Month Long board and train

[TylerDurden]

I’m not at all looking for validation. I’m looking to hear from people who have actually done it. I want their honest experiences good or bad. Not random opinions.

You have the right to give unsolicited input as I have the right to be off put by it. That is the beauty of the internet.

Yes I said those things but I often overreact and want to know if I’m validated in those sentiments or not. The way to figure that out is to ask for people to share their actual experiences.

Maybe you may want to take your own advise about irritation when giving unsolicited comments?

Ok, fair enough. I won‘t bother you with my opinion going forward. Except for Nik, all the replies in this thread were unsolicited based on your definiton, as they weren‘t based on actual experiences. Regardless, I wish you the best no matter which route you choose. You have a beautiful puppy. Good luck.

 

[Ambie52311]

I would not choose that simply because I feel that in almost all cases training is about teaching the human how to teach the dog. Training together builds a bond between dog and handler. Unless I had a severe behavior issue and it was a last resort, I would not do a board and train. It's also been my experience that almost all board and train facilities use methods that I am distinctly uncomfortable with, meaning compulsion/punishment based training.

From the research I’ve done they do NOT use compulsion/punishment based training here. That is a HUGE no no in my book especially with this breed. This baby is our 6th dog together. We have had large breeds in the past, all from 8wks old, and have trained them all. Corsos are very different he will go to this session with his basics down and a good foundation but I will never be able to put the time into him that they will over these few weeks and I want his training solid as his future plans require it.

 

[Ambie52311]

I agree with Boxergirl. I think if you are dealing with a severe behavior issue then something like this can be very useful. As it is that is a long time for the pup to be away from the family. A long time for the family to not be learning how to work with the pup. A long time where opportunities at bonding are being missed.

That said if you are going on vacation anyways I would definitely do a place that trains or reinforces training during the boarding. We have done that before when on vacation. For us it is always a reinforcement of current training since we are always training but it is helpful for them to be reminded to keep up with the obedience.

He has a good foundation already. We work with him daily but his obedience must be solid for his future and I will never be able to put the time into him that they will over the four weeks. We are crazy busy through early July. Some times we can only work with him for one 10-15 min session. The goal is for 5x+ a day 5-20 min depending on what we are working but we haven’t been able to do that. They will be able to sling shot him quit a bit further along than we have been able to the past month.

As you sort of said... we have to put him somewhere while on vaca. This where we have chosen, but the decision to asked a few weeks is hard on me. It is pure emotion because I want to be able to love on him!

 

[Ambie52311]

To add to this I have known people who have done similar to this (just not for so long) but a good trainer will also typically mandate time to train the owners as well. So I know people who have done one week and two week board and trains but then the trainer had them do a few days with the family and the dog and usually a bunch of in home training sessions as well that way they could cement that training in the dog's actual home and with the family. Those scenarios worked out very very well (they were also on the highest price end).

I didn’t leave details of the entire program in my OP but it definarely includes all you have mentioned and more. They guarantee his behavior after the 4 wk stay. It is also accompanied by a big price tag...

 

[Ambie52311]

When we had Cerberus we always had family watch him. But, with Diesel and Kahlua we have always had to board. Kahlua wouldn't do well with a house sitter or staying with family and separating her from Diesel would be even worse for her. We did so much research on the two places we have boarded with and they have been fantastic. It's all about finding the right place when you board. Now that we are in Portland I have to hunt and find all these services all over again. So far I have yet to find either a vet or a groomer with glowing recommendations. I loved our vet and groomer and our boarding place in the bay area. I even tried talking my groomer into following us to portland. lol

The pup definitely makes or breaks the boarding possibility. We have put two in the past at a facility while on vaca and they LOVED it!! We had one that wouldn’t tolerate it tho so we never did it with him.

 

[Boxergirl]

From the research I’ve done they do NOT use compulsion/punishment based training here. That is a HUGE no no in my book especially with this breed. This baby is our 6th dog together. We have had large breeds in the past, all from 8wks old, and have trained them all. Corsos are very different he will go to this session with his basics down and a good foundation but I will never be able to put the time into him that they will over these few weeks and I want his training solid as his future plans require it.

Would you be willing to share the website of the facility you're considering? I was also wondering what future work you plan to do with him?

 

[Ambie52311]

Ok, fair enough. I won‘t bother you with my opinion going forward. Except for Nik, all the replies in this thread were unsolicited based on your definiton, as they weren‘t based on actual experiences. Regardless, I wish you the best no matter which route you choose. You have a beautiful puppy. Good luck.

At that they were. that is the nature of the internet. unsolicitation spewed all over the place. I too am often guilty of it but don’t get offended when someone is put off when I do it.

