PRIVATE OVERNIGHT BOARD & TRAINS
***Evaluation process is required in advance of accepting any board and train candidates. If accepted, an initial consult in home is required before beginning the board and train program.
First off, let me start off by saying a board and train should be referred to as a “board & raise.” It is simply not possible to fully train a dog or puppy to the point of being “finished” in the matter of a few weeks. And, finished is certainly left for interpretation pending an individual’s goals. A board and train is about laying the foundation to good habits by starting to teach cues, skills, and alternatives. All of these pieces then MUST be followed through by educating the owner and working to translate the skills in the dog’s primary environment.
*A common starter option to get a puppy or dog STARTED in the raising/training/habit building process. Follow up lessons is the most critical part of a board & train with your puppy or dog as cues and skills need to be translated as well as habits formed in the dogs primary environment.
*Socialization is a critical part of the raising and training process. If you “do not have the time” to appropriately take your dog out, we do. A great option for those who have already completed a standard board & train (or want to merge a standard board and train with outings). Available to pair a standard BT with a public outing.
*The most highly recommended option as owner involvement is critical in translating skills as well as learning how to better handle your dog. If you are nervous about being away from your dog for a few weeks — you can also be part of the training process and actively involved and learning how to extract cues and skills from your dog — and get a jump start on creating solid habits when your dog comes home.
Board & Train expectations:
While it is certainly wonderful to send your dog off somewhere for training, most people expect when their dog returns after a couple of days to automatically uphold perfect skills and manners without consistency, time, or effort on their end. We have structured our overnight board and trains so before the dog comes to us and after it leaves we are already familiar with the dog’s primary environment as well as working with the dog owners on teaching cues and managing the household. Training the human is just as critical as training the dog and we want to make sure the things your dog takes away from its stay are easily translated back at home. Your dog may come home with a new set of skills and behaviors, and it is important to reinforce what we want and perhaps change ourselves and our habits in order to see a change with our dogs (yes, it has a lot to do with training the human). Just like a person, if you want to achieve a particular skill, you must practice to remain good at it…and remain practicing to become great under all circumstances.
We will take on a board and train as soon as 10-12 weeks (contact us if you are looking for sooner) and encourage developing good habits from the get go opposed to waiting until the dog is older and you have problems. We also require a 1v1 in home lesson before the board and train as well as following the board and train (unless we are familiar and have worked with the dog previously or it has already been evaluated).