Board & train
Board and train for Shiba Inus
A shiba does not misbehave so much as decline to participate. It slips a flat collar, screams at a nail trim as if it were being murdered, and treats the word come as an opening offer. Two questions come with the breed: can a live-in program make daily life easier, and will the dog ever be trusted off leash. Both deserve straight answers, and the second is the harder conversation.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Drama and doors
The scream, the slipped collar and the recall nobody should promise.
Many shibas come in with three habits: protest at restraint, backing out of collars and slipping through open doors, and a recall that evaporates the moment a squirrel exists. Daily one-on-one sessions pair handling with markers and rewards until a collar grab stops being an outrage. Doorways become places to sit and wait. The included slip lead is fitted high and snug, because a shiba's neck is nearly as wide as its head, and that fit is taught to you.
Puppy Fundamentals, three weeks at $2,775 plus GST, works on crate comfort, name recognition, place and calm around new sights and sounds: for a shiba pup, that is the nail clippers and the harness. On-Leash Foundations, two weeks at $1,865 plus GST, works on loose-leash walking and heel around everyday distractions. Functional Off-Leash, three weeks at $3,030 plus GST, works on recall around distractions, Educator collar included and taught to you. It works on the recall; open, unfenced ground stays a judgement call.
- Collar fit checked before every walk
- Doorways as places to sit
- Handling without the scream
- Recall proofed on a long line
Back at home
A shiba keeps the deal only while the deal stays good.
What transfers home is habits practised daily for weeks: waiting at the door, walking on a slack lead, tolerating a collar grab, a recall that has been paid for in the places it was taught. The handover lesson shows you the markers, the lead fit and the collar settings so the dog meets the same rules in your hallway. Then the shiba tests whether the rules travel. Your job is to make the answer yes, every day, with rewards the dog actually rates.
Keep the long line on in open spaces, pay the recall every time, and use the e-collar as the handover taught, not as permission to unclip. Some protest may resurface in a new routine; if it escalates or the door-bolting returns, book the free follow-up rather than waiting it out. The consultation looks at your shiba and your goals, recommends the program that fits, and names a smaller one when that is enough. For method, read our Shiba Inu training guide.
The programs
Programs and prices
W · One-hour session
Private Training
One-on-one coaching with you on the other end of the leash.
Includes a written weekly plan to work from
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
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Does board and train work for a Shiba Inu?
It works on the habits a shiba brings: slipping collars, bolting through doors, protesting handling and ignoring recall. Daily one-on-one training inside a structured routine builds those skills, and the handover lesson teaches you to keep them. How far any shiba goes depends on the dog and on what you keep rewarding at home, which is why the consultation comes first.
Which board and train program fits a Shiba Inu?
It depends on age and goal: Puppy Fundamentals for a pup, On-Leash Foundations for pulling and heel, Functional Off-Leash for recall around distractions with the Educator collar included. The consultation recommends one after meeting your dog, and suggests the smaller option whenever it does the job.
Will a Shiba Inu come when called after a training program?
Functional Off-Leash works on recall around distractions and sends the Educator collar home with you, taught properly. A shiba's recall then lives or dies on what you do next: the long line in open spaces, payment every single time, no free chases. We will not tell you a shiba becomes an open-field dog because it finished a program; that is a judgement about your dog, made honestly.
What does a Shiba Inu board and train include day to day?
Every board and train includes daily one-on-one training inside a structured routine, socialization and enrichment, updates to you while the dog is away, a handover lesson at the end and free follow-up sessions. For a shiba, the daily work leans on handling, thresholds and lead fit as much as sit and down. The slip lead and training collar come home with Puppy Fundamentals and On-Leash Foundations.
Keep reading
Honest answers for a shiba
Tell us what your shiba slips, screams at and ignores. Book a consultation and hear which program fits, or whether a smaller one does.
From real owners
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