 

[Boxergirl]

At that they were. that is the nature of the internet. unsolicitation spewed all over the place. I too am often guilty of it but don’t get offended when someone is put off when I do it.

It's been my experience that some of the best advice comes from opinions that may not be exactly what I was looking for. I know that I often offer unsolicited advice or suggestions, but I also know that there are many lurkers that can learn from a wide variety of information that may be pertinent in a similar situation.

 

[Nik]

It's been my experience that some of the best advice comes from opinions that may not be exactly what I was looking for. I know that I often offer unsolicited advice or suggestions, but I also know that there are many lurkers that can learn from a wide variety of information that may be pertinent in a similar situation.

I agree with this sentiment and I often read through other people's questions just to learn more.

Ambie52311 - Try to keep in mind that when we offer advice or feedback on questions or topics it is all part of a larger conversation that helps the whole community not just the original poster. A lot of us sort through and search through older threads when a new question comes up and these sorts of discussions are so so helpful and typically there is usually some wonderful gem in the responses from some of our super experienced users.

TylerDurden - Please keep sharing your own insights. Every voice here has something to add to the conversation.


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Also I recently got chewed out by my best friend for offering "unsolicited advice". She is going through a very difficult time with her spouse medically speaking and was talking about bruising so I mentioned how when I get bruises more than usual its an iron issue so I usually up my red meat or leafy green intake and it does help. She got very put out by my saying that. I understand sometimes we aren't in a head space to accept advice or the advice given may not always be applicable or helpful in our eyes. But, if we start blocking people from trying to help who knows what we are missing out on and what knowledge could be gained. My personal experience was not applicable for my friend but I didn't know that. What if it had been? What if it had been and I had held back so as not to offend her by sharing my own experiences and then her husband needlessly suffered?

I have been dealing with a lot of these sorts of sensitivities lately because there are a lot of pretty awful things people close to me are experiencing which make emotions run a lot higher. As the person on the other side who wants to help and who truly cares and is coming from a place of genuineness it is frustrating and at the same time I do understand it isn't about me and when people are going through stuff sometimes they just need you to shut up and listen.

That said in a forum like this our post questions aren't purely personal. They are archived for the whole group to reference and they are spring boards for interesting and dynamic discussions.

 

[Boxergirl]

Nik, your friend considered that unsolicited advice? I think that's simply sharing an experience and part of having a discussion.

 

[Nik]

Nik, your friend considered that unsolicited advice? I think that's simply sharing an experience and part of having a discussion.

Yes. But her situation is really difficult so she is very on edge. Her husband has huntingtons and its a pretty impossible situation. Its difficult because i hear everything she is going through and i cant really do anything and even something i also didnt feel was offering advice is enough to upset her right now. But I have to remember that what she is going through is worst case scenario bad and the outlook is it is just going to keep getting worse with no end in sight.

 

[Zeela]

I agree with this sentiment and I often read through other people's questions just to learn more.

Ambie52311 - Try to keep in mind that when we offer advice or feedback on questions or topics it is all part of a larger conversation that helps the whole community not just the original poster. A lot of us sort through and search through older threads when a new question comes up and these sorts of discussions are so so helpful and typically there is usually some wonderful gem in the responses from some of our super experienced users.

TylerDurden - Please keep sharing your own insights. Every voice here has something to add to the conversation.


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Also I recently got chewed out by my best friend for offering "unsolicited advice". She is going through a very difficult time with her spouse medically speaking and was talking about bruising so I mentioned how when I get bruises more than usual its an iron issue so I usually up my red meat or leafy green intake and it does help. She got very put out by my saying that. I understand sometimes we aren't in a head space to accept advice or the advice given may not always be applicable or helpful in our eyes. But, if we start blocking people from trying to help who knows what we are missing out on and what knowledge could be gained. My personal experience was not applicable for my friend but I didn't know that. What if it had been? What if it had been and I had held back so as not to offend her by sharing my own experiences and then her husband needlessly suffered?

I have been dealing with a lot of these sorts of sensitivities lately because there are a lot of pretty awful things people close to me are experiencing which make emotions run a lot higher. As the person on the other side who wants to help and who truly cares and is coming from a place of genuineness it is frustrating and at the same time I do understand it isn't about me and when people are going through stuff sometimes they just need you to shut up and listen.

That said in a forum like this our post questions aren't purely personal. They are archived for the whole group to reference and they are spring boards for interesting and dynamic discussions.

Well said, Nik!

 

[Sawsealady]

It's too late to edit, but I wanted to clarify a bit. I think that a good trainer can get a dog to do pretty much anything, but just because the dog does it for the trainer doesn't mean that he or she will do it for the owner.

