Frequently Asked Questions

You don’t need to figure that out before contacting us. Tell us what everyday life with your dog looks like now, what you’d like to change, and how involved you want to be in the training process. We’ll help you choose the option that makes the most sense.

If you want us to do most of the initial training, Board & Train may be the best fit. If you want professional training while your dog still comes home every night, Day Training may make more sense. If you want to be hands-on from the beginning, Private Coaching is probably the place to start. And if you mainly need help figuring out what to do next, a Virtual Strategy session can give you a plan.

We’re based in Jacksonville and work with dogs throughout Northeast Florida. Private Coaching happens at your home or out in the places where you actually need the training to work. If you’re farther away, Virtual Strategy sessions are available anywhere. Board & Train dogs stay with us, so distance matters a lot less.

For everyone’s safety, every dog needs to be current on rabies and DHPP, plus flea, tick, and heartworm prevention. Dogs participating in Board & Train or Day Training also need Bordetella. We’ll ask for records before your dog’s first day with us.

Puppies who are still finishing their vaccinations are welcome for Private Coaching as long as they’re on schedule for their age. We’ll plan sessions around what’s safe for them. Dogs participating in Board & Train or Day Training need to be fully vaccinated before starting.

Not at this time. Because our immersive programs take place in our home environment, we have to be thoughtful about the cases we’re equipped to safely take on.

If your dog has bitten a person or another animal, we’ll be honest that we’re not the right fit right now. We never want to take on a case just to say yes.

We’re balanced trainers. Most of what we teach starts with rewards—food, toys, play, and praise to help dogs understand what we’re asking and make training something they want to participate in. Once a dog understands a skill, we also teach clear boundaries and accountability so those skills hold up when real life gets distracting.

Depending on your dog and your goals, we may use a flat collar and leash, slip lead, prong collar, or e-collar. We don’t choose a tool simply because it comes with a particular program. We look at the dog in front of us, what we’re working toward, and what you’ll realistically be comfortable maintaining at home.

If we recommend a training tool, we’ll explain what we’re using and why, introduce and fit it appropriately, and teach you how to use it yourself.

Our goal isn’t to change who your dog is. We want to give them clearer expectations and help you communicate with each other more effectively while keeping the personality you love.

Training should help your dog navigate everyday life more successfully, not turn them into a robot. We pay attention to how each dog responds and adjust our approach accordingly.

It depends on your goals, not the program you choose. If you want a dog who walks nicely on leash and settles at home, we may never need one. If you want reliable off-leash freedom or a recall that holds up around squirrels, other dogs, or the beach, an e-collar is often the clearest way to communicate with your dog at a distance.

We’ll decide together during your consultation, based on what you want life with your dog to look like and how your dog learns. We never put an e-collar on a dog without first teaching them what it means, and we never send one home without teaching you how to use it.

If an e-collar is the right fit, we’ll walk you through what that looks like for your program during your consultation, including extra hands-on coaching so you feel confident using it on your own.

Most dogs stay with us between 2 and 6 weeks. The right length depends on your dog, where they’re starting, and what you want everyday life together to look like.

Some owners are looking for a stronger foundation: better leash manners, settling in the house, and recall. Other owners have more advanced goals or need more time to practice around real-world distractions. We’ll meet your dog, talk through your goals, and recommend a length that’s realistic rather than putting every dog into the same package.

Your dog stays in our home with us, not in a kennel facility. They have their own space to rest and decompress between training sessions, separate from our own pets.

Throughout their stay, we also take them out to train in real places so their new skills aren’t limited to our living room. Where we train depends on the dog, their goals, and what they’re ready for.

One to two Board & Train dogs at a time, max. Keeping it small means your dog gets real one-on-one attention, and we can adjust their training based on the dog in front of us instead of running everyone through the same routine.

Yes. You’ll get photo and video updates so you can see what your dog is learning and how they’re doing. We know it can be hard to be away from your dog, and we want you to feel connected to their progress throughout the stay.

The videos also give you a chance to get familiar with what we’re teaching before your go-home lesson.

Please bring your dog’s regular food for the full stay, any medications or supplements with instructions, and their vaccine records. We’ll provide the crate, bedding, and training gear.

If your dog has a favorite toy or blanket that helps them settle, you’re welcome to send it along. Just know it may come home a little loved.

Day Training is for owners who want professional training during the workday while their dog still comes home every night. You drop your dog off with us in the morning, they spend the day training one-on-one with us, with structured downtime and real-world outings mixed in, and you pick them up in the evening.

Before we start, we’ll talk through your goals and build your dog’s training around them. We’ll also teach you how to practice at home, so what your dog is learning carries over to you.

We’re gauging interest before we set dates and details. Join the interest list and you’ll be the first to hear when we launch.

That depends on your dog and your goals. Before we start, we’ll talk about what’s currently making everyday life harder and what you’d like your dog to be able to do instead.

That might mean better leash manners, settling calmly at home or in public, stronger recall, better focus around distractions, or building a solid foundation with a younger dog. We’ll use those goals to shape what your dog works on.

That’s the goal, but training has to transfer to you. Dogs learn patterns with individual people, which is why teaching you what to do is part of the program rather than an afterthought.

Board & Train ends with a 2-hour go-home lesson. Day Training includes hands-on lessons with you along the way. With Private Coaching, you’re holding the leash and learning from the beginning.

We’ll show you how to use the same cues, expectations, and techniques your dog has learned so you feel confident keeping their progress going at home.

Training doesn’t stop the day a program ends. The first few weeks home are when habits either stick or start to slip, so we’ll check in with you to see how things are going. With Board & Train, if you need more help, we’ll set up a follow-up session within 30 days.

After that, you’ll always have lifetime text and video support. If something comes up a month or a year later, send us a quick clip and tell us what’s going on, and we’ll help you figure out what you’re seeing and what to try next. Most slips are small and easy to fix when you catch them early.

Life changes, old habits sometimes creep back in, and new challenges come up, like a move, a new baby, or adding a second dog. If you want more hands-on help, alumni get discounted private coaching whenever you’d like a tune-up.

We want training with us to feel like the beginning of a relationship, not something that ends when your program does. On top of lifetime support and discounted tune-ups, we plan to offer more ways to reconnect, practice, and refresh your training together as our alumni community grows, like group events and other community perks.

Because we’re a small, in-home program, we may also be able to welcome past training clients back for boarding on a case-by-case basis. We intentionally keep our numbers low, so availability depends on the dogs already staying with us and whether our home is the right fit for your dog at that time.

If we can’t accommodate your dog, we’re happy to help point you toward boarding options that may be a good fit, especially if you’re looking for an environment with more structure to help maintain the habits you’ve built at home.