Boarding and Training Camp  FAQ

How do I know my dog will listen to me after he/she comes home from boarding and training camp?

With our style of training, you can rest assured that will have no issues with the training your dog has with us transferring to you and your home environment. When we train dogs, we are teaching them how to effectively communicate with humans as well as how to be a polite house companion. Your dog will learn to love learning and will want to show you his good manners! By living with us for at least three weeks, your dog will develop good habits that will easily continue at home. You will have a go home lesson going over everything your pup has learned as well as written instructions on how to continue your pup’s good behavior. If you follow the simple instructions, your pup will make a seamless transition from our house back to yours and be the best dog he/she can be! 

What style of training do you do? Will you use training tools?

We have a unique training style that teaches dogs to really enjoy learning and communicating with humans and in turn, creates good manners and dogs that want to choose to do the right thing for you! Boarding school students all start out by learning to speak our language and communicate with us with the basic vocabulary of the words “yes”, “no”, and “good.” Learning this language is the foundation of training and is done in a purely positive manner using whatever reward works for your individual dog (treats, play, verbal praise, physical praise, etc.) 

We then use these words to teach your pup the behaviors and commands that we are looking for and only move on to the next steps in any training scenario when your pup has demonstrated that he/she 100% understands what we are asking of him/her. The use of training tools varies based on the individual dog, and training tools will only be introduced in a safe and fair manner once the dog fully understands what is expected of him/her. Training tools are used as another form of communication to reinforce previous training and are paired with rewards and praise. 

Why does my dog have to be 7 months old for boarding camp?

Boarding camp works best when students are maturing out of their puppy stage and have developed a good relationship with you at home. Training transfers best at home when your dog has already spent a great deal of time with you and just needs guidance on new behaviors. 

Where will my dog sleep while at boarding camp?

For safety reasons, all of our boarding camp students sleep in crates. Our crating area is located directly next to our bedroom and has its own emergency exit door installed for the safety of our canine guests. 

Will my dog have any fun while he/she is at boarding camp? 

Absolutely! Our canine students really do enjoy learning with us and also get to have fun running around and playing with us in our large, securely fenced play yards. After all, what fun is school without recess?!

How often will my dog be trained while at boarding camp?

When dogs come to boarding camp with us, they’re learning to have actual manners, and that doesn’t happen with just a certain number of training sessions. Your pup will indeed have dedicated training sessions when learning new things, but much of his learning will also be done in real life everyday moments so that he learns to be a polite pup all the time! Learning at boarding school happens with asking your pup to do small things like sitting at the door before going out, lying calmly next to us while we are replying to emails in the office, or behaving while accompanying us while doing farm chores. Since our boarding school students live in our home with us, they are learning in some way from their first walk at 7 AM to their last walk at 11 PM. They truly learn to live a polite lifestyle!

What if I have questions after I bring my dog home?

We try to be as thorough as possible with our go home lesson and instructions, but we know it is a lot of information all at once! We offer lifetime support for anything your dog learned during the program, so we are only an email away if you ever have a question or concern about your pup’s training!

How does the go home lesson work?

Our go home lessons are generally around one hour long and will take place at our location on your dog’s designated pick up day. We will spend as much time as necessary going over everything your pup has learned which he/she will be eager to show off! We will make sure that you are comfortable with using any training language, tools, and visual cues and that you fully understand the plan for transitioning your pup back into your home.

How does the off leash program work? Will the e-collar hurt my dog?

Our off leash program starts exactly the same way that all of our other programs start by first establishing a language with your pup so that he/she understands what we are asking of him. While we are teaching him new commands and behaviors we will use whichever rewards are the best motivation for your individual dog (treats, toys, verbal praise, physical praise, etc.) 

The e-collars we use in the program utilize technology that is very similar to the stimulation therapies commonly used in a physical therapy setting. You will be able to test the collar yourself to understand how the collar feels to your dog by finding the correct level of stimulation on yourself just as we will do with your dog. You will also be able to practice using the e-collar at your go home lesson on our trainer so that you fully understand the instructions on how to use it before you take it home to use with your pup. 

We do not introduce the e-collar to any dog during the program until we are completely confident that he/she understands what we are asking him/her to do. Only then do we begin to introduce the collar on the lowest level stimulation possible where your pup starts to notice the new sensation. We then layer the collar in with his/her existing training as a way to communicate with your pup when there is no physical collar and leash attaching us. 

With this style of off leash training, the e-collar simply becomes an invisible version of a traditional collar and leash. All of our clients that have completed our off leash program love the higher level of control and off leash freedom that they are able to have with their pups thanks to their e-collar training!