Board and train
The first month home after board and train
The handover lesson is where a board and train turns into your program: the markers and rewards the skills were built on, the tools your dog was matched with, and the routine to keep at home. The first month is where you find out which parts carry easily into your life and which need another look. This page covers how we suggest tracking that, and how to use the follow-up sessions included with every program.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
Handover first
Your plan comes from the handover lesson, not a calendar.
This page is not a week-by-week schedule, because the handover lesson already covers the specifics for your dog: which cues were built, which tools it was matched with and how to use them, and what daily structure to keep. Crate use, how guests are handled at the door, and whether or when to introduce other dogs are questions to settle there, for your dog, rather than rules to copy from a page written for every dog at once.
The temptation in a busy month is to change several things at once: a new route, a visitor, a friend's dog, all in one weekend. We suggest adding to what your dog practises gradually, in line with what your handover lesson covered, and treating anything you are unsure about as a question for us rather than a guess. Shorter practice on a hectic week is an option worth discussing at your follow-up, not a formula we can say will hold everything in place.
- Start from the handover lesson
- One change at a time
- Note where practice gets hard
- Bring the notes to follow-up
Notes and follow-ups
What to write down, and when to reach out.
A useful note has three parts: where you were, what else was going on, and which cue you asked for. A heel that is easy on your street and hard on a busy pathway, a place command that holds until the doorbell, a recall that works until another dog appears: written down, these give a follow-up session something concrete to work on. We would rather see a list of specific moments than a general sense that things are slipping.
Every board and train includes free follow-up sessions; Advanced Off-Leash and Behaviour Rehab list two, and On-Leash Foundations adds lifetime phone and email support. Spend them on whatever your notes point to. If something is sliding rather than wobbling, reach out sooner rather than waiting. If a trip comes up, graduate boarding at $65 + GST a night is open to graduates and existing clients and can include refresher work while you are away.
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
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
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.
What should the first month after board and train focus on?
We suggest focusing on the guidance from your handover lesson: the cues, tools and daily structure covered for your dog. Keep notes on the moments where practice gets hard, with the setting, distractions and cue involved, and bring them to a follow-up session.
How do we go about maintaining board and train results when work gets hectic?
We would raise it at your follow-up session rather than guess. Shorter practice is one option to discuss, but we cannot say a fixed number of minutes holds training in place, and what is realistic depends on your dog and your week. Holding off on new settings until the week settles is another option to talk through.
Our dog is a month out from board and train and one thing is slipping. Is that normal?
We cannot say what is normal for your dog without seeing it, and that is what a follow-up session is for. Note where and when the cue fails and what else was happening, then bring that to the session. Free follow-up sessions are included with every board and train.
We have a trip coming up in the first month home. What are the options?
Graduate boarding, at $65 + GST per night, is open to graduates and existing clients and can include refresher work while you are away. Mention the dates at your follow-up session or when you contact us and we can talk it through.
Keep reading
Keep the month on track.
Book a consultation to talk through the program, the handover lesson and how the included follow-up sessions work.
From real owners
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