What to Expect from a Board & Train Program

Board & Train gives dogs the chance to live and learn in a structured environment designed for focus, consistency, and progress.
It’s an immersive experience—but not a magic fix. Training is a process that continues long after your dog goes home. Think of this program as a strong reset and foundation builder, not an instant cure for behavioral issues.

The First Few Days: Assessment & Acclimation

Before training begins, your dog’s stay starts with a calm adjustment period. This helps them settle into the new environment, routine, and relationship with the trainer.

During this time, I review your goals, your dog’s background, and any specific challenges such as reactivity, leash pulling, or confidence issues. Once your dog is comfortable, I conduct a hands-on evaluation to understand their motivation, learning style, and how they respond to new situations.

From there, I build a customized plan that maps out the day-to-day focus areas for your dog’s training. Every plan is flexible and adjusted based on how the dog responds throughout the program.

The Core of the Program: Daily Structure & Focused Training

Each day follows a consistent routine that balances work, rest, and enrichment.

What Your Dog Will Learn

Training always starts with the foundation. Before we jump into obedience commands or bigger goals, your dog needs the building blocks that make learning clear, consistent, and stress-free.

Foundational Skills

During the first phase of the program, I focus on core habits and communication tools such as:

• Marker training

• Engagement work

• Luring and shaping

• Touch/targeting

• Hand-feeding routines

• Impulse control/Manners/Wait at doors

These skills are the backbone of everything else your dog will learn. Without a strong foundation, advanced training simply won’t stick.

Basic Obedience

Once your dog understands the structure and communication system, we begin layering in reliable obedience:

• Sit

• Down

• Recall (Come)

• Implied Stay

• Place

• Heel

These behaviors are taught first in low-distraction environments, then gradually proofed outdoors and in everyday scenarios as your dog is ready.

Advanced Skills & Behavior Work

After the foundations and core obedience are solid, we move into more advanced skills as time and the dog’s progress allow. This may include:

• Leave It

• Drop It

• Polite greetings with people or dogs

• Loose-leash walking around distractions

• Calm crate time and settling skills

For the 6-Week Board & Train, we also introduce:

• E-collar conditioning

• Behavior work for reactivity, over-arousal, or impulse control issues

• Generalizing skills in higher-distraction environments

Every dog learns at a different pace, and the program adjusts based on your dog’s individual needs. The goal isn’t to check every box — it’s to build real, lasting skills that make life easier and more enjoyable when your dog comes home.

Training Tools & Communication Methods

Each dog’s training plan is built around clear, fair communication and the right tools for their temperament and learning style. Positive reinforcement is the foundation for teaching new behaviors, but a balanced approach that incorporates all four quadrants of operant conditioning is used when appropriate to ensure clear communication and lasting results.

Common tools may include a martingale collar, slip lead, prong collar, or long line to help guide and reinforce leash manners and structure. For the 6-Week Board & Train, your dog will also be introduced to and conditioned on an e-collar, used as a communication tool to reinforce reliability and freedom off-leash.

All tools are introduced gradually and with care. The goal is clarity, not control. Each dog learns to respond calmly and confidently under gentle, consistent pressure-and-release communication.

When your dog’s program ends, you’ll keep any tools that are part of their training, along with hands-on instruction on how to use them correctly during the handoff lesson.

Transitioning Home: Owner Coaching & Handoff

Before your dog goes home, I schedule a detailed handoff lesson. This session is all about helping you learn how to maintain structure and communicate clearly using the same tools and cues your dog has learned.

You’ll also receive digital handouts, videos, and notes from your dog’s stay to help guide your practice at home. The included follow-up lessons give you the opportunity to ask questions, fine-tune handling, and keep your dog on track.

Lasting success depends on daily reinforcement and consistency at home—the program gives you the tools, but real progress happens through ongoing practice.

After the Program: Follow-Up & Continued Success

Each program includes in-person follow-up lessons to support your transition. These sessions focus on reinforcing structure, addressing minor setbacks, and helping your dog adjust to the home environment.

While you’re welcome to check in with updates or brief questions, results depend entirely on consistent follow-through at home. Training isn’t something done to your dog—it’s something you continue with them.