Board and train
How follow-up sessions work after board and train
The handover lesson is where we teach you the work. Follow-up sessions are for what happens after that, once the dog has met your hallway, your neighbour's dog and your Tuesday evenings. Every board and train includes them. This page explains what a follow-up is for, how to arrive ready for one if you want to, when to use it, and what lifetime phone and email support does and does not mean.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
What they are for
Built for the moments training could not stage.
Training can set up many situations, but not your specific ones: the mail carrier your dog has opinions about, the stairwell where the leash goes tight, the cousin who visits on Sundays. Follow-up sessions exist for those, and for you. Handling often drifts after a handover: a leash hand that creeps up, a cue said twice, a release word that slips. We use follow-ups to look at both, the dog in your real situations and the way you are running the cues.
Preparation is optional, and a little of it goes a long way. We find a short written note works well: what is working, what is not, and the situation each one happens in, named plainly. Heel breaking at the school field tells us more than walks feeling worse. A phone video helps only when it can be taken safely; we never want you to provoke a reaction or recreate an incident to get one, especially anything involving children. A description is enough.
- Your real situations, not staged ones
- Your handling gets a look too
- A written note is plenty
- Footage only when it is safe
Timing and support
A follow-up can be a check-in, not only a rescue.
Timing is a judgement call, and there is more than one good answer. Booking a follow-up soon after the handover, to have your handling checked before anything goes wrong, is a fair use of a session. So is waiting until one specific situation stalls despite practice. Puppy Fundamentals lists a free follow-up session within 60 days, so with a puppy the window is part of the plan. If your program lists two, you might keep one for later, bigger outings.
Bringing the equipment your dog trained with is a good idea, and if more than one person handles the dog day to day, coming together is helpful, though it is your call, not a requirement. Lifetime phone and email support, included with On-Leash Foundations, means the door stays open for training questions after the program ends. It is phone and email, not an open-ended run of in-person sessions, and when a problem needs eyes on the dog, a follow-up session is the better tool.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
What happens after board and train ends?
Every board and train includes a handover lesson, where we teach you the cues and tools your dog has been working with. After that, free follow-up sessions are there for the places your dog struggles once home and for your own handling, and On-Leash Foundations also includes lifetime phone and email support. We lay out the exact inclusions for your program at the consultation.
How many board and train follow-up sessions are included?
It depends on the program. Advanced Off-Leash and Behaviour Rehab each list two free follow-up sessions, On-Leash Foundations lists a free follow-up session alongside lifetime phone and email support, and Puppy Fundamentals lists a free follow-up within 60 days. We confirm what your program includes at the consultation.
Can we use follow-up training after board and train just to check our handling, even if the dog is doing well?
Yes, and we think it is one of the better uses of a session. Handling drifts quietly after a handover, and a session spent on your leash work and timing can catch that before a problem appears. We are as interested in what is working as in what is not, so a note on both is welcome.
What does lifetime phone and email support actually cover?
It comes with On-Leash Foundations and means we stay reachable by phone or email for training questions long after the program ends. It is phone and email, as the name says, not a standing offer of in-person sessions. When a problem needs eyes on the dog, we would point you to a follow-up session.
Keep reading
Make the follow-ups count.
Book a consultation to hear which follow-ups your program includes and how we suggest using them.
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