# Board and Train - Good Idea?



## thepsandalbus (Jan 31, 2017)

Hi, All! Our Albus is doing so well. We bought a few squirt bottles and our little buddy's behavior has improved tremendously. He loves hiking with his mama and finds an epic stick on every walk. All of that to say - thanks so much to everyone on this forum and all of your advice! We are loving our first V so much.

My husband and I have been looking into a few dog trainers, as there are a lot of things we would like to teach Albus but often feel like we have to be dog whisperers to get there! We have taught him some basics and just as we expected with a V, he has picked up his training really easily and seems eager to learn. 

My husband is in the military and will be in training for a few weeks right after Albus reaches 16 weeks. During this time we are thinking of sending him to a two week board and train (we have researched a ton of trainers and we feel comfortable with this trainer's methods). Has anyone had any experience with something like this? The promise of the behaviors that he will learn feels like enough to send him, and I am very excited about working with him on everything he learned when he comes back. My only concern is that we will lose some sort of bonding time if we send him off for training so young or that he won't equate US with authority when he comes back home. Any thoughts or advice on this would be great!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't care for a trainer to make promises in a time frame. Each pup is different, and training takes as long as it takes. 
I would not want someone to apply to much pressure, on a dog/puppy to get it to conform to the time frame. 

At that age I like to work one on one with a trainer weekly, if possible. Then work on what we learned at home during the week. I'm not saying, I would not let a trainer keep one of my pups at that age. I would just be darn picky on the trainer.


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

My experience has been that Mia will learn new things very quickly, but it takes a lot longer for her to respond consistently and under challenging conditions. I'd just manage your expectations of how much a 2 week program will do, and be prepared to reinforce what he's learned over and over and in distracting situations if you want it to stick. 

I've also found that training Mia is also about training me, in that my behavior absolutely impacts her and consistency in how she's trained from every member of the household is really important.


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## lyra (Nov 2, 2012)

Personally, I wouldn't send a puppy that young away for two weeks. They are a clingy breed and wouldn't be sure of the affect of separation at such an early age. That's just me, others may have a different opinion

I also wouldn't recommend sending a dog away for training anyway. Training isn't a one off process, a Vizsla doesn't learn something and then do it every time you ask for the rest of its life. Vizslas are considered to be a smart breed and fairly easy to train and generally that has been our experience. But, there is a big difference between the dog learning the appropriate response to a command and getting it to do it consistently every time you want it to, whatever the distraction. What you get by sending a dog away is the easy bit, learning the response to a command. You will still have the hard part of making sure your dog responds as you want *when* you want.

You say nothing about your experience owning dogs. Our first Vizsla was our first dog and she certainly gave us some training challenges, particularly about the six month stage once she started exerting her independence (i.e. totally ignoring us!) The most useful thing we ever did was to get some one to one training with a trainer who trained gun dogs. We knew we had some problems but didn't think they were too bad. However, in our first hour long assessment session Lyra failed to respond to a single command and we spent most of the time running around trying to catch her. Admittedly, the training session was held in a fenced paddock in the country side full of interesting smells of birds and rabbits and various animal droppings, a very distracting environment for a Vizsla, but we were completely humiliated. It is the worst experience either of us has had with our dogs!

It was hard to go back for the next session but over a period of about eight sessions, our trainer didn't train the dog, she trained us to train our dog. She corrected our mistakes and talked to us about how we interacted with Lyra. It is one of the most valuable things we have done and we now have a lifelong skill. And you need it because your dog might be great for six months and then it will start to push the boundaries or get a bit lazy about doing what you have asked and if you don't correct it then you soon find that a lot of your training has gone out the window.

You don't have to be a dog whisperer but it is really useful for both you and your husband to learn good training skills from the outset. It will make your life with your Vizsla easier and more fulfilling.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I've worked one on one with a trainer, and have let then stay at the trainers. It just depended on what we were working on.


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## lyra (Nov 2, 2012)

I should qualify my reply. I can understand sending your dog away to learn specific skills. A lot of people on the forum hunt with their dogs and I can see it being very useful in those situations. I just don't think it is the best way to impart basic dog training because you are still going to need to develop the skills to maintain that training.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Just from my prospective. 
What's easy for one person, may not be so easy for another. We are all at different levels/stages, when it comes to understanding how dogs think. Also timing, and understanding how our actions, effect the dogs actions. 
Just as our dogs are individuals, so are we. We can read the same training book, watch the same video, and still do it slightly different. And that can lead to a different outcome, than desired behavior. 
We might think we are doing it exactly the same, and we might be. But the dog we have, is not the same one on the video. Does the dog just need more time to learn the proper response? Is what we are trying to teach above what the dog can learn, or do we need to move forward in a different way. Last two, do we need to just give the dog a break, and start fresh in a few days. Other times we need to go back to a already learned command. Tighten that up first, and then take the next step. 
I wish I knew enough to be a dog trainer. I may know more than a few people, but I can assure you there are plenty of people that are better at training than me. I've used them, when I've ran into a problem, above my knowledge. Or if I knew my dog would excell faster if it stayed with the trainer. 

I agree, a part of a trainer's job is teaching the owner how to work the dog. Whether you send one off to training, or do one on one classes. They are still expected to work with you.


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Not just a good idea, a 100% Great idea.

And not just for the training, but for the overall development of the dog. As mentioned, these can be clingy dogs, and in knowing that I think it is our responsibility as owners to encourage and develop some self-reliance. Overprotectiveness can create a myriad of issues that make training, and living with some of these dogs very challenging.

Sending kids off to spend the night at a friends houses, vacation with another family, summer camp are all developmental experiences that, though we worry, are extremely beneficial in proper development of a kid (or dog) to grow into adulthood.

Certainly we want to ensure as best we can that our kids (and dogs) are safe and we are releasing them into a good environment. Past that, it's one of the very best things one can do for their dog to help them become a good adult.
Ken


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

I have done a little of both. I have attended "obedience" training with the dog for a 1x per week, for 6 week course. I have also sent the dog away for a 3 week course. The sending away was for things that I was not sure I could do myself, and I really didn't want to screw up. (e.g. gun breaking, and introducing to birds) I don't think there is one that is "best." I think that both ways have their place. But one on one, being taught HOW to train your dog would be a life skill. Give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish, as it goes.

I can attest that at about 6-7 months my puppy "forgot" basic obedience, and we are almost starting over it seems. I try to keep a cool head and tell myself it is normal, and I just have to keep grinding away and he'll come back around.


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