At our Austin Dog Training Facility, we frequently do board and train dog training programs for our clients. This means that we take the dog for a period of weeks (usually two to three) and do the training for the client. Board and Train dog training is not always appropriate for every training problem, though. Here is a quick guide to deciding if a board and train dog training program is right for your dog's behavior problems.
Basic Manners: If you're looking for basic manners, you'll want to ask some questions about the board and train program. Since dogs don't generalize as well as humans (take lessons from one location or one person to other locations and people), a board and train program can easily fail because the training is not being done by the owner in the locations in which the owner will need it to work. Because of this potential drawback of board and train dog training programs, it will be crucial to pick a board and train program that tries to address this issue. For example, when I am teaching a dog in one of our Austin board and train programs, I train the dog in the first week at our training center and on walks in the surrounding neighborhood. By the second week, however, I begin to take the dog to other locations, such as parks, coffee shops and restaurants. I also have several other people involved in training the dog so that the dog learns that the same rules apply no matter what location we're in and no matter who is giving cues. A good board and train program will also include more than one private lesson with the owner to help the owner learn how to work with the dog successfully. I believe it is these details that allow us to successfully train dogs and then send them back to their owners in other cities without ever stepping foot in the dog's own home!
Aggression: Many forms of aggression are well-suited to a board and train program. For example, resource guarding of food, toys, and other valued items is particularly well-suited to successful treatment with a board and train approach. Resource guarding of a particular person (usually the owner of the dog) is not! If the dog is guarding the owner, the dog behavior consultant cannot successfully address this, I believe, in a board and train setting because the presence of the owner is required to modify the behavior! Similarly, treatment of aggression towards dogs outside of your own home (including barking and lunging on leash) can be successfully resolved in a board and train setting, but aggression among the dogs within your own household is not readily resolved through board and train because it is specific to your household and, generally has a great deal to do with the manner in which your household is being run.
Handling issues: Another type of problem that is well-suited to training through a board and train program is handling. If a dog is either fearful of being handled, or growls or bites when handled, a trainer can work on this issue in a board and train setting for you.
Shyness and Fear: The answer to whether shyness and fear can be handled in a board and train setting is, "it depends". If, for example, the fear is focused on one trigger, such as men or children, a board and train program may be quite successful. In cases of overall "fear of the world", I think that dogs that are well-bonded to their owners can do well with a board and train program. On the other hand, if a dog is new to your home and not yet completely comfortable with you, wait on a board and train program for this problem. You want your dog to completely bond and be comfortable with you before taking them out of your home so that their bonding process with you will not be disturbed.
Teenage Terrors: There is a class of dogs that we fondly call Teenage Terrors at my training center. They are out-of-control, jumping on people, scavenging from counters, and they won't perform behaviors for their owners unless they see the food up front. We have a program for them that ishttp://www.buddyschance.com/basicobedienceboardandtrain.html sort-of like boot camp for dogs. They learn impulse control, deference and manners, and a high level of reliability on basic cues like coming when called and a sit stay. This one is often the end of the road for many of our clients! If you're having issues like these and you've reached the end of the rope or you don't have time to do the training yourself, you might consider a board and train program!
Other factors to consider: your ability to be consistent with your dog during the training stages, your flexibility and available time, the seriousness of the problem involved, and the amount of money you are able to invest in a board and train program (the good ones are expensive because it takes time for the trainer to do these things right - there are rarely short cuts in dog training!).
Good luck in choosing your board and train program!
