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How does the Board&Train work?

• The dogs live with us as supervised "house-dogs," playing in the garden, sleeping in the house, going on walks in the neighborhood or to downtown Laguna and the beach--just as our own pets do.

• Because our B&T dogs are living in the home of both a professional dog trainer and her partner (Carroll McGorkey) with behavior-and-training-relevant advanced degrees in both Education and Neuroscience, obedience responses are expertly called for and reinforced. This all happens in everyday contexts. So, in addition to their officially scheduled training sessions (i.e., at the selected level of Board&Train - "B&T"--see the Rates table, below), B&T pets get lots of extra real-world practice. (e.g., Dogs must "Sit" and/or "Down" for food, toys, treats, leashing, etc.; They must "Sit" or "Wait" at curbs and, on outings, must walk on a slack leash (i.e., without pulling, dragging, or lunging).

• Not all problems or behaviors are best addressed in a Board and Train -- if the issue needing resolution is strongly related to the dog's usual environment (e.g.,. barking at golfers on the golf course behind the owner's house), it should be managed in that environment. Board & Train is, therefore, most suitable for (a) learning 'command responses' (e.g., Sit, Down, Stand, Stay, Come, Easy, Don't Touch, etc.) and for (b) help with issues such as housebreaking, socialization, etc.

• Owners may also have Special, more difficult training or behavioral goals for their pets--goals which which strongly indicate a need for intense professional scrutiny, supervision, and more rigorous behavioral shaping than can be accommodated by our "Lite" or "Standard" protocols. Included in this category are "non-problem" dogs whose owners want FastTrack Obedience.

• Please see details, below.

How much does it cost?


 

Daily Board & Train Rates at DubDubDog

*Special Discounts
2nd dog from same family Board&Trains at $10 a day less.
Board&Train for 10 days - get one day's boarding free.

Lite - in-home boarding + 15 minutes training per day.
Standard - in-home boarding + 30 minutes training per day.
"Special Cases" - in-home boarding + training time allotment decided on a custom basis. (This may involve
'Fast Track Training,' or 'big' goals in short times; aggressive dogs; phobic dogs; or just an owner who wants
a well-behaved, reliable dog--but quickly.)

How much time is spent "training?"

as above:
A minimum 15 minute session/day, a maximum of an hour -- generally comprised of multiple sessions,
each not longer than 20 minutes.

What happens to dog during the day?
Animals, here, are never out of earshot - not just for their vocally exuberant play but even down to slurps,
whines, and suspicious silences! In fact, humans and animals here cannot be more than about 50 feet apart
from one another--without leaving the (enclosed) property. Animals are rarely out of a sensitively watchful
human's sight (more on just who those humans might be, below).

I run DubDubDog from a home office--where I research and write, work on presentations for speaking
engagements and seminars, maintain DubDub's website (i.e., http://www.DubDubDog.com), and prepare
materials for my veterinary practice management consultancy. In other words, with that and basic animal
maintenance duties and chores, each of us is here a lot!

I do see clients and teach classes 'in the field,' of course. As mentioned above, my partner, Carroll, is also
generally here, working in the office and caring for the animals (whether I am here or in the field). Too, I often take one or more Board&Train dogs with me to class (with their owner's permission, of course).

If Carroll and I are both to be away from the house, I select a set-up appropriate for the dogs based on the
duration of our planned absence, and the ages and special needs of our dogs: For example, when young puppies come to stay, no long absences are possible. During short absences, puppies are generally crated (once they have been gently and positively introduced to the crate). Mature, housebroken adults may simply 'hang out' in the house, while bouncy, destructive teenagers may hang out in either of two shaded and secure 60 square-foot dog runs, each outfitted with its own doghouse, with clean water, and with appropriate "puzzle" toys (Kong, Buster Cube, etc.) or if the teenager prefers the house, he may be set-up in a covered exercise pen when we are gone, so he can move around and play with toys, but not come to any harm.

How many dogs are there at one time?

No more than 5 at a time! Apart from our own pets, of course.

(You might also ask--) Why such a low B&T population quota?

Though we absolutely require documentation of a full, current set of immunizations prior to accepting any
animal for B&T with DubDubDog, by keeping our number of animal guests so small, we further minimize
population stresses on our charges--such as crowding and risk of cross-infection.

Our 5-dog B&T cohort is strictly enforced--designed, as it was, to ensure our very highest level of attention
to the observation, training, and, as just noted, the short and long-term health and welfare of all animals in
our charge.

We get to know each pet as an individual... as, in fact, a pet. We are sure this is best.

(And, you might also ask--) Do you provide Pick-Up and Delivery services?

Yes. In fact, in order to facilitate smooth, easy dog-to-dog and dog-to-Camp-DubDub introductions, we
require that dogs enter the group only under our care and supervision.

In this way, we minimize the potential for noise, disruption, and the consequent stress and aggression that
would otherwise go with the arrival and departure of excited new dogs with their owners.
 

Additionally, Pick-up and Delivery gives us the chance to verify that your dog enters and leaves our care healthy and parasite free. 

But, most importantly, our "pick-up" is not just packing the dog in the car at the curb!  Instead, it is an interview and observation session.  In order to provide training individualized to your dog, we schedule 30 minutes to see his environment, observe his interactions with his family, find out about his schedule and to discuss and confirm our training goals. 

Similarly the "delivery" is a vital part of the Board&Train.  We schedule 30 minutes to demonstrate your dogs new skills, review his "Report Card" and then you have a chance to work with your dog, with DubDub as your coach. 

Our pre- and post Board&Train work are designed to make the Board&Train as effective as possible. 

The charge for Pick-up and Delivery is $75.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

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