# Board and Train



## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

I have read the previous discussions on this forum about board and train and it leans highly not in favor of it.

I am just curious if there are folks who have had a really good experience with board and train.
How did you carry on with what your puppy learned at a different location back at your home?
Some details like what age, what sort of training (basic obedience, on leash, off leash etc.) would be helpful.

Also if there is a person, place that you highly recommend for such a training would like to hear that too.

Thanks !


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Why do you feel the need to consider it is a good start?


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## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

WNGD said:


> Why do you feel the need to consider it is a good start?


I think the biggest thing is lack of experience we have in training a high drive German Shepherd dog. Consistency and the right way to train is also key, the worry we will make things worse early on. We essentially are looking for some key obedience things nailed down. Sit, stay, recall and drop as of now seem to be the top 4 things ,we think, if our puppy obeys with some sort of consistency will make our and her time with us a lot more fun. We are a family of 4 with 2 girls 8 and 11 for context.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

My trainer does board and train for new owners who have other things going on, like a new baby and a new puppy and they suddenly realize they can’t do both. Pros are the dog will come back reasonably well trained and socialized for its age, assuming the trainer is good. Cons are that you have no control over what they do with your dog, the dog bonds with the trainer rather than you and if you don‘t duplicate what the trainer is doing, you could lose the benefits. It’s also expensive.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

One on one private training would be a better option. Training the owner/handler is more important than the puppy training.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

AKD said:


> I think the biggest thing is lack of experience we have in training a high drive German Shepherd dog. Consistency and the right way to train is also key, the worry we will make things worse early on. We essentially are looking for some key obedience things nailed down. Sit, stay, recall and drop as of now seem to be the top 4 things ,we think, if our puppy obeys with some sort of consistency will make our and her time with us a lot more fun. We are a family of 4 with 2 girls 8 and 11 for context.


A GSD puppy and adult are huge commitments in time to get a well trained dog. All four of you should be involved with one of you taking the lead, so to speak. If you can't train sit, stay and come to a puppy, you're in for a world of hurt with this breed regardless of the good start that a "board and train" might provide.

Are you all out of the house most of the day for instance? Not to sound harsh, just my opinion if you want a puppy, put in the work and there's a ton of it. Why did you want a "high drive" GSD? They're not for everyone, not even for many that have them.


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## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

WNGD said:


> A GSD puppy and adult are huge commitments in time to get a well trained dog. All four of you should be involved with one of you taking the lead, so to speak. If you can't train sit, stay and come to a puppy, you're in for a world of hurt with this breed regardless of the good start that a "board and train" might provide.
> 
> Are you all out of the house most of the day for instance? Not to sound harsh, just my opinion if you want a puppy, put in the work and there's a ton of it. Why did you want a "high drive" GSD? They're not for everyone, not even for many that have them.


Fair points and not harsh and believe me we are putting in a bunch of time and effort and we knew we would have to going into it. (all four of us) I see it no different than leveraging a professional to may be get a strong foundation. May be it is a longer process than we think and the prospect of getting it sped up a little is luring.


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## cmacc (Jul 13, 2020)

I would look for a good foundation class to join rather than sending a puppy away for training, do you already have your puppy? If not, you want to be honest with the breeder in regards what you're able to handle drive wise, I wouldn't wish a true high drive dog on anyone new to the breed, a comment I once heard at an IPO trial is "your dog is a Ferrari but you don't have the keys". Not trying to discourage you in anyway but be aware what you're getting yourself into even with a foundation established it's still a lot of time and energy to ensure the dog is proofed. Successful foundation work is rooted in engagement and that's something you need to build, no one else can do it for you. A proper foundation can take months to obtain, if it's sped up it might look good but I wouldn't trust it.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

OP, believe it or not, but a board and train for simple obedience is more about training you to train your dog than it is about training the dog. Most board and train options come with a few inhome follow up sessions to train you.

Another option becoming popular is workshops where limited people attend the workshop and each gets individualized training depending on what you want to do with the dog, where you are and where you are at with the dog. A lot of people like them because it can be more cost effective than a board and train or private one on one lessons but you still get individual time with opportunity to watch and learn from others.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I board and train. If I'm doing a puppy, I just do socialization and basic manners and vocabulary. I don't see how that could get in the way of any specialized training that will come later.

The hard part is training the humans. I am super particular about who I will work with. If I have any doubt about them doing their homework, I refuse to waste their money. 

I also do follow up private lessons for the first year or so.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

David Winners said:


> I board and train. If I'm doing a puppy, I just do socialization and basic manners and vocabulary. I don't see how that could get in the way of any specialized training that will come later.
> 
> The hard part is training the humans. I am super particular about who I will work with. If I have any doubt about them doing their homework, I refuse to waste their money.
> 
> I also do follow up private lessons for the first year or so.


Dave, do you ever do workshops?


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

I did a board and train at Ivan Balabanov’s training center. I loved it. My only regret was not doing it earlier. My dog has still retained what he learned, and I had follow up sessions to teach me how to handle him going forward. 

To be fair, I sent him there because of dog reactivity (he was attacked by another dog), and to get him used to be handled by others. It was a great success. They also did foundation e-collar training, which has worked wonders on his prey instinct off leash to chase stray cats. I’m in Florida. They’re everywhere!

They also perfected his place and heel. He was 2.5 years old when I sent him, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

Do you need help on how to teach those things? That’s some pretty basic stuff. I wouldn’t pay 250-500 a week for that. Those are things that can easily be taught to you on this forum. I’ve never used board and trains. They are good depending on your situation and skill level. I wouldn’t do it or recommend it for the stuff you listed. The dog bonding with the trainer instead of you, you would still need to learn, the price, and the follow up training are all cons I would have with a board and train. The pros are you wouldn’t have to train the dog yourself, the dog would get to work with a better trainer than you, and you would get a break. The stuff you want, I would say it’s a waste. There are countless videos and articles that you can look up for free and learn those things.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

About the trainer, where are you located again?


