay the full cost of the tuition up front. When the employee finishes the training, we submit proof of costs and proof of training to the state and they reimburse us up to 75%,” Ostiguy says.

5. FLEX EFFECTS: Flex Classes allow open enrollment to group dog training classes, including all five core Manners classes, during a set period of time. Pet parents can go to any weekly class to work on behaviors they feel they and their dog need to. Flex Class passes allow pet parents the flexibility to attend training on their schedule rather than a use-it or lose-it fixed schedule.

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