Board and Train Dog Trainers

[Evolved]

So... we have a 2 year old Mini American Sheppard (basically a smaller version of an Aussie Sheppard) that is in need of an attitude adjustment. After we got him back in late winter/Spring of 2017 we had him trained (crate, house broken, sit and stay). He was a pretty good dog after that (he still had some chewing issues and is a punk to our other dog). Since then we have lived with my father in law while our current house was being built and then moved into our new house. He has done okay with the new environments but not awesome. The most recent change was us moving into our new neighborhood and for the first time we had dogs around us, both sides. This was the beginning of him being a terrible dog to own. Long story short we are at the point where we need to pay someone to board and train him or re-home him.

I know the easy answer is to work with him more but that brings up another issue. My job has me out of town a lot more and my wife doesn't have the time or patience to help train him and keep my 5 and 4 year old from wrecking our house or wrecking each other.

Has anyone on here used a trainer for a board and train program? Who did you use? How much should we look to spend to have this done? I have done some research on the internet and found it will likely cost us somewhere in the range of $2000-$3000. I am okay spending the money if the results are amazing. I also know that it will not be a training session and he's perfect for life. We will need to work with him as time goes on.

I checked a bunch of google reviews but a lot of the reviews I have found are people that have posted a single review only for the dog trainer. That leads me to believe the trainers give a discount for people that leave a positive review or the trainer really is that amazing. Possibly a bit of both. I find it to be a little misleading.

Thank you for help insight!

 

[Jesser04]

You didn’t mention if your dog is neutered if he isn’t I would suggest that it made a would of difference for our last dog. Do you guys walk him regularly? Our current dog a mini goldendoodle gets walked daily on the days we don’t he gets a little restless.

 

[Evolved]

You didn’t mention if your dog is neutered if he isn’t I would suggest that it made a would of difference for our last dog. Do you guys walk him regularly? Our current dog a mini goldendoodle gets walked daily on the days we don’t he gets a little restless.

He is neutered. We do walk him but in talking with a trainer exercise is not really the problem. She said he would walk until I could not walk anymore and then walk some more. I would say he sprints for over an hour a day running along our fence lines trying to get at the dogs next to us. It's funny because they (the neighbors dogs) are well trained and could give two shits about our dog. It is more mental and he needs to be challenged mentally and not physically. One of the trainers said he is frustrated a needs a job, currently his job (in his eyes) is protecting our property.

 

[Homefryy]

It is more mental and he needs to be challenged mentally and not physically. One of the trainers said he is frustrated a needs a job, currently his job (in his eyes) is protecting our property.

I agree with this. Shepherds were bred to work. It is literally in their DNA. They need to be given a job or they will find their own and you probably won't like it. Training a dog to do the job you want them to do can be difficult. Having somebody more experienced help with the training should help but you will need to continue to work with the dog as long as you have them so they can get that mental stimulation.

My wife and I have been watching dogs on the side for some extra cash so we have had a lot of dogs in our house over the past year. If there is one thing that I have learned it is that I don't want a working dog unless I actually have a reason to, like getting a hunting dog for the purpose of hunting.

 

[Tonkaman]

When I took my dog to puppy training last year I quickly learned that it was actually human training. The biggest problem most people have is communication with their pets.

I agree that the suggestion about going on walks isn’t really about the exercise. It’s the building blocks of a relationship. It gives the two of you time to establish sort of a reminder of dominance, but also shows your dog you need him. I think the most benefit your dog gets from the walk is all of the mental stimulation. New sights, smells, and sounds everywhere and you are the one allowing him to persue them.

Back on topic, I got my dog from a trainer named Summit up in Ogden area. I know they train everything from support dogs to basic obedience. I can’t seen to recall the business name or website, but I still have a phone number if you’d like it. They just ran it out of their house, nothing fancy.

 

[Evolved]

I think the most benefit your dog gets from the walk is all of the mental stimulation. New sights, smells, and sounds everywhere and you are the one allowing him to persue them.

I didn’t even think of that part. That totally makes sense to me.

After spending the afternoon spending more time on the interwebs looking at trainers and speaking with a few I think we found one. She had great reviews and was even a recommended trainer on the CAWS website. The crazy part is she lives about a quarter mile from our house. I think this will really come in handy for any follow ups.

 

[Houndoc]

Couple of comments here:

For a trainer, I think we get more positive feed back from our clients from a company called Dog 2 Dog than anyone else.

In general, especially for working breeds the home environment is key. A bored working dog is trouble, pure and simple.

 

[Evolved]

To update this thread and give a recommendation if anyone finds themselves in the situation we were in with Duke. We ended up hiring the trainer that was a few blocks from our house. The location of the trainer didn't really matter to me, I would have driven to Colorado if I needed to. A big shout out and recommendation to Ashlee and the Loyal Canine. http://theloyalcanine.com/

She said anxiety and frustration were the stem of all of the issues we were having with him. He was with her for just over 2 months and we picked him up last night. He is a completely different dog, well mannered and calm. It was not cheap to have him trained but it was worth every penny. We met her at Station Park in Farmington last night and worked on some off leash stuff. Before he went to her if we ever dropped the leash he would have been a mile away before we even noticed he was gone (he is a fast dog). Now, I am excited to take him on some of our outdoor adventures. My ultimate goal is for him to be off leash while hiking, biking or even sitting shot gun in my buggy when I don't have a passenger. I can't say enough good things about the trainer we used!

 

[Houndoc]

Good to hear!!

 

[4x4_Welder]

Nice. We have a mini red heeler, and that dog can be a territorial nutjob, especially when "protecting" our other dog from the ones outside the fence. Interacting with him, throwing the ball and other toys seems to make a big difference.