Why choose a Board and Train?

A board and train program gives us access to your dog twenty-four hours a day. We can train with their breakfast, lunch and dinner depending on how they feel and their optimal times. The key to all training is consistency and repetition over time. A board and train program allows us to handle the repetition and build your dog’s skills so you can take over. We are reward-based trainers that use food, praise, affection and play to train. Our programs are immersive and include enrichment, socialization, confidence building, fitness, calmness and obedience.

Loki the Boxer training hard to be a good boy

Enrichment and brain games are the best part of the #Careytrainsme training programs. The dogs have fun learning to learn, and of course, we have the best time bonding, trust-building, and building life skills with your dog. For more fun facts on how to introduce your dog to Canine Enrichment visit our blog post here.

Socialization and social skills with people can be challenging if everyone around the dog is not consistent. All the trainers at #Careytrainsme use the same methods and language. If jumping up is an issue, we all take it seriously.

Socialization and communication skills with dogs - supervised socializing with other dogs is the best way for your dog to learn calmness and ensure that they can read and respond to other dogs' cues and communication. Like humans, socialization has many circumstances, and boundaries, some dogs thrive walking with one another and not playing, some a short sniff and move along and others enjoy play, laying down and grooming one another. Every dog is different, and we do not overcrowd and overwhelm dogs and mask it as socialization.

Confidence building and fitness have many benefits and are part of our daily training programs. The dogs don’t realize that they are training meanwhile they are learning body awareness, balance, confidence, safe habitation, and trust-building. We work on gentle body handling and hygiene like brushing their teeth and coat.

Calmness around distractions, aka manners in the real world, takes practice. Often dogs are thrown into the deep end and corrected if they can’t comply. Like all skills being calm, relaxed, and collected in the big wild world takes practice and patience. We work amongst real word distractions every day in the city.

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Board and Train FAQ’s

What dogs are accepted for board and train?

#CareyTrainsMe. We have many obedience programs for adult dogs and teenage (adolescent) dogs, and we also offer a Puppy Boarding School for puppies under four months. Puppy Boarding school can be for puppies as young as 10-weeks. After their second round of vaccinations.

What does a Board and Train Experience include for your dog?

Our board and train program hosts your dog to stay overnight for weeks or months and experience many enriching types of training multiple times each day, including brain games, confidence building, socialization, obedience, and exercise during their stay.

Is it necessary to board your dog overnight to get the results?

#CareyTrainsMe boarding and training programs are modern and include several training sessions and handling each day. Having access to your dog 24/7 allows our trainers to work with your dog multiple times each day, creating an immersive environment to maximize learning.

Where do the dogs sleep at night?

For their safety, your dog sleeps in a home environment in a crate. We use extra-large crates that are comfortable for dogs over 125 lbs for adult dogs. Puppies sleep in smaller crates. Depending on their stress level, the crate is either in the living room or their trainer’s bedroom.

Is Puppy Boarding School different than a Board and Train Program?

The two programs are very similar in terms of obedience training, reward-based training methods, and learning games. The difference for the Puppy Boarding School is typically potty, and crate training is added, and eliminating such nuisance behaviours like jumping on people, mouthing and puppy biting before it starts.

Will my dog be able to listen to me, or just the #CareyTrainsMe trainers?

The key to successful training is repetition and consistency over time. The #CareyTrainsMe training team maximizes several training sessions each day. When you pick up your dog, we will spend an hour reviewing their training. You will also be given a written training plan and a link to youtube of an outtake educational video. Visit our Youtube channel here.

What is Canine Enrichment and why is it part of the board and train program with #CareyTrainsme?

Canine Enrichment is natural and instinctual activity that your dog enjoys. Enrichment improves and enhances your dog’s mental state using a range of activities designed to challenge and exercise their brains. Enrichment activities encourage your dog to problem solve, learn new skills, and become more confident; they also help create new neuropathways in your dog's brain increasing their brain activity.

