Benefits of boarding and training for dogs and their humans

One of the first decisions you’ll have to make in your dog training journey is which training program to choose! Many of us trainers offer multiple options; for example, we offer Board & Train, Day Train, Private In Home Lessons, and Virtual Coaching (for folks not local to us). 

For today’s post, we’ll focus on Board & Train! 

First, what is Board & Train? 

Board & Train, or B&T for short, is a program where your dog will stay with us for a minimum of 3 weeks. During that time we will teach your pup all of the basic skills they will need to be successful in life including what we call The Communication (more on that in a second), 5 core commands (Sit, Down, Place, Heel, & Recall), crate training, potty training, plus leash skills like how to respond to leash pressure and loose leash walking. For more in depth skills like e-collar training and/or working through behavior modification like dog reactivity, we generally recommend additional weeks, but it is all depending on how much of the heavy lifting you would like us to do vs how much you’d like to do yourself. We discuss this and make our recommendation at your Consultation. 

Quick tangent on The Communication: 

Our primary goal is to teach all of our clients and their dogs to understand four sounds: “Yes”, “Good”, “Ah-ah”, and “No”. 

“Yes” = That’s correct! 

“Good” = I like what you’re doing, keep on doing it! 

“Ah-ah” = The warning. You’re about to make a mistake, please make a different choice! 

“No” = That’s incorrect.  

We are adamant about teaching these sounds as they give us a way to give our dogs verbal feedback. That way we can lose the leash and our dogs will listen more readily with minimal effort on our part. 

I’ll have to do another blog post on this to get further into the weeds, but for now, back to our B&T conversation! 

3 key benefits of Board & Train: 

1. We can separate the learners. Generally speaking when we start this process, you as the human are learning and the dog is learning as well. With Private Lessons, you are both learning and teaching at the same time which can cause confusion for your dog. With B&T, we can teach your dog all the skills they need in the safety of our home while you take that time to work through our Basics Course. One major aspect of our program that sets us apart is our online Basics Course. You get nearly 10 hours of education that you complete at your pace included in your B&T program. Of course, you have us on speed dial when questions arise as well! Once your dog’s stay is complete, we follow that up with private lessons, the first of which being the day we bring your dog home to you. Since your dog already has a great foundation for their education, teaching you is more about accessing what your dog already knows rather than teaching you how to teach your dog all of the things. This greatly streamlines the process and will ensure you reach your goals much quicker!
2. It’s easier on the dog. The first couple days of being in a new place can be scary and unsettling for some dogs, but they always get into the groove pretty quickly. The reason for this is that we are incredibly consistent with our daily rituals and we are fluent in speaking dog. We minimize the amount of pressure on the newbies so they recognize that they can trust us and that our home is a safe space. Corey and I have been hosting dogs for B&T and boarding in our home since 2018 and have had the honor of caring for well over 100 dogs in that time. Not sure on that exact number, but it’s been a lot! The dogs thrive being in a home environment vs a larger kennel. We foster a calm, relaxed atmosphere to ensure the dogs are not only learning and enjoying their stay, but that they are getting the rest they need as well! Can’t learn if you’re overtired and overstimulated! Your dog will only ever be handled by myself and Corey as well, so your pup will only have to befriend us two as opposed to the myriad of people working at a traditional kennels. 
3. Gives you a break and is easier on you. Dog ownership is a lot, especially if you have a young rambunctious dog or a dog with behavioral troubles. You are not a bad dog mom/dad/parent for wanting a breather! Time apart will help you focus on your education as well as other aspects of your life for a bit, that way you can come back to the training process refreshed and ready to go! Absence makes the heart grow fonder! Plus, you get consistent updates from us to keep you in the loop with your pup’s training. We post clips of training Tuesdays through Saturdays on our Instagram and weekly full session video updates on YouTube. I also reach out multiple times a week (my goal is always Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) with more in depth updates. And I’m always open to taking additional photo/video requests for those days when you’re missing your furry kiddo. We also do a Midway session about halfway through your dog’s stay to go over any questions you have and prep you for your pup’s homecoming. Just because your dog is getting the expert hands on time from us doesn’t mean you won’t be involved! 
4. Bonus benefit! If you plan to have your dog board with us in the future, or take advantage of our daycare service, having that initial longer stay will make the shorter stays so much better for them. Anytime a pup comes to stay with us for daycare or boarding, we always take stock of where they are in the training process here at our home and craft their program accordingly. The more comfy the dogs are here and understand the program, the more freedom we can give them. The further along they are in the training process with us, the more fun adventures we can go on during their stay! This is especially relevant for dogs who are insecure or anxious. The more familiar they are with us and our home, the more comfortable their stay will be! 

There you have it! If you are interested in training with us and taking advantage of our Board & Train program, hop on over to our New Client onboarding page to get started today: www.dogseyeviewtraining.com/start 

Or give us a call to chat through any questions you have! 248-515-6093. 

Happy training! 

-Kate Welch