More and more, people are choosing board & train programs for their dogs. Much like choosing a trainer to begin with, it is a very risky venture. Let's examine the pitfalls and why they are most likely going to be nightmare fuel rather than an answer to your prayers. Many of the problems are due to a lack of education of the general public or a campaign of misinformation appearing all over social media that the best way to get results is by using methods that run counter to scientific consensus.
Problems:
As a member of the general public, the unregulated nature of the dog training industry is very problematic. There are too many "credentials" that dog trainers can get that mean very little, if anything at all, to most of the dog parents in North America. Even the ones that are considered the "gold standard" of credentials have come under scrutiny as they are very lax when it comes to the morals involved and animal welfare considerations. Very few credentialing organizations have taken a firm position on the use of aversives and enforce it. This leaves those owners who do look for letters after a dog trainer's name at the mercy of the dog trainer's morals.
The trainer can do whatever they want to your dog behind closed doors and away from your scrutiny. There are a lot of trainers out there I would never turn the leash over to. You will never know if proper behaviour modification is taking place or if the trainer is merely suppressing behaviour. If you don't know the difference you can read our blog post on this subject here.
You will still need to do one on one sessions with the dog following their stay. In most cases of problematic behaviours, the owners themselves are at least a piece of the puzzle. Knowing how to maintain behaviour, time your markers/reinforcement, and what not to do is incredibly important. While it will take less time, the dog will need to generalize what they learned transitionally to your hands instead of the trainer's. If you are going to invest the time to learn this, why would you turn over your pup to anyone else to learn the behaviour with them first?
VERY few board and train programs are force-free. I won't say none, but they make up about 10% of that market. Finding one that is force-free, educated, and experienced is like finding a needle in a haystack. In the Calgary area I only know of three I would even consider and in the Yorkton area there are zero.
I have seen some very seriously damaged dogs come back from board and train programs. Whether emotional or physical, they result in even more problems for the family they go back to. Most families would not recognize a newly developed "fall out" behaviour developing as a result of the treatment their dog received at the facility they were entrusted to. They would almost certainly not link their newly developed aggression to the shock they received while training them to not chase cats. Or their sudden bite response to being touched near their neck, or their sudden dislike of the children, etc. The problem with aversives is that no one can control the associations dogs will make with them. So it can look like new problem behaviours looming, but in fact they have been caused by the use of aversives displacing the emotional root to new problematic behaviours.
Vetting these facilities is tricky. Some things to look for however can make it a quick task before investigating further.
Red flag - using "balanced training" or as we like to call it, the Jekyll and Hyde approach to training. This means they often set the dog up to fail and punish them when they do. They never take their own failure to teach the behaviour in the first place into account and instead put all the onus on the dog to figure it out. I will never say that punishment isn't an effective motivator, but the risks far outweigh the benefits.
Red flag - they sell shock or prong collars. Most balanced trainers sell shock collars as they are a great little money maker. At hundreds of dollars, there is a huge profit margin in them and they are incentivized to use and recommend them by $$$.
Red Flag - stressed out dogs or aversive use in their gallery or videos. Most balanced trainers are terrible at recognizing stress. I feel this is more of a cognitive dissonance barrier due to them not wanting to recognize the role they play in the compromise to the animals well being.
Red Flag - guarantees. No one can guarantee behaviour. Would you ask a doctor for a guarantee or a psychologist? It is bonkers to think one can guarantee a client's satisfaction and for this reason, most professional credentialing and membership organizations prohibit their members from offering them as an ethical consideration.
Once you have gone through their website and social media and have ticked off all those boxes, it is time to speak to them and get more info.
Ask to tour the facility. Check for cleanliness and security. Are the fences sound, tall enough (6-foot min.). Are there solid walls between quarters or just chain link?
Ask the trainer what happens in the training if my dog gets it right. The answer should always be reinforcement (treats, play, etc.). Then ask what happens when my dog gets it wrong? If the answer is any of these weasel words, walk away. Correction, pop, bonk, shock, stim, and reminder are a few to look out for.
Cross-reference their business name with the Pet Professional Guild directory. This is one of the only organizations that vets and lists trainers who are force-free and are the industry's leading force-free resource.
Another problem is the expectations of the owners. Often people are seeking an easy answer for behaviour problems like aggression, separation anxiety, and other fears. Not only are these not resolvable through a two-week board and train program, but the owner is very often a contributor to the problematic behaviour in the first place. The owner has also demonstrated that they are unwilling to put in the work to resolve this and it is extremely unlikely that they will continue to work through this problem once the dog returns home. While board and trains can be a good start, the owner will need to learn and continue the work that is started. Board and train is not a place to modify aggression or fear and quite often make these problems worse. Really, the best use of board and train is for puppies to learn basic cues that can be transferred to the owners.
I personally do not recommend a board and train for any of my clients. The benefit of training your own dog justifies the time and effort. You will develop the skills necessary to modify behaviour and communicate effectively with your dog. You will build a trusting relationship and an unshakable bond. Realizing that the problems are not your dog acting out against you, but what they know works for them in the moment. It is not a moral castigation of your ability to train, or even of your dog. Your dog needs help and they are not giving you a hard time, they are having a hard time.
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