Board and train
Is board and train right for a nervous dog?
A nervous dog is the one owners hesitate over before a board and train. The worry usually sounds like: will weeks away from home make things worse? There is no general answer to that, which is why Behaviour Rehab is planned and priced after a full assessment. This page covers what we publish about the program and its method, what to ask at the consultation, and when a vet conversation comes first.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
The published program
A full assessment comes before the plan and the price.
The program we publish for anxiety, reactivity and aggression is Behaviour Rehab: a five to six week board and train at $4,850 to $5,760 + GST, customized to the dog after a full assessment. The published curriculum covers a full behaviour assessment, reactivity work at your dog's pace, anxiety rehabilitation, fear-based behaviour work, confidence building and structured socialization. It includes two free follow-up sessions and in-depth owner education, and it is built for the barkers, the lungers, the hiders and the growlers.
The method is the same across every program: skills are taught with markers and rewards first, and tools are matched to the individual dog, whether that is a slip lead, a prong collar or a modern Educator e-collar, always introduced properly and taught to the owner. Real-world proofing is part of it. What we do not publish is a day-by-day protocol for nervous dogs, and this page does not invent one. The assessment is where the plan for a particular dog takes shape.
- Customized after a full assessment
- Five to six weeks, priced after assessment
- Two free follow-up sessions
- In-depth owner education included
Questions and limits
Questions for the consultation, and the signs that point to a vet.
The consultation is where the useful questions get answered, and a nervous dog's owner usually has several. What does the full assessment look at? Which tools might be considered for your dog, and how would they be introduced and taught to you? What does the handover lesson cover, and what are the two follow-up sessions for? None of those has a one-size answer, so they are better asked than assumed.
Private Training is also published: a one-hour session at $150 + GST with a written weekly plan. Whether that or Behaviour Rehab suits a particular nervous dog is decided at the consultation, and when a smaller program is enough, that is the one we recommend. Some changes are a vet question before they are a training question: a shift in appetite or sleep, or trembling that goes on for a long time, is worth asking your vet about first.
The programs
Programs and prices
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Can a nervous dog do board and train?
Sometimes. Behaviour Rehab, the program we publish for anxiety, reactivity and aggression, runs five to six weeks at $4,850 to $5,760 + GST, with the plan and price set after a full assessment. Whether it is the right fit for your dog is a consultation question, and nervousness on its own does not answer it.
Is board and train too stressful for an anxious dog?
It can be for some dogs, and we do not claim otherwise. What we publish is a structured routine with daily one-on-one training and individual care, with social-media updates and personal check-ins to you throughout. Whether that suits your dog is what the consultation and the assessment are for.
Is board and train a good idea for a shy dog?
Shy dogs are among those Behaviour Rehab is built for, and confidence building and structured socialization are on its published curriculum. Whether a live-in program is the right fit for your shy dog is decided at the consultation, not by the label.
Would private training be gentler for a nervous dog?
Private Training is a one-hour session at $150 + GST with a written weekly plan customized to your home. We do not call it gentler or harder than a board and train; which one we recommend for a nervous dog is settled at the consultation.
Keep reading
Start with an honest conversation
Book a consultation and describe your dog's nervousness. The recommendation follows from that, including a smaller program if it covers the need.
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