Choosing a program
Board and train or private lessons? How to choose.
The honest difference between a board and train program and weekly private lessons, and which one fits your dog, your schedule and the problem you are trying to solve.
The most common question on the free assessment call is some version of “do we really need board and train, or could we do lessons?” The answer depends on three things: what the problem is, how much daily practice you can realistically do, and how fast you need it fixed.
What private lessons are good at
Private lessons teach you. Seth works with you and your dog for a session, shows you the mechanics, and sends you home with homework. Between sessions, you are the trainer. That works well for door manners, jumping, basic obedience, puppy foundations and owners who want to be hands-on from the start.
It also works when the problem is mostly about handling: a dog who is fine with Seth but pulls with you, for example. The lesson fixes the human end of the leash.
What board and train is good at
Board and train changes the dog. Your dog lives in Seth’s home for one to six weeks and trains every day, in a home environment and on real field trips. The repetition is the point: a reactive dog might rehearse calm behavior around other dogs dozens of times in three weeks. In weekly lessons, that same exposure could take a year.
That is why reactivity, aggression, anxiety and dogs who have “already tried training” do best in a board and train. The dog learns the new pattern first. Then the go-home session and follow-up lessons transfer it to you.
A simple way to decide
- Puppy under four months: the Puppy Development Bundle (four private sessions).
- Jumping, door manners, basic obedience, and you can practice daily: private lessons, or Gold if you would rather have it done.
- Pulling, no impulse control, listens only at home: Gold (2 weeks).
- Reactivity, aggression, anxiety, or a dog who needs to be calm in public: Platinum (3 weeks).
- You want a finished, off-leash reliable dog: VIP (6 weeks).
And if you are not sure, that is what the free phone assessment is for. Seth will tell you plainly which one your dog needs, including when the shorter, cheaper option is the right one.
Seth Purdom
Owner and trainer, Best Dog University. 16+ years, 900+ dogs. About Seth
