BOARD & TRAIN FAQ

➔ PREPARING FOR A BOARD & TRAIN

➔ BOOKING & BILLING

➔ DURING THE PROGRAM

➔ AFTER THE PROGRAM

➔ OTHER QUESTIONS

PREPARING FOR YOUR BOARD & TRAIN

  • Our team will give you all the tools you need to prepare your dog for their program. We’ll be walking you through each stage step by step. Your trainer will give you instructions and practice alongside you, and we’ll ease your dog into a similar schedule to reduce the stress of changing environments. We want them to arrive happy and in the best place to thrive and learn while here.

  • There is! Take a look at our packing list for a detailed list of what to supply for your dog.

  • Yes! We have countless protocols in place to keep all dogs safe: experienced handlers, ongoing continuing education, weekly meetings to evaluate what dogs would best compliment each other’s learning, strong gate systems with multiple doors to prevent escape, and totally separate training spaces for different types of dogs. Your dog will be around dogs we feel will benefit their training journey, not hinder them.

  • Keep in mind dogs can’t learn when they’re stressed. Your dog being in a state of mind to learn is our number one priority. Our facility is designed with this in mind: It’s quiet, peaceful, and full of things dogs love. We have a variety of activities to please different personality types.

    More generally, different dogs respond differently to a B&T environment. Many dogs thrive thrive from day one, as they are lacking structure and love the mental stimulation. Very fearful (afraid of their own shadow) type dogs settle in over the a few days and then their confidence blooms on our agility course.

    Mostly we find dogs have developed an unhealthy codependent relationship with their owner. This results in them not being able to regulate their own emotions. The slight stress of moving them and shifting their environment is worth it in the long run. Eliminating all stress from a dog’s life simply isn’t realistic. Our goal is to very slowly titer out small measured challenges your dog can overcome so they build resilience.

Booking & Billing

  • After your evaluation, you’ll receive a breakdown of what you can expect from our services for your dog. This will include potential B&T lengths and focuses.

    Once the contract is signed, the deposit is satisfied, and your goals are approved, we schedule sessions for you to complete prior to dropping your dog off if your trainer recommends them. Your dog must be crate trained and adjusted to sleeping in the crate before their stay with us. Alternately you can book time to work one on one with your dog to ensure they are comfortable with crating.

  • We want you to have the best equipment- the same equipment we used to train your dog. Some programs have a followup bill for any equipment we want you to have longterm to maintain the training we put on your dog.

    Reimbursement invoices for equipment typically range between $200-$600 and are issued when your dog goes home- alongside with a full explanation and demonstration of the equipment.

During the Board & Train

  • Your dog will live at our in home facility. While dogs enjoy outdoor time while training or on rest break everyone sleeps indoors in a temperature controlled and monitored space.

  • Which part of the program your dog is in will influence their schedule.

    The beginning is a learning stage, your dog will be on site at the facility only learning new commands in distraction free training spaces. They will have break time in their crate, individual dog runs with fresh bedding and water, or one of our fully fenced yards.

    Mid-program we start moving things outside to make sure your dog can do their commands in general everyday spaces like the sidewalk of a quiet street.

    Proofing is the final phase- this work includes field trips to parks, public spaces, and off-leash work around other trained dogs. The shorter programs do not get into the proofing stages, while dogs in longer programs spend the end of their time with us doing lots of field trips to make sure they perform in any environment.

  • We are well versed in handling dogs with special diets and medications. Your trainer will coach you on diet during your prep sessions. Part of getting your dog ready for a program is creating a high food drive, we will wean your dog off super high value treats and foods for a time. We want to make these distinctive rewards during the training program.

    We understand many dogs have food allergies. We source mainly turkey proteins as treats as we’ve found these to be the least inflammatory and acceptable to a variety of stomachs.

  • We send an update once a week. Our main focus is spending training time with your dog, so we do not send lengthy updates or encourage you to text or call regularly. Remember, time we spend giving you an update is time that comes out of your dog’s program. We appreciate you trusting us with your dog.

    If there is a medical issue, we call immediately to discuss veterinary care choices.

    If your dog is discovered to have additional behavioral problems we were not initially aware of, we will call to discuss either prioritizing one issue over another or adding time to your program.

  • Dogs come to us for bad behavior. : ) We have yet to meet a dog we couldn’t handle!

    There have been instances when a dog had an undiagnosed medical issue that was discovered at our facility. In this case, we send dogs home to recover if we feel their medical situation is impeding their learning progress, and return when thy are well. The only other occasion we’ve sent dogs home is when they did not complete their preliminary crating practice and were to stressed to train in this environment.

