Boarding School

[Trowby]

Went for a discussion with our trainers about obedience training now that Sage is finished with Puppy Preschool. They have a residency program that is 3 weeks in total. We think we will do 2 weeks at first and then the 3rd week later on. At the end she will know all commands and be reliable off and on leash. Anybody have any experience with resident training? These are certified trainers (CPT). The cost is pretty substantial but seems worth it.

Trowby

[Ali]

Well I don't know about you but I would not be able to go without my puppy for that long. I have looked into it though and found that some puppy day cares have programs that you drop you dog off at their day care and they do training there. For example one program that was $1000, was for day care 2X a week for 7 weeks, they did training (the same kind with boarding) a certain amount of times with the puppy during the day, then would give you a progress report at the end of the day and teach you any new things you dog learned. It also included 4 in-home trainings to see how the progress is going with you in your own environment and a consultation. I think it is important that you are learning with your dog at the same time, because a lot of the time they are training you as well. It is also important that your dog listens to you. Try to look into this and see if there are any programs like this in your area. And make sure to call and talk about it with them.

[Tamara & Giada]

There is no way I could leave my puppy for that long. I also agree with Ali, that YOU should be the main trainer for your puppy. You are his master. What makes the training work is follow through at home, him seeing you as a leader, and also the close bonding you get from loving and caring for your puppy at home. You can't achieve this though boarding school.

[Adina P]

Maybe I'm just a horrible skeptic...but I do not believe it is possible for a pup who just got out of puppy preschool to be fully off leash trained in 3 weeks. Unless your pup is incredibly unique, 100% selfless (cares 100% about you and 0% about his immediate fun/pleasure)...I just don't see it. There are too many competing interests and it takes concerted work over much more time for reliability to commands (in the face of most/all distractions) to solidify.

It doesn't matter if you train with traditional methods, corrections, or raw hamburger meat cookies and praise--3 weeks is not enough. It takes maturity, time, enormous practice, and a bond between a dog and handler to develop totally reliable off leash control. Just the fact they make that guarantee makes me not trust the program.

3 weeks might get her fluent in commands...but reliability?? Off leash?? I don't see it.

[Mindy]

Hi,
I don't know if this info will help at all, however when my puppy was 11 weeks old, I was sent to a training for work. I could not bring him with me, so I had him in residence with the trainer who runs the doggie day camp my Paddy goes to. He did very well, however as a puppy, he was very easily distracted and the traniers did note that about him, so yes, he did well and had a great week, he did not learn or master a whole lot. he would sit and lay down when he returned home. He was loved, stayed in a failiar place with the people who play with him all day while I am at work, however, as far as obediance training...he was really too young, and now, even at 4 months old, he is still easily distracted in our basic puppy obediance class that we attend. The trainers think he is very smart, however very young too. If I have to make a return trip next summer, I may have him stay a week again. He and I attend training together now, and when he is older he may really accomplish something in a weeks time. I spent about $1,000 for the week, and he was very well cared for and attended classes, so for that I was quite happy. Regarding actual training, as he gets older and the more he and I practice, the better we get.
Mindy and "Paddy"

[Trowby]

Hi Mindy and all who replied. Thank you for your experiences. I understand that puppies aren't ready to learn until they are at least 16 weeks old. Sage is also very distractable and that is something to consider. I'm still thinking about whether to do this and which trainers to use.

Thanks again.

Trowby and Sage

[Stephanie]

I have to agree with everyone else in that I could never let Brody be away for that long...I couldn't imagine him not being home in the morning when I get home from work...let alone for 2 or 3 weeks!

First, I have to say I don't understand why you would want to put her in a boarding school while she is soo young. This is a very important point in her life, she is developing a very important bond with her new masters. To send her away could easily destroy that bond.

Secondly, I have to agree with the other posters and say that the relationship you have with Sage is what makes the training valuable. To send her to a resident training facility is not going to make her listen to you... She may understand the commands and perform them for you, but you are no longer her pack leader...you will give that up if you send her to learn somewhere else.

I also have to ask...why is it that you are even considering this? It seems as though training and helping your puppy learn should be a fun joyous time in your growing relationship with her. Why would you want to give that up?? Is something not going well? Sage is still pretty young, maybe put this off until she is a little older. Try something like Ali suggested and see how that goes before you send her off for a few weeks.

