Dog Training Frequently Asked Questions

After training you can expect a number of things. We teach all dogs in our program the 5 main commands (sit, down, heel, place and come) under every day situations and distractions. Each dog leaving our program will have a foundation of obedience and will be able perform those commands under typical levels of distraction.

Examples would be doing place when the doorbell rings and people are welcomed into your home, calmly passing by other dogs on walks (even when the other dog is excited or agitated) and coming when called whether on leash or off leash. Did we mention we take care of introducing your dog to off leash training?! Who doesn’t want their dog to come when called? This is one of the most important commands and we spend a lot of time working on this during your dog’s stay with us. Take a look at our board and train page and watch the videos to see what we can accomplish with dogs who stay with us.

If your dog has behavioral issues, we will focus heavily on addressing this. This will warrant a longer stay with us, which greatly improves the success rate of rehabilitation! We take our time introducing all of the foundation work so that when your dog is ready to hit the streets and train out in public they will be successful. We address dog and human reactivity (aggression) in our board & train program especially. You can expect all of the same obedience commands to be addressed along with focusing on your dog’s state of mind to help them become more confident in any situation.

Absolutely! We will help your dog work on crate conditioning so that their stay with us is stress free, safe and comfortable! This is not handled by simply placing the dog in the crate and leaving them to “figure it out” on their own. Many steps are patiently taken to help your dog not only consider the crate a safe place but even to enjoy it!

Take a look at the video of Jillian working with Bo on crate conditioning. Bo came to us for 3 weeks without any prior experience of the crate. This is his first day training and working on crate training.

We welcome dogs of any age into our board & train program. There is no such thing as “too old” or “too old to learn”. All dogs can learn and benefit from our board & train program. While we love all dogs, really young puppies (8 weeks – 3 months) are not recommended to do a board and train. There are a number of reasons for this. Young dogs need to bond with their humans and that takes time. They need to spend the first few months after leaving their mom and litter mates getting to know you and your family. They should work on acclimating to your routine and schedule to help ease the stress of leaving their siblings. It is stressful leaving their family for a new one, and can be even more stressful leaving you for training and then returning at such a young age.

We want to work on the foundation of obedience with younger dogs as well as achieving a higher level of training. It takes a certain level of maturity to achieve that. We find that the best age to begin your puppy in our board & train program ranges from 4 to 6 months. If your puppy is in that range (or older) this will be a great program for you!

Well, there is no such thing! As long as your dog is in good health we can train them in our board & train program. We have had dogs as old as 10 complete our board & train program successfully!

A typical day is packed full for each dog staying with us. Their day begins at 7:30 am with a potty break and training for their breakfast. Their day ends at 10pm with a late night potty break and bedtime snack. All of the time between that consists of training sessions ranging between 20 and 60 minute increments (depending on the exercise). Training can take place individually or around other dogs (when appropriate), training outings to Lowes, local restaurants, parks, and downtown areas to proof their obedience. We also work on appropriate play and socialization with dogs. Each day has time set aside for play time and social time. Dogs also work on training in Jillian’s home to make sure that they can apply their training in your home as well. Each dog in our training program receives about 4 hours of individualized training each day with their sessions broken up throughout the day along with outings, social time, play time and walks.

We like to keep our training programs small so that each dog receives the time and attention they deserve every day. We like to have between 4 and 6 dogs at any given time. This can be dogs staying with us for a board and train or just boarding while their families are away. We do offer boarding services for clients only and not the general public. Well that all depends on what your goals are and what behaviors your dog is exhibiting.

Young dogs with no real behavioral issues are great candidates for our two or three week board & train program. This will give them a jump start on their obedience and off leash training. We also work on generalizing their environment and work on their social skills with people and other dogs. We do have many owners who opt for a three week board and train to help those new behaviors and training become more automatic. That extra week can make all the difference. It does allow us to take our time and really work on a good foundation so that your dog’s understanding of the training is deeper and it is less work for you when they return home.