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## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

Bearshandler said:


> About the trainer, where are you located again?


Greater Atlanta area.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

The only trainer that comes to mind in that area is Wallace Payne. There is someone else in Georgia that I can’t recall right now. Googling Wallace brought up an interesting article, but that is neither here nor there.


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## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

Stepford puppy...


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## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

Buckelke said:


> Stepford puppy.


LOL


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Dave, do you ever do workshops?


No, but this is the first I've heard of it. What's the going rate?


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

David Winners said:


> No, but this is the first I've heard of it. What's the going rate?


I will find out and get back to you.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

David Winners said:


> No, but this is the first I've heard of it. What's the going rate?


A lot.


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## BigOzzy2018 (Jan 27, 2018)

I think workshops and or classes in a very small group are great. More geared towards clicker training engagement how to play with pup etc. So many classes are to large, prongs being put on 3 mo old pups running in a circle with puppies barking at each other . Drives me nuts to see this.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

David Winners said:


> No, but this is the first I've heard of it. What's the going rate?


Okay, the person I know that does it likes to offer flexibility. He averages 8 people per workshop, sometimes as few as 3, can be as high as 15 that show up.

Spends an average of 10-15 minutes per dog per workshop. If a dog is high drive and working on something advanced, he might spend up to 40 minutes on that dog.

He offers no contracts. People may come 4 weeks in a row and then take a couple of weeks off then come back to work on something else.

He does live down south so the weather is permitting for long seasons outside but he currently is building a training room to go year round.

He gets $45 per dog per workshop.


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## BigOzzy2018 (Jan 27, 2018)

I have a board and train now 15weeks old. Sweet pup like her a lot. Hard thing for me are the owners. I am black and white and explain yes pup will be fine here but you MUST continue where I left off.


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## BigOzzy2018 (Jan 27, 2018)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Okay, the person I know that does it likes to offer flexibility. He averages 8 people per workshop, sometimes as few as 3, can be as high as 15 that show up.
> 
> Spends an average of 10-15 minutes per dog per workshop. If a dog is high drive and working on something advanced, he might spend up to 40 minutes on that dog.
> 
> ...


In the ball park of private lessons. Puppies in a big group can be way too much stimulation for a pup to learn. I hope to start a class with maybe 4 pups at the most.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

BigOzzy2018 said:


> In the ball park of private lessons. Puppies in a big group can be way too much stimulation for a pup to learn. I hope to start a class with maybe 4 pups at the most.


I would assume that there is a lor of controlled exposure going on for young pups. BUT for each dog's individual time, it is the only dog on the field.


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## chuckd (Jul 16, 2019)

LuvShepherds said:


> My trainer does board and train for new owners who have other things going on, like a new baby and a new puppy and they suddenly realize they can’t do both. Pros are the dog will come back reasonably well trained and socialized for its age, assuming the trainer is good. Cons are that you have no control over what they do with your dog, the dog bonds with the trainer rather than you and if you don‘t duplicate what the trainer is doing, you could lose the benefits. It’s also expensive.


When we adopted Gunnar (at 3 yrs), I fully intended to do all training myself, as I have done with all the dogs I've had. 3 months of steady progress went by and I decided to have a trainer come for private lessons, primarily to help me with my skills and lend her perspective (I'm no pro...) Well, one week later I was hit with a family emergency that had me out of state for quite a while- and almost zero time for a relatively new dog, upon my return.

Thankfully, we had the option and resources to send Gunnar to our trainer's B&T program. Having him in a safe place where his time would also be productive removed what would've been a HUGE stressor for me.

Not your typical scenario, but one worth being aware of, I think.


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## BigOzzy2018 (Jan 27, 2018)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> I would assume that there is a lor of controlled exposure going on for young pups. BUT for each dog's individual time, it is the only dog on the field.


Good to know a class like exists very few around


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Okay, the person I know that does it likes to offer flexibility. He averages 8 people per workshop, sometimes as few as 3, can be as high as 15 that show up.
> 
> Spends an average of 10-15 minutes per dog per workshop. If a dog is high drive and working on something advanced, he might spend up to 40 minutes on that dog.
> 
> ...


Thanks. That sounds like a great idea!


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

David Winners said:


> Thanks. That sounds like a great idea!


You are welcome.

He does really nice with it, that and his B&Ts and occasional boarder. I think you will do well with it and all for one day's work. Many of his B&Ts come from your state down to his, mostly WL GSDs. You must be one of the world's best kept secrets up there.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

David Winners said:


> Thanks. That sounds like a great idea!


It's a shame you couldn't do online as well.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Sabis mom said:


> It's a shame you couldn't do online as well.


He does, here. Valor Videos.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

LuvShepherds said:


> He does, here. Valor Videos.


And I have them all bookmarked or saved. Lol.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> You are welcome.
> 
> He does really nice with it, that and his B&Ts and occasional boarder. I think you will do well with it and all for one day's work. Many of his B&Ts come from your state down to his, mostly WL GSDs. You must be one of the world's best kept secrets up there.


I'm all word of mouth. I don't have a FB or even an email for my training business. I'm super selective and can't take all the dogs I would like to as it is.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

David Winners said:


> I'm all word of mouth. I don't have a FB or even an email for my training business. I'm super selective and can't take all the dogs I would like to as it is.


My friend is word of mouth too but does have a FB page for his business although it's not much for advertising but more for updates. He was much more limited at his old place but his new building and property can accommodate more with room for expansion.


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