  • When you sign up for your Board and Train, we write a custom program for your dog that utilizes every day they are with us. We do not send dogs home early. They all are doing well by the end of the program, but we want to proof them in as many environments as possible to make sure the training results last.

    If your dog is discovered to have more issues than previously known or is struggling, we will call to discuss options with you. Once you have realistic expectations of what to expect, you can decide to keep your dog here for longer time. If you are torn between a longer and shorter program we strongly encourage you to make this decision before sending your dog to us.

    Good dog training is like making a layer cake. Imagine you’ve already baked a 3 layer cake, and then you decide you want a 7 layer cake. Can you do it? Yup. Will it look as good as if you had started knowing you were making a 7 layer cake from the beginning? No. A dog here for 3 weeks who adds 4 more weeks in the middle of his program will only get 4 weeks learning the more advanced commands instead of the full 7. It’s much harder for us as trainers, and so we do not offer the same discounts on additional time if you add to your program once your dog is with us.

  • When we started in 2014 we used to work dogs with only their specific trainer, and we found it much harder for the dog to work for different people when they went home. It’s critical after a board and train your dog will work for you! Dogs get very dependent on body movements, they can become almost “addicted” to a handler if they only work with one person.

    For this reason our Board and Train cases are handled and trained by our entire facility team. Your case is overseen and tracked by your trainer. We’ve found that dogs working with a variety of people helps them not become dependent on one person. They better generalize their commands and routines to everyone around them and understand to work for whomever is holding the leash.

After the Board & Train

  • You’ll have sessions to help you transfer your dog’s result home and learn their commands. Your trainer will practice with you to make sure you are comfortable and your dog transfers smoothly back home with their new skills. Often clients choose one or both of the following:

    • Joining our pack walks to maintain their results and have additional support maintaining their dog’s training. Our team meets monthly to review pack pup progress, this is also a great way to not only sustain, but build on, your dog’s training.

    • Additional Private sessions to further them along their journey and build advanced skills.

  • Foundational Board and Trains include a video series explaining the commands that you can revisit if you ned a reminder. You will also receive a written handout with suggested schedule recommendations. Your trainer will go over any medical or behavioral recommendations that are unique to your dog in your sessions.

  • Many of our client return to us to keep their dogs training looking sharp or to add new skills like off leash control. Refresher programs typically do not have a minimum length and are often much shorter than your first foundational Board and Train. Refreshers lengths are agreed upon based on the goals you are trying to achieve.

  • Yes! Once your dog has trained with us we welcome them back for boarding anytime.

Other Commons Questions

  • Since we started in 2014, we’ve never had a dog fail to listen to their owner after returning home.

    Your dog will be responsive to anyone who knows her commands and how to give them. They will be extra responsive to people who practice with her regularly. We understand the program is of no value to you if your dog does not retain results at home. We’re lucky to be 100% a referral business for a good reason; we’re about getting you results. This is why we have so many sessions built into our programs - to teach you everything you need to know to maintain you training and have your dog grow beyond that point in the future.

    Will they always be slightly more responsive to your trainer? Yes. But this is the case with or without a Board & Train. Some of you have done private sessions and have already witnessed this: as professional trainers, we spend countless hours learning how to communicate with dogs - how to read their body language, how to influence them, motivate them, and predict when they will and won't listen. Because of this, your dog will always look sharper with a professional. Our diligent clients get to a level where this disparity vanishes, but this takes time.

  • Dogs who are only bonded with one or two people will quickly transfer that bond when removed from their home environment. Frequently this is magic; as soon as you leave, your dog is in our lap.

    We cannot bond with your dog when you’re there in the same way, because - for certain breeds, and particularly fearful dogs - they will not bond with a large group of people. This bond will transfer back to you when your dog returns home.

  • We highly recommend you consider joining our on leash packs after your program ends, which can be organized alongside your program booking. Sending your dog out with our pack walks help keep their training sharp, while taking some of the stress off of you to maintain their results. If you’d like to take advantage of this option, please let us know and we’ll have your dog join their pack while they’re with us!

    Other than pack walks, you’ll be welcome to return for refreshers or continue with private sessions. We also help our training families with regular boarding. While regular boards don’t include training in the same way a B&T does, boarding with us does help retain results, as we’re well versed in your dog’s commands and training. Our program is of no benefit to you if the training does not come home, so we take every step possible to make sure our results last.

    Training is a journey, and we’ll be with you all the way.