If your dog is practicing reactive behavior or aggression to either dogs or humans then the minimum amount of time we recommend is three weeks. For these types of behaviors and the intensity of which your dog is practicing them could lengthen the amount of time our trainers recommend. We want both you and your dog to be successful after training. Based on our knowledge, expertise and experience with these types of behaviors a minimum of three weeks is necessary to help both your dog and you work your way through these habits. We can recommend anywhere between 3 weeks and 5 weeks depending on the severity of which the aggression is being practiced.

Nervous and anxious dogs are also great candidates for our board & train program. Even though your dog is nervous, whether in new situations, environments, with new people or strangers, we help them build the confidence they need to be successful after returning home. With a nervous nelly we like to take it slow so that we can allow them to warm up and build a relationship with us. We do recommend a minimum of three weeks with these types of dogs.

Yes, your dog will absolutely remember you…how could they forget?! In the grand scheme of things just a few weeks will not break your bond with your dog and there is no way they can forget you.

If you are interested in private lessons there is no such thing as too young. We like to get puppies on the right track and start them early, before bad behaviors become habit. If you are interested in a board & train program the youngest we enroll dogs is around 4 months old.

You can absolutely train an old dog new tricks! We welcome dogs of any age into our training programs as long as they are healthy enough to do so. Older dogs who have undesirable behaviors can be trained to do new things and practice better habits. We do find that longer training programs are more ideal for older dogs who have been practicing bad habits for a long time. It took them a long time to get so good at those bad habits, it will take some extra time to learn how to undo them! Sometimes a few extra lessons or an extra week in a board and train will really help your dog undo those bad habits.

Having all family dogs on the same page regarding training will always make their lives and your job much easier. We always suggest that whenever possible that all of the family dogs receive some type of training. We have customized our training programs to fit multiple dog homes. They do not need to be enrolled in the same programs and we will fit each dog to the right program for them.

By answering a few questions over the phone we can recommend the training program to best suit you and your dog. If you are looking for off leash reliability or to address your dog’s reactive behavior or aggressive tendencies we will recommend a board & train program.

If you want to be in the driver seat for the training process, then private lessons are for you. We will coach you through the process and then it is up to you to practice throughout the week until the next lesson. Reaching your goals is dependent upon the practice, repetition and consistency you put in throughout the week until the next lesson.

If you would like us to do all the hard work for you, return your dog with a full understanding of obedience for every day life and simply leave you with maintaining the training, a board and train is for you. If your dog is practicing dangerous or excessive behaviors we want to be the trainers in the driver’s seat. A board & train program will be recommend so that we can help you reach your goals. Sometimes it is best to leave it to the professionals to address certain issues so that your goals for your dog are reached.

We like to keep it simple. All we request that you bring with your dog is enough food for their stay. We do not like to change dogs’ diets while they are with us because it could cause an upset stomach. If they do not feel well, they will not train well. We also ask that you bring your dog in on a flat collar and regular 6 foot leash. We supply all treats used for training, but if your pup has food sensitivities or allergies we ask that you send treats with them to help make training fun. We have everything else covered!

We like to use a lot of food in the beginning of the training process, so bring a lot of that! Anything your dog likes to work for is welcomed, that could be their kibble or special training treats. Please make sure that you have a regular 6 foot leash (no flexi leashes) and it is attached to whatever you are currently using to walk your dog. If you are bringing your puppy, we suggest that you feed them only a small portion of their meal preceding training so that they are hungry and eager to work during training. That will also ensure that they will not fill up too quickly as it doesn’t take much with the little guys!

While some dogs can be stressed in their first day in a new place, we find that rescued dogs are actually the best equipped to cope with new environments and stressors. Dogs that have been in a rescue or through a shelter are used to being in new places and changes. The best part is that this is not a shelter environment and we like to keep things calm and quiet whenever dogs are in their kennels. Your rescue dog is also given a lot of one on one attention each day, so while it is not home, it is a close second!

Unfortunately, if your furry best friend has never been away from you then the first few days of training can be stressful. Usually after just a couple of days they fall into the routine and are happy to be with us as we build a bond with them. While we could never replace you and your relationship with your dog, we work diligently to make sure that they are happy and fulfilled during training. For dogs who experience separation anxiety, then training for a few weeks with us will reboot these anxious behaviors. By removing your dog from a place where they practice those anxious behaviors we can help them become more calm and comfortable with independence!