[Adina P]

Hi again...some people have mentioned some things I wanted to address with my opinion =)

1) Bonding. I agree that there is a special bond that forms via training. HOWEVER, I believe it is a huge myth that you can't bond to a puppy that is trained elsewhere. Guide Dogs and Service Dogs are frequently raised and trained elsewhere yet still bond to their new owners. People adopt adult dogs and puppies of various ages from shelters and rescues all the time and have no trouble bonding. I prefer to do the training myself because it does add a special element, but again...no way, no how is a pup gonna be done training in 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or one month.

2) Age of training. You mentioned having heard pups don't learn before 16 weeks. This is only halfway true. Pups start learning right away. They are learning all the time and being trained constantly by life and your response to him. However, even though they are learning right away, doesn't mean they will be TRAINED and RELIABLE right away. Learning and training are not always the same thing. A pup can learn what sit means and have the ability to respond with putting their butt down. But that doesn't make him trained. Again...it doesn't matter if the dog is 10 weeks, 16 weeks, 1 year or 3 years...three weeks is NOT enough time to gain full off leash control. If they actually promise this, I'd save my money.

[Trowby]

Hi Adina
Thanks for the insights. One of the problems is that we have 3 adults here ( husband, daughter and me) who have their own ideas about how Sage should be trained. I am still looking into this and the alternatives. There may be some good classes here in the area.

Best

Trowby

[Adina P]

Check out apdt.com and IACP to find trainers near you. APDT is all about positive training only...IACP trainers may use corrections.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is nothing WRONG with board & train facilities in principle and there are some excellent ones out there...but they are NOT for pups and even if they were you will NOT get your money's worth.

Better to sit down as a family and discuss what you want out of your puppy and maybe watch some training videos together (Ian Dunbar's "Sirius Puppy Training" is VHS and avail thru amazon and great for basics). OR attend the first few classes as a family and swap roles of who does the in class parts...so you can be on the same page. If your family is NOT on the same page NOW they won't be on the same page when he gets back and it will all be money down the drain anyway even if by some MIRACLE they turned a young pup into an obedience champion (NOT likely).

[Ali]

I completely understand this dilemma. My boyfriend (who does not live with me) had some suggestions about how to train my puppy, but in my eyes it is whatever I say goes. I am luck because to train a puppy correctly and as fast as possible they need consistency. I have discovered that some trainers and training facilities will have seminars over certain topics, one of them being training. If you can find one, try going, that way you can ask as many questions as you want and listen to other people's questions. It could be a good family outing. :) Are you having trouble considering personal, group, or board training or considering positive training or punishment, etc.

Another way to figure this out is to read a tone of training books, but this can take up a lot of time. My bit of advice for you is to do what you feel comfortable with. No matter what "we" may say about certain types of training, you know what fits your lifestyle the best. All types of trainings can be a positive experience for your puppy and will have advantages and disadvantages. As long as you are consistent and stick with the training, everything should turn out okay.

Good luck!
Ali

[Trowby]

Hi Ali
Thanks so much for your insights. I love your pup too - so cute. I've been giving this some thought and doing research. I found a very experienced IACP trainer near us and we are all going for a private session this week. Then we will probably do group classes. The most important things now to me are 1) that we are all on the same page. 2) that we not use force with Sage. I don't want to have to use a pinch collar for the rest of her life. 3) That we nurture a well mannered dog - knowing we will have to work hard with her. She is a sassy puppy and I don't want to destroy her personality.

[Adina P]

IACP vs. APDT.

IACP includes trainers that MIGHT use force (if by force you mean physically positioning a dog or giving physical corrections like a leash correction).

APDT is pretty much all praise/treats and no corrections except maybe a "uh-uh!" or removal of attention/reward.

I tend to err on the side of corrections used properly ONCE the dog has been taught what he needs to do.

Force does NOT equal crushed personality. NONE of my dogs personalities have been crushed and we used the same methods on all of them and the method did involve a choke chain collar with leash corrections. IT's all in the method and handling.

Pinch collars aren't bad. I'd rather rely on having that on my dog than a pocket full of treats--NOT saying treat training is bad...it has been great for many!!! I just preferred to leave treats at home.

Meet with the trainer get a feel for his methods and if they fit and you all can agree...excellent. If not maybe sit in on other trainer's classes, especially graduation classes. HOW WELL do the dogs do? What do most class attendees accomplish by the end of class?

I can do some research and get recommendations for trainers in your area if you like.