Board & train
Board and train for Poodles
Poodles were bred to retrieve from cold water and think for themselves, and the thinking never switched off. Many of them audit the household, decide who goes through doors first, and learn a routine almost at once. Many also feel a raised voice more than most. A live-in program gives that mind a job and a predictable day. Method is in our Poodle training guide; here is how the programs fit.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Clever and sensitive
Handing the household decisions back, without raising a voice.
A Poodle who runs the house often does it politely: first through the door, barking at the window until someone comes, ending the walk when it decides the walk is over. A live-in program takes those decisions back one at a time. Place gives the dog somewhere to be while the family comes and goes. Stay is proofed against the dog's favourite trick, anticipating the release and leaving early, so the cue means the cue and not the handler's shift in weight.
Sensitivity decides how that is taught. Skills come through markers and rewards first, and any tool is matched to the dog, because in our experience a Poodle that feels pushed often simply stops trying. That same closeness suits advanced work: distance commands and off-leash heel reward a dog that reads its handler. On-Leash Foundations, two weeks at $1,865 plus GST, covers place, stay and the walk. Advanced Off-Leash, four weeks at $3,940 plus GST, is built for distance and off-leash heel.
- Wait on place at doors
- Stay until the actual cue
- Quiet at the window
- Light hands, clear markers
Keeping the lead
Why the handover is mostly about the handler.
Many Poodles learn a new handler's habits as fast as they learned the old ones, so the handover lesson is less about the dog and more about you. You practise the marker timing, the release word and the place cue until they look the same from you as they did from us. A slip lead and training collar come home with the leash programs, an Educator remote collar with the off-leash ones, and every board and train includes free follow-up sessions.
At home, the job is precision, not effort. Release from place with the word, never with a glance toward the kitchen; many Poodles take the glance as the cue and the word becomes decoration. Send the dog to place before the window barking starts, not after. Toy, Miniature and Standard share the brain; the tools are matched to the individual dog. The consultation looks at which decisions your Poodle has claimed and recommends a program, including a smaller one when it is enough.
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
SE · 4-week board & train
Advanced Off-Leash
The full four-week build: from functional foundations to advanced reliability in public environments and around higher-level distractions.
Includes handover lesson, 2 follow-ups, Educator remote collar
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Is board and train a good idea for a Poodle?
It often suits the breed: a structured routine and daily one-on-one work give a quick, sensitive mind something to do, and skills are taught with markers and rewards before any tool is introduced. Owner education is built in so the precision survives the trip home. A consultation tells you whether it fits yours.
What does a Poodle board and train work on?
Place while the family comes and goes, a stay that waits for the actual cue rather than the handler's body language, loose-leash walking, and calm around everyday distractions. For a Poodle with manners in place, Functional and Advanced Off-Leash work on recall around distractions, sit, stay and down at distance, and off-leash heel.
Which Poodle training program suits a dog that already knows the basics?
Functional Off-Leash, three weeks at $3,030 plus GST, is built for dogs with decent manners who are ready for reliable recall around distractions, with an Educator remote collar included. Advanced Off-Leash, four weeks at $3,940 plus GST, adds distance commands, off-leash heel and public manners. The consultation recommends between them.
Does a Toy Poodle need a different program than a Standard?
The programs are the same; the tools and the pace are matched to the individual dog. A small dog's sensitivity is handled the same way, with clear markers and rewards first. Size changes the equipment, not the curriculum.
Keep reading
Give that mind a job
Tell us which household decisions your Poodle has taken over. Book a consultation and we will recommend the program that fits.
From real owners
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Real Northline dogs