Questions, answered
without the run-around.

Yes — no card, no commitment. It's a phone or video call to understand the behaviour, the history and the household, and to confirm this is genuinely the right program before anything is booked.

Case-by-case, on the assessment call. There's no published exclusion list — every dog and household is different, and a five-minute conversation tells us far more than a checklist would.

Yes — Private Training is built specifically for this. Board & Train also handles complex, multi-issue aggression cases through our intensive 8-week program, assessed individually on the free call. Safety protocols, including muzzle conditioning where needed, are built into the plan from day one.

By the behaviours involved and how many of them there are. Any confirmed bite history or aggression carries a minimum 6-week floor, regardless of what else is going on. Take the program quiz for an instant, personalised recommendation, or talk it through on the free call.

NePoPo certified — a balanced, science-informed method. Reward-led wherever possible, with clear structure and fair consequences where they're actually needed. The method is tailored to the dog, not the other way round.

It's optional, not mandatory — available as an add-on on the 6 and 8-week programs, and you're welcome to do either program with or without it. When it is used, it's only introduced once foundation work is solid and always with proper conditioning first. It's never used punitively or as a shortcut — you'll see exactly how and why it's used during your handover. We use a Dogtra or Educator unit depending on the dog, and it's yours to keep at the end of the program.

Included with the 6 and 8-week Board & Train programs: for 12 months after your dog graduates, if you need somewhere to drop them off overnight, we'll take them — any time, no separate booking process.

Every bite-history dog is assessed before acceptance, and safety protocols (including muzzle conditioning where appropriate) are built into the program from day one — not added after an incident.

We use whatever's right for the dog and the goal — food, toy, lead pressure, and balanced tools where appropriate. Nothing is used to suppress a warning, and every tool is explained before it's introduced.

A 10% deposit secures your intake date, refundable up to 14 days before drop-off. The remaining balance is due on your program's start date.

No — we keep it simple. Deposit to secure your date, full balance on the start date.

Intake spaces are genuinely limited, not a marketing device. Check the live availability calendar on the Board & Train page, or get in touch and we'll find the closest fit.

In a home environment, not a kennel or facility — sleeping indoors, integrated into a daily routine, trained throughout the day in a real domestic context.

Most dogs settle within 24–48 hours once a routine is established. Regular updates are sent so you can follow along without needing to worry.

We generally recommend against visits in the first week — they can disrupt settling. Photo and video updates keep you informed throughout; a mid-program check-in can be arranged in special circumstances.

Structured from wake to settle: calm feeding, decompression walks, two daily training blocks, real-world exposure, and crate/settle work in the evening. Full breakdown on the Board & Train page.

That depends on consistency at home — training lives in the relationship between dog and handler, not in the dog alone. The handover session gives you everything needed to maintain it.

A written report and a defined support window scaled to your program length — 30 days on the 4-week program, 60 on the 6-week, and 90 on the 8-week.

If progress is behind schedule partway through, we'll assess it honestly and may extend the program at no additional cost — at our discretion, based on your dog's actual trajectory.

Yes — Private Training is available specifically for Board & Train graduates who need reinforcement.

Depth over breadth. Private Training is only available for reactive dogs, aggressive dogs, active behaviour modification, and Board & Train graduates — not general obedience or puppy training.

For a reactive or aggressive dog, Private Training is usually the right starting point. Board & Train (specifically our intensive 8-week program) is the alternative for the most complex, multi-issue cases needing full-time daily structure. For every other dog — obedience, recall, general behaviour — Board & Train is the primary program. We'll recommend honestly on the free call.