Comparisons
Board and train vs an online dog training course
An online course and a live-in program are different products, and we would rather compare them fairly than dismiss one. A course puts the teaching in the owner's hands and the repetitions in the owner's week. A board and train puts the repetitions with us for two to six weeks and then, at the handover lesson, puts the cues back in the owner's hands. Neither removes the owner from the work; they place it differently.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
Feedback and practice
Who watches the dog, and who does the repetitions.
Online courses are not one thing. A self-paced set of recordings can explain mechanics well: when to mark, how to hold a leash, why a reward needs to arrive quickly. What a recording cannot do is watch a particular dog and adjust. Courses that add live sessions or video review close some of that gap, because a trainer is at least seeing the dog on a screen. What every online format shares is that the daily repetitions are the owner's job.
A board and train moves those repetitions to us. Every program includes daily one-on-one training and proofing around distractions, with skills taught using markers and rewards first and tools matched to the individual dog. Programs run from two weeks (On-Leash Foundations, $1,865 + GST) to four weeks (Advanced Off-Leash, $3,940 + GST), plus Behaviour Rehab at five to six weeks. What a program does not do is remove the owner's practice. It front-loads the dog's, then hands the cues over at the handover lesson.
- Recordings cannot watch your dog
- Live feedback narrows that gap
- Daily repetitions, owner or us
- Handover lesson returns the cues
Which suits whom
Suitability depends on the dog, the problem and the owner's week.
Neither option is the shortcut. A course may suit an owner who wants to do the teaching and has time to practise regularly, particularly for a young dog learning basic manners. A program may suit an owner who wants the daily repetitions done by a trainer first, or a dog with a rehearsed habit that has resisted home practice. None of that is a verdict on the owner. At the consultation we recommend a program, and a smaller one when that is enough.
Reactivity, anxiety and aggression deserve a separate note. Behaviour Rehab is the program built for them: five to six weeks, $4,850 to $5,760 + GST, customized and priced after a full assessment, with two free follow-up sessions and owner education. We are not claiming every reactive dog needs a live-in program or that no online format can help. A dog who lunges or growls is hard to read through a recording, and the assessment is how we learn what a particular dog needs.
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
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 online dog training as good as in person?
It depends on the format and the dog. A self-paced course can teach mechanics well, and courses with live or video feedback let a trainer see something of the dog. What no online format provides is a trainer doing the daily repetitions with the dog, which is the core of a board and train.
Board and train vs online dog training: which should I pick?
We would ask who is going to do the daily practice and whether the dog needs to be read in the moment. If the owner wants to do the teaching and has time to practise, a course may be enough. If the owner wants a trainer to run the repetitions first and then hand the cues over, that is what a board and train is built for, and the consultation is where we recommend one.
Online course or board and train for a reactive dog?
Behaviour Rehab is the program built for anxiety, reactivity and aggression: five to six weeks, $4,850 to $5,760 + GST, planned and priced after a full assessment. That does not make it automatic for every reactive dog; the consultation is where we recommend a program. The limit of a course here is that a recording cannot read a dog in the moment.
Can I do an online course after a board and train?
Nothing stops it, though the handover lesson and free follow-up sessions already exist for the cues the dog learned and for adjusting when one slips. For something new, Private Training is $150 + GST per one-hour session with a written weekly plan customized to your home. Either is a reasonable way to keep learning.
Keep reading
Course or program
Book a consultation, describe the problem and the practice time you have, and we will say which program fits.
From real owners
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