Board and train
Board and train for small dogs
Owners of small dogs tend to arrive with different questions. Can a slip lead be sized for a small dog? Does a place command hold for a dog that would rather be on a lap? What about a growl on the couch aimed at a partner? This page covers what a live-in program works on for a little dog, what stays the same, and what to bring to the consultation.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
Sized to the dog
The curriculum stays the same, and the equipment is sized to the dog.
Puppy Fundamentals is a three-week board and train at $2,775 plus GST that works on leash manners, name recognition, sit, down and stay, place, crate comfort and structured socialization. On-Leash Foundations is two weeks at $1,865 plus GST and works on loose-leash walking, heel, sit, stay, down, place and everyday distractions. Neither curriculum has a small-dog version. A place command is a place command whether the dog weighs as much as a cat or a person.
What is sized to the dog is the equipment. Both programs send home a slip lead and training collar, and tools are matched to the individual dog, not a weight class. Skills are taught with markers and rewards first, and any tool is introduced properly and taught to you before the dog leaves. The rest of the inclusions are the same for every board and train: daily one-on-one training, a structured routine, socialization, enrichment, updates for you, a handover lesson and free follow-up sessions.
- Slip lead and collar included
- Tools matched to the individual
- Markers and rewards taught first
- Same curriculum as any dog
Carrying and growling
Picking a dog up is not the problem, and growling on a lap is not a joke.
Small dogs get carried, and that is a management choice, not a training failure. Lifting a dog out of a crowd or away from a loose dog is often the sensible call. What carrying cannot do is stand in for training: a dog that is lifted past every hard moment often has fewer chances to practise walking through one. Whether your dog needs more practice on the ground or has a specific behaviour to address is an individual question for the consultation.
Growling at a partner or child who approaches the lap is a different matter. A growl is information, and suppressing it is not the goal. Behaviour Rehab is built for anxiety, reactivity and aggression: a board and train of five to six weeks at $4,850 to $5,760 plus GST, planned and priced after a full assessment, and dogs with bite histories are accepted after that assessment. If the growling is new or sudden, ask your vet first, then bring the details to the consultation.
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
S · 5–6 week board & train
Behaviour Rehab
Kaitlin's specialty, and the work she loves most.
Includes assessment-built plan, 2 follow-ups, deep owner education
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Is board and train worth it for a small dog?
It can be, and size alone is not the deciding factor. The programs work on the same leash, place and crate skills for any dog, and the consultation is where we recommend one, including a smaller option when it is enough. What matters is what your dog needs to practise, not how much it weighs.
Which program is right for a small dog?
Puppy Fundamentals is built for puppies in their key learning window. On-Leash Foundations is for dogs who are hard to walk and owners who miss enjoying the walk, and Behaviour Rehab is for anxiety, reactivity and aggression, planned after a full assessment. Size does not pick the program; the consultation does.
Do you use prong collars or e-collars on small dogs?
Tools are matched to the individual dog, not to its size category, and skills are taught with markers and rewards first. Slip leads, prong collars and Educator remote collars are the tools we work with, always introduced properly and taught to you before the dog comes home. Puppy Fundamentals and On-Leash Foundations include a slip lead and training collar.
Can a small dog cope with living away from home for two or three weeks?
Every dog is different, so we will not promise how yours will react. What we can describe is the setup: clean, comfortable accommodation with fresh water, daily exercise, enrichment and individual care, plus social-media updates and personal phone or email check-ins for you. We gently discourage visits, since they interrupt the routine the dog is learning.
Keep reading
Small dog, same standard.
Tell us what your dog struggles with. We will say which program fits, or whether a smaller step would do. Book a consultation.
From real owners
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Real Northline dogs