Is a Board & Train right for your dog?

Is a Board and Train program the right option for your dog? Angie Greenway, KPA-CTP Mind Your Pawz Dog Training and Behavior Training@MindYourPawz.com Revised January 2026 Board and Train Programs have a bad rap, and some of them deserve it. Many are charging naive clients a lot of money for a poorly run program that makes false promises. Some are not credible. Some are not educated. Some are not kind. Some are just not experienced enough to offer such services. But there are many training professionals running wonderful programs. Some trainers are incredibly experienced and well versed in canine behavior, and can fast track many things like basic cues, good leash walking habits, and some of them are also skilled at working with behavior modification such as leash reactivity or remedial socialization. Like anything else in life, you need to do your homework before selecting your trainer, but some programs are fantastic and can be super helpful for busy pet guardians who may need some extra support with getting things on track. Many families benefit from having their puppy or adult dog spend some time with professional trainers. Often the dog will learn new skills faster from a professional. This is because we handle dogs all day everyday and our timing has gotten very good in comparison to the average pet owner who is trying to learn at the same time as the dog. We also have the advantage of seeing small approximations along the way, so we know what to look for and when to reinforce the dog. We know how the behavior progresses, so we can quickly tell if it’s on the right track or if we need to modify the plan. It can be overwhelming to manage your dog’s behavior while also learning to modify your own at the same time.

Trainers often have access to other "solid tempered" dogs that can assist in facilitating appropriate social interactions with your dog.

Utilizing a board and train program can often jump start the desired behaviors so that the dog understands the cues you are asking for, and then (most importantly) the client learns how to use and reinforce those cues as they continue their relationship and training journey together. It would be a mistake to have expectations of a “fully trained dog” at the end of the program. This is only the beginning. You are paying a professional to do the heavy lifting of starting the work and then passing the baton to you, the guardian, to keep it going. An advantage of utilizing a board and train program is the relationship that your trainer will develop with your dog. Yes, this is a good thing!  Your trainer will get to know your dog pretty well and have some insight into their personality and what motivates them, which will go a long way if you need to reach out again with a new challenge. A good trainer truly becomes more of a coach for the dog/guardian team. Different Types of Board and Train Programs:

Facility Board and Train programs assign one (or more) of their trainers to work with your dog multiple times daily and they are usually housed in a kennel run where multiple staff members help care for them throughout the day.

In-Home Board and Train programs typically host your dog in the trainer’s home and they work on the desired behaviors multiple times a day. The dog spends a lot of time with the  trainer and is typically a more personal experience than a facility environment since the dog lives/sleeps in their home. You still need to be careful when you choose your trainer and be sure that your training philosophy and methods are aligned with theirs and that you trust this person to care for your dog in a way that you are comfortable.

In Home Boarding often provides a personal connection with humans while your dog is away from home. This can help the learning process greatly since it is often a less stressful environment.

In our opinion, the hallmark of a good board and train program is:

•  A credible trainer with experience and education with behavior modification that does not involve punitive tools.  Anyone can punish a dog to squash a behavior in the moment, but it takes skill and experience to teach a dog to offer the desired behavior going forward.

•  Your dog should be spending a lot of time with their trainer, developing a good relationship and practicing daily life skills and not just drilling exercises.

• There should be a custom assessment before the stay with a program curriculum and structured routine that is designed for your dog, with your specific goals in mind.

• You should be able to visit where the dog will be staying.

• FOLLOW UP lessons with the human end of the leash are a MUST.If you are not able to modify your own behavior and learn how to support the new behaviors that your dog has learned, it will most certainly fall apart at home. 

Characteristics that make dogs not ideal for a board and train program:

•  Extreme Anxiety around confinement or separation: particularly if they become anxious and vocalize/panic when confined to a crate or kennel.  If a trainer hosts multiple dogs in their home or facility, your dog will need to be able to relax in a crate or kennel when it’s not their turn to train and exercise.
  

• Extremely Fearful or displaying Fear Aggression: If your dog is afraid of people in general, it is not likely to bode well if they are tossed into a new environment to be handled by lots of strangers. The exception to this would be an in-home program with a trainer that is experienced in behavior modification with fearful animals, has earned this dog’s trust, and is willing to modify the environment/routine to help them work through it. But this isn’t the standard type of training you would expect to see in a typical board and train program.

In summary, there are good programs and not so good. You need to be selective and do your homework, just as you should when choosing your training professional.

Board and Trains are not a quick fix, but they can be very helpful to onboard new behaviors as long as the pet guardian is willing to learn how to support the training and put in the time when the dog comes back to them.