Behaviour
Keeping results after Behaviour Rehab
A Behaviour Rehab graduate comes home with new habits and an old address. The couch, the front door and the route to the mailbox all remember the previous version. What happens in the weeks after pick-up matters, and every dog carries the change differently. This page covers what the handover lesson gives you, how home practice tends to go, and what we suggest when a walk goes badly.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
The handover
What the handover lesson actually hands over.
At the handover lesson we go through what your dog worked on, which tools it is wearing, the words it responds to, and the management that was in place around its triggers. We recommend writing the details down before the drive home, since a lot gets said in an hour. Behaviour Rehab also includes two free follow-up sessions and in-depth owner education, so the handover is a starting point rather than the only conversation we will have.
At home we suggest keeping the routine your dog knows and widening its world gradually: a quiet street before a busy pathway, one calm visitor before a full house, a known trigger at a distance where your dog still takes food. How fast that climbs depends on the individual dog and the plan from handover, not on a date. We recommend noting triggers, responses and recovery, because that record makes a follow-up session useful.
- Write the handover details down
- Keep the known routine
- Widen the world gradually
- Note triggers and recovery
Bad days
When a walk goes badly, we look at what happened.
A hard day will happen: a loose dog rounds a corner and your dog reacts. We recommend ending the walk calmly, going home by the quietest route, and letting your dog settle wherever it settles best, whether that is a crate, a bed or another room. Then look at what stacked up: too close, too tired, too many new things in one outing. A single manageable reaction, reviewed and adjusted for, is normal life with a graduate. A pattern is a different conversation.
Some events need more than a note. A bite, a reaction beyond anything seen during the program, or reactions that keep clustering are reasons to use a follow-up session promptly. If the change is sudden and out of character, we recommend seeing your vet first: the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that veterinarians rule out medical causes of aggression. Setbacks are also worth a look at what changed at home, without assuming anyone failed. Sometimes a dropped tool explains it. Sometimes nothing at home does.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
What should I expect after board and train with a reactive dog?
Expect a handover lesson that covers what your dog worked on, the tools it wears and the management to keep, plus two free follow-up sessions and owner education. How much management a dog still needs afterwards varies from dog to dog. The early weeks at home are for practising in familiar places before adding harder ones.
How do I maintain dog training results?
We recommend short, regular practice of the trained skills in everyday moments rather than waiting for a real trigger to test them. Keep the tools and the routine your dog learned with, and use the included follow-up sessions to check your handling before problems build. A simple log of triggers and recoveries shows you what is actually changing.
What if my reactive dog has a bad day after rehab?
End the walk calmly, get home, and let your dog settle in whatever way suits it. Then review what led up to it: distance, tiredness, too much in one day. One manageable reaction is information; a bite, a much bigger reaction than before, or a cluster of them is a reason to use a follow-up session soon, and a sudden out-of-character change is a reason to see your vet.
Is my dog regressing after board and train?
A single rough walk on its own does not tell you much; a steady slide over weeks is worth taking seriously. We recommend looking at what has changed at home, in the routine and in the dog's health before deciding, then bringing the log to a follow-up session so we can look at it together. Sometimes the answer is a small adjustment, and sometimes it is a vet visit.
Keep reading
Keep the graduate graduated.
Book a consultation. We will talk through what Behaviour Rehab includes, what comes home with your dog, and the free follow-up sessions.
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