What’s a typical schedule for a puppy or dog who comes to board and train, also known as boot camp, at Love Wags a Tail dog training in south Florida?
Dogs and pups are sent to boot camp dog training for a variety of reasons. Some need housetraining, some obedience skills, some need more confidence, others are here to learn to be a good companion and learn skills such as retrieving, opening doors, closing cupboards that aid their owners in daily life. We also have dogs and puppies who come for a Canine Good Citizen training. But no matter the reason, training starts as soon as your pup or dog arrives and there are certain commonalities among all our boot camp training plans.
The first order is our new board-and-train walks the property with the trainer, is given tasty bits of training food along the way, and we two get to know each other for the start of trusting relationship. Then the dog is taken into the house for a bit of down time in his “room.” This is an area with his toys, water, bed, crate and an ex-pen for chilling out times. Dogs need to learn to settle down in the house as well as rev it up during play time, and are provided the means and training for both.
It’s when dogs are resting that I bake training food. The majority of the food is made with canned dog food the client provides, along with kibble, if it’s small enough. To that, I add a few eggs and flour, and bake for a doggy-delicious training food. This food has a fudge-like consistency to make eating it quick. When training, we want a food that is tasty and a fast-eat to keep the training going at a pace that works for the dog and his interest. I also make tuna, salmon, sardine, peanut butter, and other such flavored training food to keep the dog interested when we face distractions. The food pictured here is our all-time favorite, “Kibble Chip Training Food.” It’s all good.
Back to day one. After the dog becomes comfortable, maybe that day or the next, we introduce the resident dogs. Love Wags A Tail only accepts dog-friendly dogs and pups into our train-and-board programs because of our friendly, resident dogs. That’s one of the benefits here. Dogs get daily, supervised play with the resident dogs who are good playmates and communicators. There is no better exercise for dog-loving dogs than playing with other dogs.
Our client puppies and dogs who train for obedience behaviors while boarding at Love Wags A Tail dog training get two private training sessions a day and maintenance behavior reinforcement throughout his waking hours. This means that instead of being fed a couple of bowls of food a day, our boot camp dogs use their food allotment for working. Just like us, dogs have mental energy that needs to be used. You’ve heard it said that if you don’t give a dog a job, he’ll find one to do. That’s when dogs get into mischief with their mental energy. They’re bored! They need something to do. But by using a dog’s meal for expending that mental energy through a food toy or training, he is not only exercising his brain, but through training, he’s learning how to get what he wants by doing what the trainer wants. It’s a win-win situation.
For dogs and puppies who come to Love Wags A Tail dog training for board and train housetraining only, they also work on expending mental energy through food toys. There is no free lunch here. Everyone works for their food in one way or the other. And through food toys, a dog can take 20 minutes or more to eat a meal that otherwise takes a minute to gulp down. We use a variety of food toys, as well, which provides distinct ways a dog or pup has to work the toy to get his food. Some roll, some need to be licked, some bounce, others need to be swatted for food to dispense. We also sometimes offer Nina Otosson puzzle toys to our boot-camp pups.
If we’re training obedience behaviors, after a behavior’s learned, we often take field trips to try out the behaviors in higher distraction areas. We walk our boot camp pooches on a leash and harness or a head halter. For resting, puppies and dogs who board and train with us get their own area to sleep at night or rest during the day. This gives everyone time to rest in their own beds or crates. If they have toys they like to chew on, such as a Nylabone, they’re provided this as well. Some dogs like to wind down by chewing on a toy or sucking on a pillow! If that’s your dog’s thing, send the pillow with him, and we’ll be sure to provide it in his sleeping area. This is my Dobermann Luigi who loved to destress by sucking a full-sized pillow and we’d even hear him purring.
We do everything we can to make your dog’s stay during board and train comfortable. We have board-and-train packages for most any behavior problem, and if you have a puppy, Love Wags A Tail’s puppy board-and-train is a great way to start him out. Find out about our programs through our board-and-train FAQ page, which answers most questions. Then, contact me if enrolling your dog or pup into our board-and-train program appeals to you. Board-and-train is the most efficient way to give your dog the foundation skills he needs to be a better behaved pet.
Contact the professional dog trainer and owner of Love Wags A Tail Dog Training today.
Helen Verte Schwarzmann
Certified in Training and Counseling
Certified Pet Dog Trainer-KA
Certified Trick Dog Instructor
AKC SMART Pup and Canine Good Citizen Instructor and Evaluator
Your Board-and-Train Puppy and Dog Trainer for Weston, Southwest Ranches, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, and Broward South Florida
