Program fit
Who Behaviour Rehab is for
Some households quietly rearrange themselves around a dog. Walks happen at odd hours to dodge other dogs. Visitors get a warning at the door. The dog is shut in a bedroom when the doorbell rings. If that sounds like your home, this page is about whether Behaviour Rehab fits your household, what it asks of you, and when something lighter makes more sense.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
The household it serves
A home that has started bending around the dog.
This program is built for anxiety, reactivity and aggression, and for the people living with them. Often the first sign is not the dog at all but the household: the walking route chosen because it avoids the neighbour's dog, the gatherings moved to someone else's house, the partner who no longer walks the dog alone. Dogs with bite histories are accepted after a full assessment, and the program is customized to your dog from that assessment.
It also fits an owner who wants to understand the dog, not just collect commands. In-depth owner education is part of the five to six weeks, so you learn the why, not only the what, and two free follow-up sessions come after the handover. Some signs call for a professional assessment before any program talk: a bite that broke skin, aggression toward someone in the home, or guarding a person. A sudden change in an adult dog starts with your vet.
- Routines rearranged around the dog
- Visitors warned or kept away
- Owner wants the why explained
- Bite history assessed first
What it asks
Weeks apart, then the work comes home.
During the stay, visits are gently discouraged because they interrupt the routine the dog is living. You get social-media updates and personal phone or email check-ins instead. That gap can be hard for an owner who is already worried, and it is worth weighing honestly before you book. What the program cannot do is change the house the dog returns to: the household rules covered at the handover are yours to keep.
For some households, a lighter start makes more sense. Private Training is $150 + GST per one-hour session with a written plan customized to your home, built for hands-on owners who want to do the training themselves with a professional reading over their shoulder. The consultation weighs the dog's history, the household and what you can realistically commit to, then recommends the program, including a smaller one when it is enough.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
What do I have to do while my dog is in behaviour rehab?
Visits are gently discouraged during the stay because they interrupt the routine, so you follow along through social-media updates and personal phone or email check-ins. The bigger commitment starts at the handover, where in-depth owner education covers the household rules and the reasons behind them.
Will a trainer take a dog that has bitten someone?
Yes. Dogs with bite histories are accepted into Behaviour Rehab after a full assessment, which is where the history, the triggers and the household are looked at before anything is priced or scheduled. Until then, management comes first: distance from the trigger, a leash held by an adult, and no setups to test the dog.
Is a 6 week board and train too long for an anxious dog?
The published range is five to six weeks, and the length is set after the full assessment rather than picked from a menu. Time away from home is a fair worry for the owner of an anxious dog, and the consultation is the place to raise it. If the assessment points to something shorter or lighter, that is what we recommend.
Can I work on my reactive dog myself instead of board and train?
Some owners prefer to, and Private Training is built for hands-on owners: $150 + GST per one-hour session with a written plan customized to your home. The consultation weighs the dog's triggers and history, then recommends the program, including a smaller one when it is enough.
Keep reading
Tell us about your household
Describe what sets your dog off, how your days have changed, and whether anyone has been hurt. Book a consultation.
From real owners
Rated 5.0 on Google.
Real Northline dogs