Dog Training FAQs | Boca Raton

The first step to enroll in any one of our Board & Train programs or private lessons is to schedule a complete behavioral assessment and temperament test. This allows us to observe your dog’s behavior, discuss your goals for them, and briefly work with your dog so that we can recommend the best course of action. Contact us now to schedule this.

An evaluation is important for our professional trainers to observe any inappropriate or unwanted habits, and to gather a baseline of your dog’s behavior, especially in public (we recommend doing evaluations here at our location). This also gives us a chance to discuss training goals, while creating realistic expectations for our students and clients. Once the evaluation is complete, Dillon will be able to recommend an appropriate training program/package. An evaluation enables us to make sure that the dog coming in to train with us will not pose a risk to any of our staff or students during their stay.

Both are full-immersion programs with multiple training sessions a day. With Board & Train, your dog stays with us around the clock. With Day Training, your dog trains with us Monday through Friday, 7AM to 3PM, and spends every night and weekend at home with you, practicing what they’ve learned.

Your dog’s breakfast and lunch, any medications, and a paper copy of vaccination records on the first day. Please don’t feed your dog before drop-off. We want them arriving hungry! We use their meals as rewards throughout the day, which keeps them motivated, focused, and eager to learn.

No problem. Extended checkout until 5PM is available. Just let us know in advance so we can plan your dog’s day.

Board & Train dogs stay at our licensed facility attached to a veterinary clinic and train with our professional team. Raise & Train is an exclusive, in-home program: your dog lives in Dillon’s home, one dog at a time, for 10 weeks or longer, and is raised and trained in a 10-week program (70 days) led by Dillon Mitchell with a designated lead assistant trainer. We can also help you source your puppy from a trusted breeder.

The ideal time to start is between 8 and 12 weeks of age, during your puppy’s critical socialization window. Puppies are extremely impressionable at this stage, so socialization, exposure, and confidence building are especially important. That said, if you’ve done early socialization yourself, anytime between two and six months is a great time to start. Puppy training makes a huge difference, and the more you do, the better! Day Training, Board & Train, and Raise & Train all work wonderfully for puppies. Call us to find the right fit.

Yes. We are happy to accommodate any special diet requests, raw food diets, medication needs etc.

Food, feeding instructions, as well as a paper copy of your dog’s vaccination records.

Board & Train dogs stay at our licensed facility attached to a veterinary clinic, where our staff attend to them around the clock. We’ve found this is the best way for dogs to get constant care and individual attention. (Raise & Train dogs live in Dillon’s home. See Raise & Train.)

Most dogs maintain a healthy weight during their stay. Active dogs that go from a quieter home routine to multiple daily training and play sessions can trim down slightly, so we monitor every dog’s weight, appetite, and food intake closely and adjust portions whenever needed.

Our Board & Train facility is also very different from a stressful kennel atmosphere. Dogs aren’t surrounded by loud, barking dogs and overworked, underpaid kennel workers. They get individual attention and have a great time visiting us for training!

For dogs enrolled in programs longer than 3 weeks, we offer scheduled 15-minute unsupervised visits Monday through Friday at 5:30 PM. All visits must be scheduled in advance and are not considered training lessons.

Before your dog comes home, you’ll complete 3 hands-on go-home lessons with us so you know exactly how to handle your dog. After graduation, you may be invited to join our Concierge program, which gives you ongoing access to us by phone and email, plus additional lessons and services. Many of our clients continue sending us updates and happy stories months and years after their dog has graduated.

Every dog starts with a personal evaluation with Dillon ($100) so we can recommend the right program for your dog and your goals. Here is our current program lineup and pricing:

• Board & Train – 3-week (21 days): $6,000
• Board & Train – 4-week (28 days): $8,000
• 35-Day Off-Leash Standard – 5-week (35 days, Featured): $10,000
• Companion Dog – 6-week (42 days): $12,500
• Service Dog program – 16-week (112 days): $50,000 base price
• Behavior Modification – 6-week (42 days): $16,500
• Behavior Modification – 12-week (84 days): $30,000
• Raise & Train – 10-week (70 days), led by Dillon Mitchell with a designated lead assistant trainer: $30,000 plus out-of-pocket expenses
• Montana Dog Summer Camp – 6-week (42 days): $15,000 plus expenses and travel
• Board & Train – custom length: $286 per day
• Day Training (20-day base): $214 per day; 20-day base program = $4,280; includes a lesson after 15 days
• Puppy Head Start (base program, on-leash obedience): Starting at $6,000
• General Obedience (base program, on-leash obedience): Starting at $6,000
• Gun Dog Training (3-month commitment): $10,000 base price
• Private Lessons: Starting at $250

Payments by credit or debit card include a 4% convenience fee.

Both. We generalize our training, meaning once we’ve taught the dog the commands he or she needs to learn, we have him or her work for multiple dog owners in multiple locations around a myriad of distractions. Our handover process is very smooth so the training transfers to you seamlessly.

We guarantee we’ll do our job, and we guarantee your dog will be trained, but we can’t control you and we can’t make you follow-through once the dog is home. Ninety-nine percent of our clients do an amazing job with their dogs once their dogs are home.

The way we train is fun for dogs, so in their minds their whole day is fun.

Depending on your dog’s training goals and needs, we use a mix of obedience, agility, urban agility, treadmill training, clicker training, and more.

Many dog owners see how much fun their dog is having and wonder, “Will they want to come home?”

As much as your dog needs.

We work with dogs often throughout the day.

For example, a puppy might get 15 short training sessions in one day, plus a field trip and play time with other dogs.

A rehab dog may do longer sessions to work through behavior issues, but will still be worked with often throughout the day.

On average, Board & Train dogs do multiple sessions a day for a total of 1.5 to 3 hours of training, and sometimes more.

Yes.

Training at your home helps your dog apply what they’ve learned in a new place.

It also lets us answer specific questions about your home setup.

In everything we do, we work to set dogs and their owners up for success.

Absolutely.

We post on social media, and in many cases we text photos and videos to our clients.

We want you to always know how your dog is doing.

We do ask that you not request daily, detailed updates, because we’re busy training and want to use that time well.

You can always ask for a quick update, and longer updates usually come weekly.

In the rare case that something happens, we take care of your dog like one of our own.

We contact you so you can take your dog to the vet, or we get your permission to take your dog to the vet ourselves.

We’ve trained hundreds of dogs in Board & Train, and we’ve never had an accident.

We’d like to keep it that way, which is why we’re selective about the dogs we take on for training.

Because we’re selective, we can keep a close eye on every dog.

We always know where they are, what they’re doing, whether they’re eating and drinking enough, and even what their stool looks like.

No.

In all our years of training, no dog has ever forgotten their owners.

During a scheduled visit, they may not notice you’re in the room right away, but once they see and smell you, they’re always happy to see you.

For programs longer than three weeks, visits are 15 minutes, unsupervised, Monday through Friday at 5:30 PM, and must be scheduled in advance.