No guarantees?!

Are you frustrated by training facilities that do not guarantee their Board & Train programs? Worried that you are going to spend thousands of dollars with no guarantee of results? Let’s delve into the topic and explore why training guarantees should not be your deciding factor.

When working with dogs (or any other animal), there are myriad variables at play: dogs’ capacity to learn, their willingness to cooperate, their innate responses to environmental stimuli, etc., all affect how effective a training program will be. Add onto that each owner’s capacity to follow through with the training (how much time can they devote to it? How consistent are they? Are they strong leaders who can provide the guidance the dog needs? And so on) and you can see how it’s very difficult to guarantee results.

What I would suggest you look for in a Board & Train program is a clear outline of how much time will be spent working with your dog, realistic goals that you and the trainer agree upon, open communication with the trainer/facility during the dog’s time there, an emphasis on transitioning the dog back home (a training demo, time with the trainer to educate you on how to proceed, written or video guidelines) and a guarantee of access to the trainer once the dog has gone home. The length of time for this access will probably depend on how long the Board & Train was: a one-week program will yield less than a 4-week program, for example. But good programs work in partnership with owners to help their dogs be the best they can be in the present and in the future.