What are Learning Games?

Learning games are activities that are not always related to a specific cue or command. That means that learning games are designed to be used for or with educational goals but don’t require that the dog be successful at the game. There is never a punishment for failing!

Learning games encourage engagement, builds confidence, create a reward history, and relationships building. Games make learning fun while encouraging the dog to take risks motivating the dog to try new things related to obedience training.

What is Body Handling and Husbandry?

Conditioning your puppy or dog to be handled by humans is often overlooked in dog boarding and training. Animal husbandry is the care and welfare needed to have and keep an animal healthy. Husbandry is everything from checking ears, trimming nails, brushing teeth to full grooms, administering medication or injections, and keeping a clean and healthy environment.

We expect our dogs to love being touched by anyone, including being poked and prodded at the vet without complaint when they haven’t been trained to do so. At #CareyTrainsMe we proactively work on body handling, all done with the dog’s consent. We use food and often teach the dog cues, so they know that they are being handled tolerate it, and even learn to enjoy it.

What are the principles at #CareyTrainsMe?

Reward calmness

Reward focus

Reward engagement

Reward patience and impulse control

Fun and frustration-free

What dog training methods are used?

Positive reinforcement and no physical punishment.

At the #CareyTrainsMe we use food, affection, praise, toys and play to reward. Our goal is to keep dogs in the best learning space with little to no stress.

Marker Training: YES!

We use “Marker Training” in conjunction with a lure, shaping and capturing training methods. The timing of using a word sound or click of a clicker along with rewards to signal the dog that they have achieved the desired behaviour. We use the marker YES! at the #CareyTrainsMe.

To learn how to condition a reward marker we have step-by-step instructions here.

Shaping: “Shaping” is the process by which you can gradually teach your dog a new action or behaviour by rewarding the dog during each step of the process while learning that behaviour.

Capturing/Mark it: The “capturing” or “mark” method requires patience when you teach your dog to perform a natural behaviour on cue. You simply wait for your dog to perform the behaviour without any prompting or guidance from you, and mark and reward them immediately afterwards.

Lure Reward: “Lure Reward” is easiest and involves enticing the dog to move into a specific position with a lure (food or toy) and then rewarding the behaviour with the food/toy lure once that position is achieved.

Conditioning: “Conditioning” refers to learning by association and involves the conditioning of innate bodily reflexes with new stimuli. A stimulus is any feature of the environment that affects behaviour. The simplest example is using food to create a positive response to the stimulant.

Counterconditioning: “Counterconditioning” is the process of getting rid of an unwanted response. In counter conditioning, the unwanted response does not just disappear; it is replaced by a new, wanted response.

Why don’t you use an e-collar or punishment?

Typically, off-leash board and train programs are often associated with e-collar training. We DO NOT use e-collars or shock collars. We do not use e-collars or adverse methods commonly known as punishment to create avoidance behaviour, because it is stressful and painful. The punishment is uncomfortable or painful enough to cause the dog to avoid the nuisance behaviour.

Behaviour science has proven that punishment methods may show an immediate avoidance however over time you will need to increase the intensity of the punishment. Punishment causes avoidance and a flight or fight response. Behaviour science has also proven that being uncomfortable or in pain, causes avoidance or “fight or flight” response in animals, and they are not able to learn and retain information (just like us).

Can you have a well-behaved dog without punishment? Will force-free methods make my dog spoiled and only listen if I only offer treats or food?

Your dog will be more confident without punishment. We condition engagement and focus and make these two behaviours the most rewarding for your dog. After your board and train, you will find that when your dog offers you eye contact all the time, their default behaviour is to sit or lay down, and their nuisance behaviours have been greatly reduced.

Once my dog is trained, will my dog lose their playful personality?

This is a question we are often asked, and the answer is always no – never.

We use positive reinforcement and do not use adverse methods putting your dog in an avoidance or ‘fight or flight response, so your dog will love to train, and will still have the fun playful personality that you love and enjoy.

