Board & Train
Advanced Obedience.
Personally Developed.
A three-week residential program for owners who prefer to place the daily training responsibility with Armor K9. Your dog lives and trains within our home-and-facility environment while we develop reliable obedience for life both on and off leash.
Three-week residential program
On- and off-leash obedience
Included e-collar and pickup lesson
The Residential Experience
Your Dog’s Training, Entrusted to Us.
For three weeks, your dog lives and trains within Armor K9’s home-and-facility environment. We assume responsibility for the daily training process, allowing obedience to develop through consistent handling, household structure, and exposure to everyday life.
Formal training is supported by appropriate exercise, rest, play, and personal interaction. As the dog progresses, field trips introduce increasingly demanding environments—from neighborhoods and parks to stores and busier public settings—so the training can be reinforced around real-world distractions.
The goal is not social interaction with every person or dog encountered. It is neutrality: the ability to remain composed, attentive, and responsive while life continues around them.
Obedience Developed for Daily Life
Clear Communication.
Reliable Follow-Through.
Board & Train develops a complete system of on- and off-leash obedience for everyday life. Behaviors are first introduced through luring and shaping, then reinforced through the leash before the e-collar is thoughtfully integrated to support clear communication, reliable responses, and confident engagement.
“Stay” is not part of Armor K9’s standard command system but can be accommodated for owners who prefer to use it.
The objective is a dog that responds from the first command and can perform reliably both on and off leash in appropriate environments. Individual progress varies, and continued reliability depends upon consistent handling and follow-through at home.
Returning Home
Preparing You to Continue the Training.
Communication during the stay is handled personally, with progress updates provided according to the owner’s preferences.
At pickup, Armor K9 demonstrates the dog’s training before guiding the owner through an approximately 1.5-hour private lesson. The commands most relevant to daily life are practiced both on and off leash. Owners learn how to handle and manage their dog, reward desired behavior, address noncompliance, and use the included e-collar properly.
Other household members are encouraged to participate so expectations and handling remain consistent.
Owners also receive a Go Home Guide with clear direction for managing the dog’s freedom, maintaining consistent expectations, and beginning daily practice immediately. Armor K9 checks in at approximately 24, 48, and 96 hours, then adjusts the frequency of contact according to how the owner and dog are progressing.
Lifetime guidance and support remain available. When in-person assistance or additional instruction is appropriate, it may be arranged for an additional fee and applicable trip charge.
The training developed during the three-week stay provides the foundation. Its lasting success depends upon the owner’s consistent handling and follow-through at home.
Eligibility and Individual Considerations
The Right Program for the Individual Dog.
Board & Train is available for dogs beginning at 16 weeks of age. There is no fixed maximum age and no general breed or size restriction. Prior obedience training is not required.
Dogs must be current on all age-appropriate vaccinations, including Bordetella and rabies. They should be crate-trained and preferably house-trained before arrival. Armor K9 can provide preliminary guidance during the evaluation; when either foundation must be developed during the program, additional fees may apply.
Reactivity, fear, separation anxiety, and aggression are evaluated individually. When appropriate, certain concerns may be addressed during Board & Train and may require additional time and fees. Dogs with a bite history, dangerous aggression, severe separation anxiety, or behaviors that prevent safe handling are not accepted.
Every dog progresses differently. Armor K9 applies professional judgment throughout the program and communicates honestly if an individual limitation affects the intended outcome.
Optional Bite Assessment & Development
Exploring Your Dog’s Protection Potential.
Upon owner request, Bite Assessment & Development may be integrated into Board & Train for an additional fee. This optional work allows Armor K9 to evaluate the dog’s desire, confidence, and natural ability for protection development.
Development is intentionally limited. The work remains a game and progresses only far enough to demonstrate what the dog may be capable of—without creating unnecessary liability or presenting the dog as protection-trained.
Following the assessment, Armor K9 will offer an honest professional opinion regarding whether continued development through our Protection Development program may be appropriate.
Enrollment & Transportation
Reserving Your Training Dates.
Once Board & Train is confirmed as the appropriate program, a deposit is required to reserve your training dates.
Arrival and pickup dates are established in advance. Owners ordinarily bring their dog to Armor K9 and return for the private pickup lesson.
Clients may enroll from outside the immediate area provided transportation can be arranged. Alternative transportation arrangements may be considered individually, with additional time and travel fees when applicable.
Begin with a Complimentary Evaluation
A thoughtful path begins with understanding.
Every Board & Train begins with a complimentary evaluation. This initial conversation allows Armor K9 to understand your priorities, discuss your dog, and determine whether Board & Train may be the appropriate solution.
Complimentary Private Evaluation