The “board & train” option seems like it’s steadily gaining popularity. I’ve been very successful with in home dog training here in Columbus, so I asked a good friend of mine, John Van Olden, to weigh in on this option. John’s not just a friend and fellow dog trainer – he has had almost three decades of experience as a successful, professional in home dog trainer! His opinion means a lot to me, and I hope it means a lot to you, too. Here’s John: With the proliferation of social media sites, mainly Facebook, I’m becoming increasingly aware of dog trainers that offer “board & train” options for their clients. This option often seems like a great deal. Just drop your dog off for a few days (or in some cases, a few months) and when you pick him up, he’ll be trained. Every board and train option I’ve seen also includes a few follow up lessons with the owner of the dog to make sure you know how to maintain the dog’s training. A few follow up lessons are a good start, but they still fall short.
See, I’ve been training dogs professionally for over 25 years now, and I’ve been very successful. Brace yourself, because what I’m about to tell you may sound shocking. In my entire career as a dog trainer, I have NEVER found the need to board and train a dog. Ever. I can achieve the same level of training by the end of the very first lesson that the average dog owner receives after picking their dog up from a board and train program lasting several weeks! I don’t see why a board and train would be necessary, especially considering that the most crucial component of dog training is training the owner. Any dog trainer will admit that unless the owner understands, feels comfortable, and follows through with the training, not much is likely to change over the long haul! If training the owner is so important, why should a dog spend so much time away from home? These days, Facebook is littered with pictures of board and train dogs doing down/stays around distractions, and board and train dogs walking calmly on a leash around other dogs at their facility. Frankly, I’m not impressed. I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret: ANY nominally skilled dog trainer an achieve most of these feats, with most dogs, in one or two training sessions. That’s right folks, THE MAJORITY OF GAINS YOU’LL EXPERIENCE WILL HAPPEN IN THE FIRST TRAINING SESSION! Subsequent training sessions are meant to show you how to maintain the training in any and all typical situations that you’ll encounter with your dog! These training sessions are not to be overrated. The major changes occur during the first lesson, but without understanding how, when, and why the training should be continued and transferred to other life situations, it may as well be meaningless!
So if this is true, then what does the trainer do with the dog the other 13, 22, or 29 days that he/she has your dog? For starters, I’m sure the dog is well cared for, played with, “socialized” (overrated, but that’s for another article) and walked. Beyond that, the trainer (or his/her staff) is doing exactly what he/she will tell you to do when you bring your dog home. Sadly, I’ve seen first-hand how ethics can be stretched in many board and train situations. It is all too common for a trainer to take a dog in for 2+ weeks of boarding & training only to crate, feed, and exercise the dog for 13 out of 14 days. The trainer will finally work with the dog just a few hours before the owners come to pick him up. Since achieving major behavior change takes less than a few hours (not two weeks!), the dog is of course showing off his/her best behavior when the owners get there, and the owners are amazed. The owners are sent home with instructions to essentially complete the training themselves, assuming they follow through with the instructions. In contrast, the trainers I work with charge less than $900 for dog training (far less than the average board and train), and they will tackle any and all issues your dog is experiencing. A board and train option can cost many (and in some cases many, many) times that amount, and achieves the same results you’d experience after the FIRST lesson with my trainers! Best of all, as long as you’re following through with the training protocols they’ve recommended, they’ll commit to working with you and your dog until ALL of your training goals are achieved. They don’t specialize in troubleshooting the problems that arise in a controlled training environment such as a kennel. They’re experts in troubleshooting real life, real world dog behavior problems in the context of your home environment! Multiple dog household? No problem. You’ve been handling your dogs together all this time, and while it might be a bit of work, we’ll show you how to get more bang for your buck, so to speak. After the first training session, you’ll be able to put in less work, and do so with 100 times the efficiency. Our job is to teach you how to handle your dogs properly from the very onset of training. This doesn’t require advanced dog “socialization” knowledge, or a trainer who’s willing to put his safety at risk to integrate your dogs. It requires understanding how to put your effort to work for you. If you’ve been considering a board and train option for your dog’s behavior problems, I’d encourage you to think twice. Consider the incredible results that can be achieved during in home dog training with a professional dog behavior trainer. If you could be part of this growth process with your dog, why would you want to be left out? If you’re in the Columbus area and you’re in need of dog behavior training, I can help! Our training will begin in your home, where I will guide you through the process of behavior change. I’m always available to help troubleshoot any issues. Once your dog has mastered the new skills, we’ll then do lessons out in public to make sure you know how to transfer the skills you’ve learned to all situations! Please contact me today at 614.347.9127 or use my contact form.