There are many ways to train a dog, but what you need most is consistency and time. With the busy demands of work, school, and family life competing for your attention, it can be difficult to find the requisite time each day that’s necessary to see the desired results. In these cases, board and train programs are often ideal because they take care of all of the hard work for you at once. Read on for everything you need to know about this popular dog training option!
What Is Board and Train?
Much like its name implies, board-and-train programs involve placing your dog in a boarding facility for a designated period of time. The training portion of the process occurs at this location, with professional dog trainers taking over dog training duties during the period. The use of board-and-train facilities is relatively widespread across several regions, including North America, Europe, and Australia.
Types of Board and Train Programs
- In-Home Board and Train: This involves leaving your dog at the trainer’s home for the duration of the program. Your dog will be trained in the trainer’s home alongside other dogs, ideal for socialization purposes. The dog will learn behavioral training in a safe and humane environment, which is ideal for all dogs. There will also be plenty of opportunities for your dog to enjoy outdoor play on the trainer’s private property.
- Kennel Board and Train: In this case, your dog will be boarded at a kennel instead of the trainer’s home. Dogs in kennels have plenty of space to roam and can feel more comfortable from a physical perspective. Moreover, your dog will also be around other dogs at the kennel, which can help to socialize your dog. The dog will sometimes be out of the kennel for brief periods, which can be ideal for outdoor play and exercise.
What Services Are Offered in Board and Train Programs?
Board-and-train programs provide a comprehensive menu of training services to ensure that your dog becomes a well-behaved member of the family. Some of these services include:
- Basic Training: The trainer will begin by providing basic obedience training. This includes the teaching of commands such as “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and more. In this manner, the dog learns how to behave around people and other dogs. They will also learn to walk on a leash and behave when out in public.
- Behavior Modification: This process involves training your dog to overcome problems with aggression or fear. The trainer will teach the dog how to become comfortable being around people, other dogs, and different environmental stimuli. They learn how to respond calmly to these stimuli through desensitization. This is typically achieved by exposing the dog to the stimulus in a controlled manner, which helps them become conditioned to it.
General Requirements for Boarding and Training
Before boarding your dog with a board-and-train facility, there are a few general requirements you should be aware of:
- Signed contracts and agreements: Some dog training facilities will require you to sign a contract before enrolling your dog in the program. This is to ensure that you are committed to the program and the facility and that your dog is also committed.
- Dog vaccinations: Many dog trainers will also require you to bring your dog’s most recent veterinary records. Your pet needs to be vaccinated for canine distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and rabies before attending training sessions.
- Leash, collar, and appropriate tags: Boarding facilities will typically require that you provide them with an appropriate leash, collar, and identification tags for your dog.
- Owner must provide food to prevent digestive stress: Knowledgeable trainers will likely warn you that your dog may experience digestion issues if you are unable to provide them with food. If possible, the dog trainer will advise you to bring enough food for the duration of their stay.
Advantages of Dog Board and Train Programs
There are several advantages associated with participating in a dog board-and-train program. Some of these benefits include:
- A Lot of Training Is Done for You: Dog training is an ongoing process that involves a great deal of work and effort. As such, it’s easy to forget that training takes time. With a board-and-train program, there will be no need to worry about this because the dog trainer will be taking care of everything for you.
- A Possible Solution When You Go on Vacation: When your family goes on vacation, it can be challenging to find a trustworthy individual to watch over your dog. This might involve hiring a stranger or leaving the dog at home alone. While this may be an effective solution in some situations, it might not be ideal for everyone with dogs. Board-and-train programs are perfect in this scenario because you can leave your dog with the trainer while you go on vacation.
- Dog Is Open to Learning: When your dog is exposed to new training, they are most likely to be receptive to it. This is because their attitude towards trying new things will be favorably compared with dogs that have had little training before.
Disadvantages of Dog Board and Train Programs
These programs have a few disadvantages, too. These include:
- Dogs Have a Hard Time Generalizing: This means that once a dog has learned a certain set of behaviors, they have a hard time transferring these skills to different locations and settings. For instance, your dog may have been taught how to walk on a leash at the dog training facility. Unfortunately, this does not mean that they will automatically know how to walk on a leash once you return home. To remedy this, you may need to hire a dog trainer to work with your dog at home.
- Owners Have to Commit to Follow-Through: If you are not committed to following through with your training program, your dog will have a hard time learning the new skills. This means that you will need to be on your toes and ready to respond to your dog’s behaviors. Otherwise, you may find that the dog is not making any progress. Again, if you are not committed to following through with this, this can make training much more difficult.
- There Are No Guarantees: Even if your dog has successfully completed a certain training program, this does not mean that you can rely on it always to be effective. Dogs are creatures of habit, and they often rely on their instincts to survive. Consequently, they may revert to their old behaviors once they return home.
Dog board-and-train programs can be ideal for anyone that is unsure about training their dog. However, you should not rely on this system to be your sole solution to training your dog. Instead, you should work in conjunction with the board-and-train program by bringing your dog home and working with them there. You will likely find that this is the best of both worlds because you will get the convenience of a trained dog while still participating in training. You can also visit https://www.ridgesidek9ohio.com/programs/board-and-train/ to know more about dog board and train programs.
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