Board and train
Does board and train help with hyperactivity?
A dog that cannot settle is tiring to live with, and it is tempting to hope two weeks away will send back a quieter animal. That is not what a board and train is for. What it can do is work on a set of skills, place among them, and hand those skills to you at the end. This page compares what each option covers so you can choose with clear eyes.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
What gets taught
Skills are on the curriculum, calm is not a line item.
On-Leash Foundations is the two-week program, $1,865 plus GST, and its published skills read like a list written for a dog that bounces: place command, sit, stay, down, heel, loose-leash walking and working around everyday distractions. Functional Off-Leash, three weeks at $3,030 plus GST, lists reliable recall around distractions and off-leash house manners. Neither program lists calm, settling or reduced energy as a skill, and we are not going to add it here.
Every board and train also includes a structured routine, enrichment and socialization, and those are part of the stay rather than a result we send home. What no program changes is how much exercise your dog needs. A board and train cannot walk the dog for you afterward, and a dog whose body wants more than an evening loop will still want it after graduation. A sudden change in activity level is a question for your vet, not for us.
- Place and stay, published skills
- Calm is not a listed skill
- Exercise needs stay yours
- Sudden change, ask your vet
Comparing the options
Home every night is a different shape of help.
Day Training is the option built for dogs who need consistent work but owners who want them home every night. It runs Monday to Friday at $650 plus GST per week and covers one-on-one daily training, supervised play and enrichment, and manners reinforcement, with a one-hour go-home session with you each week. With a board and train, the skills come home at the handover lesson; with Day Training, the dog is in your living room every evening while the work is still going on.
Arrive at the consultation with a plain picture of a normal day: how long the dog is walked, what happens when guests arrive, and when the bouncing peaks. That is what the consultation is for, recommending a program and the smaller one when it is enough; Private Training, $150 plus GST per one-hour session with a written weekly plan, is among the options. The method for teaching a dog to rest on place lives in our calm and place guide, not here.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Does board and train calm a dog down?
We do not list calm as a skill, so we do not promise it. What a board and train teaches is a set of behaviours, place, sit, down, stay and a loose leash among them, and hands them to you at the handover lesson. How the dog uses them in your home is a different question, and not one we will answer in advance.
Is board and train good for a hyper dog?
It depends on what the hyper looks like and what you want changed. On-Leash Foundations is built for dogs who drag, lunge at squirrels or treat the leash as a suggestion; Day Training keeps the dog home with you every night while the work goes on. Which fits is recommended at the consultation, and the smaller option when it is enough.
Which program is best for a high energy dog?
There is no single answer. Functional Off-Leash, three weeks at $3,030 plus GST, is built for dogs with decent manners who are ready to earn real freedom, and it lists off-leash house manners and distraction training; Advanced Off-Leash, four weeks at $3,940 plus GST, lists off-leash heel, commands at distance and public manners. Which suits a particular high-energy dog is what the consultation is for.
Will my dog come back from board and train less energetic?
We would not expect it to, and we do not promise it. Energy is part of the dog rather than a training fault, and a board and train does not change how much exercise a dog needs. What comes home is a set of taught skills and a handover lesson on keeping them going.
Keep reading
Describe a normal day
Book a consultation. Tell us the dog's age, a normal day's exercise and where the bouncing shows up, and we will recommend a fit.
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