Program fit
Puppy Fundamentals: what a 3-week puppy board and train changes
Two things change over three weeks of Puppy Fundamentals. The puppy practises a set of skills daily, one-on-one, inside a structured routine. And the owner's job changes from wondering what to do with a small chaos machine to running a plan we have already started. This page is about the second change, the part that happens in your house, with nothing promised about how far any one puppy gets.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
What the puppy practises
The skills on the list, and what each one looks like at home.
If your puppy ignores its name, chews the leash, sits only for visible cheese or startles at a dropped pan, those are the kinds of gaps the program is built around. Over three weeks we work on name recognition, leash manners, sit and stay, down and stay, place and crate comfort, taught with markers and rewards first, one-on-one, inside a structured routine. Socialization and calm around new sights and sounds, a skateboard or a bus for example, complete the list.
Each skill has a household job. Name recognition is the puppy turning toward a person when called. Leash manners are walking beside someone instead of towing them. Place is a spot to settle while dinner is cooked. Crate comfort is resting in the crate rather than protesting it. How far a particular puppy gets with each of these varies, so we describe what the program works on and leave the results to the puppy in front of us.
- Name means turn around
- Leash beside, not ahead
- Place as a settle spot
- Crate as a resting place
The handover worksheet
What we teach at handover, and what the owner takes over.
The handover lesson is where the change moves houses. We teach the markers and reward timing the puppy has been working with, and the slip lead and training collar that come home with it, so the owner can ask for each skill the same way. The purpose is teaching, not a promise that everything will hold; a new kitchen is a new context. A free follow-up session within 60 days is included for the questions that come later.
A short worksheet for handover day, filled in by the owner: where 'place' will be, who feeds and walks the puppy on weekdays, where the crate will sit, and which household rules everyone will hold to. The welcome package includes a crate-training guide worth reading before that day. Questions worth bringing: how to mark and reward at home, what to do when the puppy ignores its name in the yard, and when inside the 60 days the follow-up would be most useful.
The programs
Programs and prices
SW · Weekdays, drop-off 8–10 am · pick-up 5–7 pm
Day Training
Professional training all day, your couch at night.
Includes weekly one-hour go-home lesson, daily structure
N · 3-week board & train
Puppy Fundamentals
Your puppy's first months decide the habits of a lifetime.
Includes handover lesson, follow-up session, slip lead + collar
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
What does a puppy board and train teach?
Puppy Fundamentals works on leash manners, name recognition, sit and stay, down and stay, place, crate comfort, socialization and calm around new sights and sounds. The work is daily and one-on-one inside a structured routine, and the handover lesson at the end is where we teach the owner the markers, rewards and tools.
What should we expect from a 3-week puppy board and train?
Three weeks of daily one-on-one work on the published list, with social-media updates and personal phone or email check-ins while the puppy is with us. At the end, a handover lesson, a slip lead and training collar to take home, and a free follow-up session within 60 days. We describe what the program works on rather than promising a result.
How much is Puppy Fundamentals at Northline K9?
$2,775 plus GST for the three-week program. That covers the daily training and structured routine, the handover lesson, the slip lead and training collar, and the follow-up session within 60 days. The consultation is where we recommend a program, and a smaller one when it is enough.
Is three weeks away too long for a young puppy?
That is a fair question, and the consultation is where we answer it for your puppy specifically. The program is built for puppies in their key learning window and includes daily individual care, enrichment and a structured routine, but we do not predict how any one puppy will experience the stay.
Keep reading
Plan the handover early
Book a consultation to see whether Puppy Fundamentals fits your puppy. If a lighter option would do, we say so.
From real owners
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Real Northline dogs