What if my dog is not food motivated?

If your dog eats, they are food motivated. We use the dog's daily kibble to train with. The dogs receive much more stimulation and exercise at the #CareyTrainsMe, and have an increase in appetite when they are here due to the mental stimulation.

What if my dog is fed raw food or has food allergies?

All owners provide their own dog's food and treats according to their own dog's individual diet. For delicious dog treat recipes click here.

If your dog has allergies, we will only use the food and treats provided by you to train your dog. We may offer high-value treats when training and always refer to the dog’s dietary restrictions before giving the #CareyTrainsMe’s treats or snacks. If your dog has allergies, extra high-value treats may need to be provided.

If your dog eats raw food, we ask that your dog arrives with the equivalent freeze-dried raw food, as it will be used to train your dog instead of fresh raw food. It is considered a high-value treat more than food, as it typically has a lot of flavours.

What if you miss your dog?

We update you by email within the first 24 hours, 72 hours after that, and every 7 days after that. You can also watch the #CareyTrainsMe’s Facebook and Instagram stories to see how your dog is progressing. Stories are updated every day or so. We can also schedule Facetime sessions where we review the training to date and answer questions. This is a big hit for families with children that are missing their pup.

Can you guarantee training results?

We are committed to creating better dogs. Dog owners are provided videos of the training that was completed, so you can see what their dog is capable of. We offer ongoing support over the phone or Zoom/Facetime. There is never a guarantee with animals, and we do not have an official training guarantee, however, we have never had a disappointed board and train client. We are committed to results and our dog board and train programs works.

Who should do a board and train?

Why would someone do a board and train program, and not just train their dog themselves?

Searching for dog training on the internet is opening a floodgate of contradicting information that is overwhelming. Board and Train programs are for people who want the absolute best experience for their dog and do not want to make any mistakes on their way to creating a polite, happy, well-mannered, and well-adjusted dog.

From first-time dog owners to busy professionals, business owners and active families, the board and training has many benefits. Life happens! Starting a new family, trying to manage an over-excited dog, or if you are raising a new puppy on your own board and train programs help teach a hyper dog or young puppy manners and confidence. You can all find peace in your home, enjoy walking your dog and trust them to recall at local dog parks and off-leash trails.

What are the Pros and Cons of Board and Train Programs?

As with anything, board and train programs for puppies and dogs have pros and cons that are relative to each individual household. The #CareyTrainsMe trains in multiple settings and distractions. From one on one, group class settings, on local trails, in our local village, and on the #CareyTrainsMe property with the distractions of other dogs and our team.

Cons:

You will not be learning alongside your dog.

Depending on your dog’s training problems and the outcome you are looking for, you will be away from your pup for several weeks.

Pros:

Your dog receives intensive training from a skilled professional. We do the “heavy lifting” of repetition and consistency from multiple trainers

You do not have to go through the time and stress of multiple training classes or have daily homework, which may take you away from other commitments. In addition to the time, training can be stressful and frustrating. Our programs allow dog owners to regroup while our team does most of the work.

Sleep! Having a new puppy can be sleep depriving and very disruptive to the entire home.

Again life happens – you can focus on life changes and emergencies in your life knowing that your dog is going to come home a better dog.

Socialization – dog socialization is provided at the #CareyTrainsMe that is positive, rewarding and builds confidence for your dog or puppy.

Why choose #CareyTrainsMe for a Board and Train Program?

Because #CareyTrainsMe we can create better dogs so you can enjoy your dog frustration-free, and have the peace of mind and therefore freedom, to take them more places safely.

Contact us today to tell us about your dog and we’d be happy to give you advice on how our board and train program will help you transform your dog into a happy, healthy, well-behaved canine.

#CareyTrainsMe has been in operation since 2015 and has proven to be a successful and highly respected trainer in Metro Vancouver.

For more information on Board and Train Programs book a free consultation online by clicking the button below.

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