What Board and Train Taught Me About Dog Training

Koinonia’s Board and Train program celebrated it’s first birthday back in July!

Here are three things I’ve learned after 13 dogs in the last 14 months:

(1) Every Dog Is Different

Although many of my clients have the same goals, none of the dogs (or training paths) are exactly the same.

Rosebud the reactive Doodle was able to jump into concentrated dog sessions almost right away, but Moxie the anxious/distracted German Shepherd had to build foundation skills and learn to feel safe enough outside to eat even food.

Training 13 different dogs within a relatively short amount of time has taught me that every dog truly is different.

(2) Change Takes Time

I understand this intellectually, but often forget it in the race to produce professional results.

Training is a team sport. Even though I easily slip into training and know exactly how to do the games (most of the time!), the dog doesn’t—he has to learn step-by-step.

Some dogs are very eager and have no problem playing games with a total stranger. These dogs usually make the most visible, or flashy “progress.” But you know what? The last 14 months have taught me those dogs are the exception rather than the rule.

That doesn’t mean the majority of dogs are dim-witted or unable to learn! It just means that they need more time and that’s okay.

But if I expect the majority of dogs to perform like the top 20%, I’m just asking for frustration!

(3) The Relationship and Sense of Safety is Vital

This is a big part of why change takes time and why I’ve recently made my Board and Train programs longer.

Moving into a home with perfect strangers is certainly nicer than going to live in a kennel environment, but it’s still a big change! This change can be especially rough if the dog has never been away from his family before, or if he tends to be more anxious in general.

We have to give the dog time to adjust, form a relationship with the trainer and feel safe in his environment before we can expect his best self to show up for training!

With my new programs, the first week is dedicated to adjustment, evaluation and casual training.