Board & train
Board and train for Bernedoodles
A Bernedoodle mixes a Bernese Mountain Dog's frame and calm with a Poodle's energy and wit, and the frame often arrives well before the sense does. Many of them lean, many plant their feet mid-walk, and the front door is where the greeting starts. A live-in program gives that growing body a set of habits to grow into. Method lives in our Bernedoodle training guide; this page is about program fit.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Frame before sense
Doors, leashes and recall, sized for the adult this puppy becomes.
The door is first. A Bernedoodle who learns as a puppy that the opening door means go gets heavier every month while the habit stays the same, and a large friendly dog shouldering past a visitor can knock someone over. Place and sit are on the published curriculum, and door manners grow out of them: a dog who holds place while the door opens. Whoever practises it keeps the dog on a leash held by an adult, or behind a barrier.
Two habits often come from the Bernese side. The lean becomes a shove on the leash, not a sprint, so loose-leash walking is taught with the dog's weight in mind. The plant, that sudden full stop mid-sidewalk, calls for patience and a reason to move rather than a tug of war. On-Leash Foundations, two weeks at $1,865 plus GST, is built for dogs who drag. Puppy Fundamentals is built for a young Bernedoodle, and Functional Off-Leash works on recall around distractions.
- Place while the door opens
- No shouldering through thresholds
- Loose leash despite the lean
- Recall before the greeting
After the stay
What travels home with a dog who is still growing.
Everything the dog practised is handed to you in the handover lesson: the door routine, the leash position, the recall word, and how the slip lead or remote collar from your program is fitted on a dog this size. Every board and train includes free follow-up sessions, and Advanced Off-Leash lists two. Graduates can come back for graduate boarding at $65 plus GST per night, a tidy perk for a big dog who already knows the routine.
Your job is to keep the rules the same while the dog keeps growing. The door stays a place-and-wait, for couriers and grandparents alike. The leash is held with the dog beside you, not braced against the lean. A heavy coat can make warm days harder, so ask your vet how much exercise suits your dog in the heat. The consultation weighs age, size and habits before recommending a program, and the shorter option wins whenever it covers what you need.
The programs
Programs and prices
NE · 2-week board & train
On-Leash Foundations
If every walk is a wrestling match, pulling, barking, zig-zagging, this two-week program rebuilds the walk from the ground up with foundational on-leash obedience..
Includes handover lesson, follow-up session, lifetime support, slip lead + collar
E · 3-week board & train
Functional Off-Leash
Everything in the on-leash program, then the next level: reliable off-leash recall even around distractions.
Includes handover lesson, follow-ups, Educator remote collar
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Is a Bernedoodle a good fit for board and train?
The structured routine suits a dog whose size outpaces its judgement, and the daily one-on-one work targets door manners, leash manners and recall while the dog is still growing. Everything is one-on-one, with no group classes. Whether that applies to your dog is a consultation question.
What does a Bernedoodle training program work on?
Place or sit while doors open, loose-leash walking that accounts for the lean and the plant, and name recognition and recall around distractions such as a new person. Puppies also work on crate comfort and calm around new sights and sounds. The exact plan follows the consultation.
Should a Bernedoodle puppy do board and train or wait until it is grown?
Puppy Fundamentals, three weeks at $2,775 plus GST, is built for puppies in their key learning window. A Bernedoodle's size adds a practical reason not to wait long: a door habit is easier to work on before the dog can move you. The consultation settles the timing.
Does a Bernedoodle board and train include recall?
Recall around distractions is the core of Functional Off-Leash, three weeks at $3,030 plus GST, with a remote collar included and owner education on using it properly. Puppy Fundamentals works on name recognition, which recall grows out of. Which stage fits is decided at the consultation.
Keep reading
Grow into good manners
Tell us your Bernedoodle's age, size and what happens at the door. Book a consultation and we will recommend the right program.
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