I was speaking with a woman who trains horses and she is very experienced and efficient at training hee clients horses. However she said many clients get upset at the huge cost they spend to then have thier horse not work with them. She laughs and says they never want to do it themselves and when she tells them they can have her train them with thier horse many are upset at new cost and don't follow through. She said if they want to pay me to train thier horse to ride with me that's ok with me.
I think about how stretched we are these days, between work, family, commuting.... all the things one must do the idea of having someone else who is experienced and great at training dogs seems like a great idea unfortunilty you can see how especially with a you dog if YOUR not the one reinforcing the behavior you want and moving throughout your day the way YOU ultimately will want for the long term there could be some similar issues as the clients from the horse lady story. If your ready for a break and want to take your vaca and it's unfortunately falling in a time and place that puts your young dog in a board and care. Then it is what it is.
Im sure highly trained dogs like you referred to do much more than a two week stay somewhere along their training journey. I would just mentally prepare yourself for the work that will come after you return. The older I get the more I realize there is no easy or quick fix.
If this is something you will do again then perhaps it's good exposure for your dog for other stays. I recommend you research the place your animal will stay extensively. Also the older i get the more I realize one may not be so teusting.Maybe you can go there a few times and reward you dog during or after the visit so they like the place. If they dont allow you to do certain things that make you feel more secure about leaving your dog there then that would be a sign that it wont work for me.
Enjoy that vaca!

 

[Lisa Bugs]

I researched and researched for a trainer to help us in training Bella. I found Chris Carr who owns "Stronghaus Dog Training Center in PA & NJ." He is known for training police dogs. He had the option of one on one training for 6 weeks or 1 week boarding/training. We chose the later. We were really worried about how she would change. With the 1 week training, you would be able to visit on the 3rd or 4th day to see how the training is going. We unfortunately were not because of Bella's insecurities. Our visit would probably set her back. We were really heartbroken hearing that. But we listened to Chris and glad we did. When we got Bella back there was a little change...but her puppyness still came out. She was just very well trained for the better. In stead of always saying or yelling "No Bella!!!" Ripped clothing, shoes, eaten wall moldings...you name it. All we had to say was one word...it could be STAY, PLACE, HEEL, COME, etc... and she knew what is expected of her and she did it. This was our choice and it was the best choice for us because we have a 13 yr old that I was concerned about with a puppy that was soon going to be 100 and something pounds. Plus our dog walker is about 100 lbs soaking wet and she comes 2 x a day to walk Bella. Chris also was able to give us some insight to Bella....she is very insecure for a cane. He gave us suggestions and demos on how to handle her insecurities and how to get her to be more secure. We've only had to get one "Tune-up" because she had a cast for 4 months...we let the "training" go. Meaning because we felt bad for Bella we let her do what she wanted to do. Chris kindly helped us help Bella remember her commands. Bella is always commented on by family members/strangers on how well behaved she is at home and in stressful (crowded areas) situations. For us....Stronghaus was a perfect fit, choice, everything. Don't get me wrong, we have trained our previous dogs ourselves and they were well mannered dogs but nothing compares to a professional training. This is what worked for us and our Bella.

 

[Lisa Bugs]

In Addition....Don't get me wrong, we have trained our previous dogs ourselves and they were well mannered dogs but nothing compares to a professional training. This is what worked for us and our Bella. I have to admit we were worried about her listening to our commands like she did with Chris. But that's where the 2 to 3 hr training came in. The day you are scheduled to pick up ur dog, Chris spends 2 to 3 hours with you teaching you everything and you are the one commanding your dog. He may show you what ur doing wrong but you ultimately are the one that is giving your dog the commands.

 

[DennasMom]

I posted this on the duplicate thread - before reading all the above:

What did you decide?

5 months is a VERY vulnerable period in your dog's mental development.

We left our 5 month old with our trainers for 1 week at Christmas - it was supposed to be a "home" environment, but he spent a lot of time in a stall in the barn (which looked comfy, just lonely). He came home deathly afraid of strangers. He was able to get over 90% of it eventually, but was always overly cautious after that.

I'd find a friend, neighbor or Rover contact to take care of your pup in a home environment while you're gone. He needs love and security. I agree a kennel arrangement would be terrible, especially for that long. Some kennels mix in some daycare time, which helps, but, that also can be a disaster - it all depends on the level and knowledge of human supervision available.

Board and train would be a distant second choice. At least he'd be getting lots of one-on-one attention when not in a kennel or crate... unless the board & train is in a home-based facility?

... now... having read the above...

If you know and love the trainer and have used them in the past, I'd think it would be a slam dunk!
I would stick with the two weeks, though. I'd be in major puppy-withdrawal after 2 weeks, and would not be able to go without for 2 more... but, that's just me (and hubby agrees).