Board & train
Does board and train help with dog-to-dog aggression?
Dog-to-dog aggression is a tempting problem to hand to someone else, and one where handing it over gets you partway. A live-in program gives a dog weeks of controlled exposure to other dogs at distances it can cope with, read daily by a trainer. What it cannot do is train the other dogs, or you, by proxy. Here is what the programs work on, what tends to change, and what comes home with you.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Program fit
Neutrality and thresholds are the curriculum, not play.
Of the published programs, only Behaviour Rehab puts a full behaviour assessment and reactivity work at the dog's pace in its curriculum, alongside structured socialization, and it is the one that accepts dogs with bite histories once that assessment is done. The obedience programs work around everyday distractions, which is not the same as working with a dog who wants to fight the distraction. For dog-to-dog aggression, the assessment decides what distance, which dogs and what pace the work starts at.
What a live-in program can change is the dog's default around other dogs: whether a dog across the street predicts a fight or predicts a look and a reward. Weeks of set-up encounters, each one read by a trainer, give that default room to shift. What it cannot change is the dog's social preference. A dog who does not enjoy strange dogs is not being worked toward the off-leash park. Passing calmly is the aim; playing is not.
- Full assessment before any plan
- Thresholds set per dog
- Bite histories accepted after assessment
- Neutrality, not dog-park play
Your part
Handover is where the thresholds become yours.
At handover you learn the dog's current threshold, the signals that it is about to tip, and the way the trainer has been setting up a pass: the distance, the position, the marker, the reward. Then you walk it, with the trainer watching. Two free follow-up sessions are built into Behaviour Rehab so the early walks at home are not done blind, and the in-depth owner education is there so you understand why a wide arc on the path is training and not avoidance.
At the consultation, bring the history: which dogs set it off, on leash or off, whether there has been contact, and what you want the dog to manage afterward. Ask how the assessment shapes the plan and what you will be expected to practise. If the problem is leash frustration with no intent behind it, we say so, and the recommendation may be a smaller program or private sessions rather than weeks away from home. Our dog-to-dog aggression guide covers the method.
The programs
Programs and prices
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Does board and train fix dog-to-dog aggression?
Fix is the wrong word for it. A live-in program can work on a dog's threshold and its default response to other dogs, and the owner keeps that work going at home. Whether it holds depends on both halves, which is why Behaviour Rehab includes follow-ups and in-depth owner education.
Which board and train program is for dog-to-dog aggression?
Behaviour Rehab is the one designed around reactivity and aggression: five to six weeks, $4,850 to $5,760 plus GST, customized after a full assessment. The consultation is where the recommendation is made, and if a smaller option would do the job, you will hear that first.
Will a dog be able to go to the dog park after a dog-to-dog aggression training program?
That is not what the work is aimed at. The aim is a dog who can pass other dogs on a path or sidewalk without loading up. Some dogs simply do not want strange dogs in their space, and an honest plan respects that rather than testing it at an off-leash park.
Can a dog with a bite history do board and train for dog-to-dog aggression?
Yes, dogs with bite histories are accepted into Behaviour Rehab after a full assessment. Bring the details of every incident to the consultation, including what the other dog was doing. The assessment uses that history to set the starting distance and pace.
Keep reading
Start with the assessment.
Tell us which dogs set yours off and what you want walks to look like. Book a consultation to start.
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