Is board and train good for dogs?

In our company, we have a board and train program, and our board and train clients have great training success.

Is anything ever really as easy as sending a wild and crazy dog away and getting back a perfectly behaved companion?

Here are some suggestions to help you choose a board and train program for your dog and prevent your dog from falling into the wrong hands.

Why Board and Train Isn’t a Quick Fix

A perfectly behaved dog should be boarded and trained, right? After all, someone else does all the work while you enjoy the benefits. Well, in truth, it doesn’t work like that. The decision to board and train your dog may not be the best one for a variety of reasons. First, dogs don’t generalize well. As a result, they acquire behaviors in a very specific way. Your dog will interpret “down” as “lie down in the living room” if you teach them to do so. You must instruct them to adopt that attitude throughout the world.

This means that even if your dog picks up a new skill at the board and train facility, they might not understand that the same rules apply at home. You can’t be certain your dog will wait at your front door, for instance, if they love to door dash and the board and train method teaches them to wait at doorways. The environment has changed, so your dog’s behavior might too. To ensure that the training generalizes, you must continue it.

Similar to this, if your dog lives with you in your home, you should search for a board and train facility that keeps its clients in a homelike setting. Many facilities keep their dogs in kennels. If they aren’t even being trained in your house, how is your dog supposed to learn the rules?

Second, it’s crucial to keep up the training to make sure the new behaviors stick, in addition to assisting your dog with generalization. It won’t take long for your dog to stop sitting for you if you teach it to sit at the board and train but never reward it when you get home. It is important to reward good behavior with treats, toys, games, praise, and other rewards if you want to keep it up. Training is a lifelong pursuit.

Third, you might need to adjust your way of life, especially if your actions initially caused your dog’s problems. Antecedents matter. For instance, luring your dog into undesirable behavior by leaving food on the coffee table. By continuing to provide such temptations, you’re encouraging your dog to revert to old bad habits, even though they may learn to “leave it” at the board and train.

Finally, creating a strong bond with your dog is the key to good behavior. Your dog should be interested in obeying you and want to listen to you. If they don’t care about listening to you, it doesn’t matter if they will listen to the board and train the staff. That means you need training too. The board and train facility ought to impart to you all of the hand signals and verbal cues that they taught your dog, in addition to the methods for carrying on working with your pet. Then, in order to convince your dog that you are someone they should pay attention to, you must put those skills into practice. Additionally, spending time training your dog positively will deepen your relationship with him and increase his trust in you.

In addition to not being a quick fix, board and train facilities aren’t always secure. Numerous instances of animal abuse and even death have been documented in board and train facilities. Many of the board and train trainers employ harsh techniques like shock collars and other aversives. These methods could have detrimental effects on your dog, including physical harm and stress. The limited amount of time available to produce results may be the cause of this reliance on aversive techniques. Some trainers believe that restraining behavior through punishment is simpler than developing behavior through constructive training. Additionally, you’re relying on the board and train facility to prioritize your dog’s welfare over their guarantees because you can’t watch what’s happening to your dog there.

What Services Are Offered in Board-and-Train Programs?

Basic Training: The most common services are obviously training. Dogs boarding are often taught basic commands such as sit, down, stay, heel, come and watch me. Often, behavior issues are addressed and dogs are also taught how to stop jumping, stop pulling on the leash, running out the door, counter-surfing, etc. In certain circumstances, trainers toss in a few extra helpful commands such as leave it, drop it and even some tricks.

Behavior Modification: Some dog training centers also address serious behavior issues such as aggression, anxiety and other problem behaviors. During the dogs stay, the dog is typically exposed to the stimulus the dog is reactive towards, ideally at a low level of intensity (under the threshold). The dogs behavior is then changed using different behavior modification techniques (desensitization, counter-conditioning, Behavior Adjustment Training, etc). Note: not all methods employed are good, some trainers may use flooding and other methods that can fix the problem temporarily or aggravate the issue. Some trainers resort to shock collars, prong collars, choke collars and use training methods based on coercion to obtain fast results, this is really wrong!

Depending on your dog’s training problems and the outcome you are looking for, you will be away from your pup for several weeks to several months.

I don’t know about you, but the thought of being separated from my dogs for a few weeks or even months gives me the willies! But then again, I’m the girl who had to cancel her honeymoon to care for her dog during knee surgery.

Even if you’re not quite as insane as I am, you probably don’t relish the thought of being apart from your dog for such an extended period of time. This might interfere with your ability to bond with a new puppy, and it might be very upsetting to leave an adult dog in a board-and-train facility.

It is certainly not a decision to be taken lightly!

FAQ

Will my dog remember me after board and train?

Answer: “Absolutely Not. The best thing about dogs is that they are present-oriented thinkers. They don’t worry about the past or make plans for the future. While they can recall past experiences when something prompts that memory (such as when they are reunited with their owners), they primarily think in the present.

Is it good to send your dog away for training?

Boot camp training for dogs is a hugely effective way to help teach fundamental obedience, restructure poor manners, or resolve behavioral issues. The idea of sending them off to school can frequently change both the lives of dogs and their owners, whether they are puppies as young as 3 months old or older dogs.

What are the benefits of board and train for dogs?

• Accelerates Learning. …
• Convenience for Dog Parents. …
• Provides a Different Environment for Behavior. …
• Getting an Overall Assessment of Your Dog. …
• Finding a Good Program. …
• You Will Not Be Instructing Your Dog.

What age is best for board and train puppy?

What You Need to Know. First, three months is typically the minimum age for boarding puppies. This usually gives your puppy enough time to finish their course of puppy shots, which are typically administered over the course of 12 weeks.