Households
Training a dog when you travel for work
A week away every month can unsettle a young dog's training if the person left in charge uses a different set of rules. This is not about the dog being stubborn. It is about two handlers with two standards, and the dog often picking the easier one. Here is how we suggest making the handover clean, rehearsing the cues with the caregiver before you go, and turning travel weeks into training weeks.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
The handover
One page of rules beats a ten-minute briefing at the door.
Before the taxi arrives, we want the dog's rules on paper. One page: the cues and the exact words, the daily schedule with times, where the dog sleeps, what it eats and when, what it is never allowed to do, and the vet's number. We suggest pinning it by the leash hook and texting a photo to your partner or sitter. The times matter most. Your calendar changed; the dog's should not, so whoever is home walks and feeds on the same clock.
Then we rehearse. In the week before the trip, we suggest the caregiver runs the daily cues while you watch: place, crate time, and a short walk on equipment the dog already knows and the caregiver can use safely. If the dog wears a slip lead or training collar, we recommend showing the sitter how it fits and how you hold it. A dog that will not settle for the sitter with you in the room needs more rehearsal, not a hopeful goodbye.
- Cues and exact words written
- Schedule with clock times
- Same sitter every trip
- Rehearse cues with the sitter
Travel weeks
Put the trip to work instead of apologizing for it.
A long trip is a natural time to run a board and train, because the dog would be away from you anyway. Two weeks lines up with On-Leash Foundations at $1,865 plus GST; three weeks covers Puppy Fundamentals or Functional Off-Leash. You come home to a handover lesson and a dog that has had daily one-on-one training instead of a bored fortnight. For short trips, graduates can board with us at $65 plus GST per night, so the routine stays familiar.
In the weeks you are home, Day Training at $650 plus GST per week keeps the work going: drop off between 8 and 10 am, pick up between 5 and 7 pm, and a one-hour go-home lesson each week so you are the one who learns the cues. The thing we suggest avoiding is a new sitter every trip. That means a new rulebook every trip. One consistent person, briefed once and rehearsed with, beats a new face every month.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
How do I keep dog training consistent when I travel a lot?
We suggest writing the rules down and handing the same page to every person who cares for the dog. We recommend keeping mealtimes, walks and bedtime on the same clock whether you are home or not. Before each trip, we also suggest running the everyday cues with the caregiver and checking that the dog is comfortable with them.
Can I do a board and train while travelling for work?
Yes, and a long trip is a natural fit. A two-week trip matches the length of On-Leash Foundations and a three-week trip matches Puppy Fundamentals or Functional Off-Leash, with a handover lesson when you return and free follow-up sessions after. The consultation is where we recommend the program, including a smaller one when that is enough.
Should my dog sitter follow my training?
Yes, on the everyday basics at least. We suggest giving the sitter your written cue list, rehearsing place, crate and the walk together before you leave, and agreeing on limits: where the dog walks on leash, and whether it comes off leash at all while you are away. Precision work can wait for your return, but the rules should not.
Is it fair to own a dog if I travel for work?
In our experience it can be, if the dog has a steady routine and consistent people while you are gone. A week a month with a known sitter, or a graduate boarding stay at $65 plus GST per night, is very different from a rotating cast of strangers. We find dogs care about predictability more than mileage.
Keep reading
Plan around the calendar
Book a consultation and tell us your travel pattern. We will recommend a program that fits the trips you already have booked.
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