Board and train
Does board and train help with heel and public manners?
A heel that looks good in the yard and evaporates on a patio is a common story, and it often says more about the setting than the dog. Two published programs work on heel, at different depths, and both hand the skill back to you at the handover lesson. What happens next depends on where you practise, whether a dog is welcome there, and how honestly you read your dog's readiness.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
Two depths of heel
Heel on leash, then heel without one.
On-Leash Foundations is the shorter route: two weeks at $1,865 plus GST, working on loose-leash walking, heel, sit, stay, down and place around everyday distractions, with a slip lead and training collar to take home and lifetime phone and email support. It is built for dogs who drag or lunge and owners who miss enjoying the walk. Nothing in its published curriculum is off leash, and nothing in it is titled public manners, which matters when you decide what you are actually asking for.
Advanced Off-Leash is the longer one: four weeks at $3,940 plus GST, working on off-leash heel, advanced recall, sit, stay and down at distance, public manners and advanced distraction training, with a remote collar included and taught to you, two free follow-up sessions and handover lessons. Four weeks is the program length, not a promise about any particular dog, and off-leash goals and public outings are separate questions. A dog can be excellent on a leash in public and never need the off-leash work.
- Heel around everyday distractions
- Off-leash heel and distance commands
- Public manners in Advanced Off-Leash
- Follow-up sessions after handover
Before you practise
Readiness, permission and a simple log.
Public practice starts with two checks that have nothing to do with the dog. The first is the law: Calgary's bylaw sets where a dog must be on leash and where off-leash is allowed, so off-leash heel is only a public exercise in designated areas. The second is permission: a patio, a store or a building that welcomes dogs has said so somewhere, and one that has not is not a training venue. Neither check is glamorous. Both save awkward conversations.
Then the dog. A readiness check we suggest before any outing: can the dog hold the cue you plan to use in a quieter version of that setting, and can you leave calmly if not. A simple log helps more than memory: where you went, what the dog managed, what broke and at what distance. Bringing that record to a follow-up session gives us something specific to work from, rather than a general impression that it went fine until it did not.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Does board and train heel training carry over to real streets?
Not automatically, and we would not claim otherwise. The handover lesson teaches you the same cues and standard the dog learned, and follow-up sessions are included for what changes once the dog is with you. How much carries over varies with the dog, the setting and how consistently the cues are used.
Is off leash heel board and train realistic for a strong, distractible dog?
It can be, and it depends on the individual dog rather than the size or the breed. Advanced Off-Leash works on off-leash heel and advanced distraction training over four weeks, with a remote collar introduced properly and taught to you. The program is recommended at the consultation, and a smaller one is recommended when it is enough.
What does board and train public manners training actually include?
Public manners is a published item in Advanced Off-Leash, alongside off-leash heel, advanced recall, sit, stay and down at distance and advanced distraction training. We teach with markers and rewards first and match tools to the individual dog. What we do not publish is a list of venues, because where you can practise depends on leash bylaws and each place's permission.
Can On-Leash Foundations cover public manners, or is Advanced required?
Foundations works on heel, loose-leash walking, sit, stay, down and place around everyday distractions, on leash, over two weeks. Public manners as a named skill is published only in Advanced Off-Leash, over four weeks. Whether a dog who mainly needs a polite leashed walk in public needs more than Foundations is a consultation question, not one we would settle by email.
Keep reading
Tell us where you walk.
Tell us where you want to take your dog and what happens there now. Book a consultation to match the program.
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