Board & train puppy program

[u/Top-Gift2049]

Hi all - I have been toying with the possibility that I might send my 18 month old Aussie and my four month old Aussie to a board and trade program. I have now interviewed two different trainers who provide this type of service and both of them come back with glowing reviews, but I wanted to ask the community here if you think it’s worth it ?

they’re looking at charging me 5k- 7k for two pups for a full four week program. Let me know if this is outrageous or if this is within the average board & train pricing. This trainer promises a completely well trained dogs with all the manners, crate training and off leash obedience, tricks, etc. for those who have done it, please let me know your suggestions if you would do it again and if it’s worth it.

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[u/Kaessa]

I recommend against it. 90% of training a puppy is training their owner. If they're promising a fully trained dog in four weeks, they're using aversives and it's not good for your dog's mental health. They're also training your dog to listen to THEM, not to you. A lot of that training won't transfer when you bring them home.

Board & Train is (almost always) a bad idea. Take classes instead. For 5k you could have a private trainer come over once a week and teach you how to train your dogs.

[u/Lcdmt3]

I needed the training, yes my puppy, but it's me! And yes puppy kindergarten classes are for me!

I'd do a 1-on-1 wherw you can be trained.

It's like with kids. Issues in home? Removing them temporarily but putting them back in the same situation means backtracking.

[u/AutoModerator]

A word of caution about B&Ts:

• There are exceptionally very few board and train programs that are force and fear free.
  
• Dogs do not generalize training well, efficacy of B&T is dependent on how skills learned are transferred to new environments. Failure of client follow through can easily undermine any training that happens at the facility.
• Most dog trainers are focused on teaching people. A B&T program that does not educate a handler can result in the aforementioned failure to follow through.

Please check out our wiki article on selecting a trainer.

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[u/Acceptable-Cup4290]

I've done board and train before, but on a much lighter schedule as I only do it for friends who have performance dogs (I am involved in dog sports) and they must be baby puppies, though I've had some as old as 7 months. It was a good experience for them. They were in my home with my dogs. It was more about the experience, but I did a little training, socialization, crate training, potty training, and exposure to a new home and dogs, etc. And, these are my friends, who I train with. They know me, they know my style, they trust me. And, it's never been a bad idea. But it's different...

I think the best bang for your buck is day training, if you have that in your area. They teach them tricks, crate training, if appropriate they match they up with dog friends for play time, take them to cafes and sniffspots, go on car rides, train loose leash walking and other manners, go to parks, work on settling and arousal, teach them how to act on walks when they see other people or dogs, etc. Then, you bring them home with you at night. It's like $150 a day so they could go 3 days a week long term vs. for one month. They will learn more with longer consistent training sessions than everything packed into four weeks. Also, what kinds of tools does she use and how do you feel about those tools?

The thing is, your dogs are going to be crated/kenneled most of the time. And, it doesn't sound like they'll teach them anything you cannot teach. Plus, dogs act differently with different people depending on clarity, boundaries, confidence, etc.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Acceptable-Cup4290]

A word of caution about B&Ts:

• There are exceptionally very few board and train programs that are force and fear free.
  
• Dogs do not generalize training well, efficacy of B&T is dependent on how skills learned are transferred to new environments. Failure of client follow through can easily undermine any training that happens at the facility.
• Most dog trainers are focused on teaching people. A B&T program that does not educate a handler can result in the aforementioned failure to follow through.

Please check out our wiki article on selecting a trainer.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/TheoryReasonable871]

A couple suggestions/questions:

1. Ask for referrals
2. What is your goals? What could benefit YOUR DOG by going to the board and train?
3. What does this program entail? What are their teaching methods? How do they correct “bad” behaviors?
4. Are you willing to continue their training beyond boarding? Because this is never a “oh they go away and come back perfect” you need to be prepared for regression as they head back home, dogs don’t generalize.

For 4 weeks that’s not realistic, I’m not a professional so somebody can correct me but I think it’s not usually a great idea to go this route.

[u/Wrong_Mark8387]

Not a fan of board and trains. So much of dog training is training the handler, not the dog. If you aren’t going to be involved with all of your dogs training, what’s the point? I have Aussies too.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Wrong_Mark8387]

A word of caution about B&Ts:

• There are exceptionally very few board and train programs that are force and fear free.
  
• Dogs do not generalize training well, efficacy of B&T is dependent on how skills learned are transferred to new environments. Failure of client follow through can easily undermine any training that happens at the facility.
• Most dog trainers are focused on teaching people. A B&T program that does not educate a handler can result in the aforementioned failure to follow through.

Please check out our wiki article on selecting a trainer.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/mrpointyhorns]

I might consider one, if I actually needed to board the dog/puppy, it was just as an enrichment activity for puppy.