* If you haven’t read our article on How Dogs Think & Communicate, we recommend checking it out first before continuing here.
If you’ve been wondering “Is a board and train effective?” or “do board and train programs work?” you’re not alone. Every week we talk with smart, frustrated owners who’ve spent thousands on board and train programs only to find their dog returns home “trained,” yet completely unmanageable again within a week or two.
So… what’s the deal? Why do some people here glowing reports and others hear horror stories? Are all board and trains a scam?
No board and train can be effective.
But after 17 years in the dog training world, we’ve discovered most programs fail for one simple reason: no systems. Great intentions, but zero structure. That leads to chaos, burnout, and inconsistent results.
Here are the three big reasons most board and trains don’t deliver long-term… and what a real program should include if you want obedience that actually sticks.
Many trainers “freestyle” each dog that walks through the door. One day it’s clickers and treats… the next day it’s e-collars or prong collars. They’ve trained under five or six mentors and mash together everything they’ve learned.
That kind of inconsistency is confusing for the dog and for the owner.
At Tip Top K9, every board and train is powered by a proven, repeatable training system we’ve perfected over millions of repetitions. Every location is using the same proven system on every dog. No guessing. No mixing and matching. Just a simple, teachable method that works consistently across breeds, energy levels, and behavior issues.
If a board and train cannot clearly explain how they train every command and why, then yes that board and train is not effective.
Even if a trainer does a fantastic job training your dog, it means nothing if you can’t handle the dog yourself.
Most dog trainers throw the leash back to the owner after a 30-minute pick-up demo and say, “Good luck!” That’s why so many people wonder, do board and train programs work? because the training was never transferred to the person who actually needs it even though they saw their dog had learned things!
At Tip Top K9, we obsess over the human training side. During your take-home, we go through a structured 2-hour hand-off with a 20-step process (sometimes 25+ for our larger boot camps). We break skills down into tiny reps, so every person in the family can actually do it themselves before we leave.
Our advanced boot camps (Super Star, etc.) run stays up to 20 minutes or even a full hour.
But it’s not just the reps. We also understand that people learn in different ways so our trainers are specifically taught to teach clients using all three learning styles:
We don’t move to the next step until every single person in the household can successfully handle the dog. Remember: a board and train is only effective if the dog listens to YOU, not just the trainer.
Finally, many dog trainers are great with dogs… and terrible at business. They’re answering phones, scheduling clients in a journal, forgetting callbacks, and burning out. With no systems for support, communication, and follow-up, even good training falls apart.
At Tip Top K9, we have an entire back-office support team so our trainers can focus on dogs and humans, not paperwork. That allows us to give lifetime support, weekly group classes, and fast responses to client questions long after the board and train ends.
Yes, board and train can be incredibly effective IF (and only if) the program has systems in place for:
✅ A consistent, teachable dog-training method
✅ A structured transfer system for the owners
✅ Real support after the dog comes home
Before investing in a program, ask your trainer:
Tip Top K9 board and train programs are designed to be effective not just for a week or a month, but for life. Because ultimately, our goal isn’t just a trained dog… it’s a trained family.
If you’re looking for a board and training program near me then fill out the form with your zipcode and speak to a local Tip Top K9 trainer today!
Read the next article in this Series: Most Effective Dog Training Methods
Explore our full series of Dog Training Psychology articles below. For the best clarity, we recommend reading in order.
Are Board & Train Programs Effective?
Most Effective Dog Training Methods
Operant Conditioning In Dog Training
Operant Conditioning vs Classical Conditioning in Dog Training
Classical Conditioning In Dog Training
Adapted with permission from Ryan Wimpey’s book, Dog Training Simplified (West Sky Publishing).
