Dog Board and Trains in Lancaster, PA

The Good, The Bad, and Is a Board and Train Right for You?

We’ve all seen the ads all over social media and the videos on YouTube.

“This dog just completed a six-week board and train program at our facility and they’re now an outstanding member of society!”

Then you think about your dog and how some of their behaviors could use some work, and maybe you should think about doing a board and train for your dog. You start to take a look around at some local facilities and get some pricing. It varies in time and length, and prices are also all over the place.

Sometimes it varies on breed or behavior; sometimes it has to do with the job you're asking the dog to do. One school is asking for $2800 for two weeks' worth of work, while another is asking $7000 for four weeks. You get confused and decide to go the middle route, finding a place willing to care for your pup for $3500 for four weeks, as that seems reasonable to you.

You get the dog back, and after a two-hour session with the trainer, everything seems to be going great until you get home.

A week later, the behaviors are falling apart at the seams, and you don’t know what's going on—after all, you paid for all this training!

So, what happened? Let’s take a look.

What is a Board and Train?

A board and train is a set amount of time that your dog will be living with a trainer at a facility, learning, or fixing behaviors. It’s not an overly complicated concept for most people to grasp, and for the price point, they can accomplish a lot of great things.

The Good Parts of a Board and Train

Your dog begins to understand the structure and lives in what can be described as doggy boot camp. They wake up, go potty, begin training, take a break, eat breakfast, return for more training, take another break, have some playtime, engage in the final lesson for the day, eat dinner, go potty, sleep, and repeat.

If this schedule doesn’t sound familiar or akin to your lifestyle, don’t worry—it’s not supposed to. At a board and train, the dog is there for one purpose: to accomplish a specific set of goals laid out between the trainer and the client. The trainer and your dog will become friendly over time, developing a bond, but they are not there to be their friend as a house pet; it’s more of a teacher-student relationship.

The positive outcomes of this routine are that dogs get used to a schedule and a certain way of doing things. They are actively training all the time, with ample rest between training and play. This setup allows dogs to process the direction of the lessons, gaining confidence in their practice. With this routine, dogs improve much faster than you would usually see because this is all they are going to know for the next few weeks: eat, train, play, and sleep. The times rarely change, so this becomes habitual for the dog, and they come to expect this routine and adapt to it quickly.

This doggy boot camp approach encourages dogs to perform behaviors consistently and keeps them in a constant state of work and reward structure. They will begin offering the desired behaviors to the trainer and will be rewarded for doing so. Eventually, these behaviors become habitual, and the dog practices them without even thinking. If you’re too busy to train your dog or have other priorities, a board and train can be a passive way to achieve obedience training without much effort on your part.

The Bad Side of Board and Trains

In the beginning, we spoke about having some issues with obedience or behaviors and wanting to directly fix those issues with a board and train. You decided to drop off your pup and see how they would do at the facility.

The Importance of Researching Facilities

Here is where we run into one of the first problems with board and trains: you didn’t visit the facility beforehand. You’re not sure how the system works. Where do they stay? Who will be training my dog? Do they rotate trainers? Is it private? Do the dogs intermingle?

All of these questions shouldn’t come as a surprise when dealing with the facility and should be answered well before you get there. Some owners feel pressured that once they commit, they can’t turn back and say no. This is not the case! Always advocate for your dog. If you feel uncomfortable at the facility, take your dog and leave. Separation anxiety is one thing; that’s normal. But if you truly feel nervous about leaving your dog somewhere unsafe, trust your instincts.

Understanding Training Methodology

Methodology is another hot-button issue in the industry. How will your dog be trained? Aversion and evasion, R+, free shaping, or a combination of these methods? Some trainers stick to one methodology and attempt to force their way onto the dog without building knowledge or trust first.

For instance, I recently started working with a dog trained with positive-only methods, which led to the dog ignoring its owner because of stubbornness. It’s crucial to know how the trainers work before dropping off your dog. If you’re uncomfortable with specific training tools, such as e-collars or pinch collars, make sure to communicate your preferences clearly before committing.

Transitioning Your Dog Home

One of the last issues can arise when sending the dog home. Your dog learned to live a certain lifestyle while away, and when they return, you might find that for a few days, they continue to practice the learned behaviors. However, if you don’t stick with it, the behaviors begin to fade, and you feel like you wasted your money.

Remember, a board and train is not the end of training. It lays a solid foundation, but it’s entirely up to you to continue the work when your dog gets home. They can have a little more freedom and independence, but it shouldn’t revert to a free-for-all once they return.

Is a Board and Train Right for You?

So, is a board and train right for you? Are you a dedicated owner who is too busy to tackle training right now, or is the behavior well beyond your capabilities to train the dog safely? If you’re facing issues like aggression or resource guarding, a board and train might be a great option.

If you’re willing to dedicate time to your dog and continue the work with self-training or follow-on classes, it could be a good fit. On the flip side, if you’re a more passive owner who doesn’t want to put in the work once your dog is home, don’t waste your money.

Board and trains can lay a great foundation for your dog and set you up for success, but it will always require ongoing work from you once your dog is home.

Looking for a board and train option? Look no further! Set up a FREE phone consultation where we can discuss all your dog’s needs and determine if a board and train is right for you!