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Frequently Asked Questions for Training
How old does my dog have to be in order to be trained?Training begins from the moment you take your puppy or dog home. Every moment spent with any dog is a training opportunity. Training never really begins or ends. However, the question posed is really "how old does a dog have to be in order to go through a formal training program?" We will take puppies into our training program as young as four months of age. This is generally when your puppy has completed his vaccination series and it is deemed safe for him to be exposed to other dogs. Back to Top
Can I visit my dog while she is enrolled in the Board & Train program?In order for the Board & Train program to be effective, the trainers need to form a strong bond with your dog. The trainers will act as a surrogate caregiver to your dog in order to build that bond and encourage your dog to follow their instruction. It takes a lot of well-planned interactions between the trainers and your dog in order for this bond to form, yet it does. You will see this when you come to pick up your dog from the program. However, your dog's bond with you is far stronger and based on far more experiences than she will have with us. Should you re-enter the picture while we are trying to create and maintain this relationship with your dog, our work will fall by the wayside. The momentum we had created would be interrupted and we would effectively have to begin again. Since we are only asking for two weeks to complete your dog's training, all the time we spend with her is very valuable to us. This is the one and only reason we cannot offer "visitation" while we are training your dog. Back to Top
Will my dog forget who I am?Absolutely not! In fact, our greatest challenge during the Final Lesson on the pick-up day is regaining your dog's focus! She will be so enamored with your presence, we will have to convince her to perform! (By the way, this is probably the most important part of that Private Lesson as it shows you that there will be great distractions in your dog's life even after she has completed the program. Watching how we handle this "struggle" will help you handle similar struggles with her later on.) Back to Top
Will my dog listen to me after she is trained?Yes. This is exactly what the Final Lesson is all about; teaching you how to communicate with your dog and helping your dog make the transition. In addition, your dog was not trained by just one trainer. The instructor in your lesson is only one of the trainers who worked with your dog. Each of our trainers follow the same training techniques, but we all sound different and use our body language slightly differently. So, your dog is not just "used to" one person and their "magic." Back to Top
Can we come back for additional training if we need help?Of course. As mentioned above, training is ongoing for both you and your dog and you will likely want/need more instruction as time goes on. To that end, we have added a complimentary Group Lesson to each of our Board & Train programs. You may join additional Group Lessons at a nominal fee. Additional Private Instruction is also available. And, if you are boarding your dog for a long weekend or vacation, you may want to opt for some Refresher Training for her while she is staying with us again. See our Training Page for details on all aspects of our program. Back to Top
Is the training guaranteed?Since obedience training is a function of learning and performance which is completely subjective and often affected by other outside forces, a guarantee cannot be granted. Also since training is a function of the communication between both you and your dog, likely nonresponse is a result of a breakdown in communication and not a "slip" in your dog's memory of what a specific cue word means. We will not graduate a dog from any level of our Board & Train program unless we are sure that she has mastered the goals of that program. If we feel that your dog needs a few more days, we will ask for that extra time. If we feel that a dog is not progressing within the Board & Train environment, we will let you know and offer a different option. Our goal is to be sure that your dog is learning in a positive manner. If you are having problems with communication, we will work with you privately to be sure that you feel you have received all the training you need. We promise we will not leave you hanging. We will do all we can to be sure that the training is successful for both you and your dog. Back to Top
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