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  1. #21
    House Broken SoSiouxme's Avatar
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    I just finished sending my lab to a board and train facility in Northern California. A few things contributed to this decision. My tried and trusted pet sitter moved from the area, my neighbors who usually take care of Biggie were on vacation and I did not want to send Biggie to a kennel. A lady who I grew up with (she was my across the street neighbor as a child) has a dog boarding and training facility. The dogs sleep in separate crates in the dog room which attached to the couple's home. They have several yards which is where dogs are allowed to roam in appropriate play groups. They even have a big pool which Biggie loved. They have no concrete kennels on the property. I sent my dog to a two week program which was extended to three weeks because Biggie was a little stubborn.

    When I picked him up, I spent about two hours with the trainer going over commands and she gave me pointers. She also indicated that if I ever wanted to bring him back for a session, I was welcome to do that anytime and to call anytime with questions or for direction when I needed it. I was really happy with the experience and know that now the work begins for me and Biggie's continued success is contingent on my work with him. I'm continuing the trainer's practice of making him earn everything. Essentially, Biggie was hand fed every bite of kibble for three weeks, having to earn his food as he responded positively to commands. I feed about half of his daily food intake by hand, commanding him to sit, down, stay, wait, here, give it, leave it, etc and then rewarding with his kibble. He is noticeably better and I have optimism that if I keep at it, the training will stick.

    I sent my last lab to a board and train program that used e-collars. It was effective and that training stuck for his lifetime, but I'm happy with Biggie's training which used different techniques. Time will tell.

    Board and train programs do not replace an owner's consistent training, but they can help jumpstart a training program while providing safe and securing boarding. At least that was my experience.

    Cheers,

    Sioux

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  3. #22
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SoSiouxme View Post
    Board and train programs do not replace an owner's consistent training

    Cheers,

    Sioux

    Sioux,
    T'is all relative Mate. Ye assertion is accurate only when the owner is a competent and effective trainer. Ask any accomplished trainer how much time they spend correcting the problems caused by dog owners for their companion K9's. I am not saying that owners intentionally create problems for their K9's, but saying they are "training" their dog doesn't make it so. Many well meaning owners don't have a clue.

    COINSISTENCY IS IN FACT CRITICAL, BUT IMPROPER TRAINING CONSISTENTLY APPLIED DOES NOT MAKE FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN A COINSISTENTLY UNTRAINED DOG.

    THE DOG WHISTLER
    Last edited by IRISHWISTLER; 06-01-2017 at 02:50 PM.
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  5. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by IRISHWISTLER View Post
    Sioux,
    T'is all relative Mate. Ye assertion is accurate only when the owner is a competent and effective trainer. Ask any accomplished trainer how much time they spend correcting the problems caused by dog owners for their companion K9's. I am not saying that owners intentionally create problems for their K9's, but saying they are "training" their dog doesn't make it so. Many well meaning owners don't have a clue.

    COINSISTENCY IS IN FACT CRITICAL, BUT IMPROPER TRAINING CONSISTENTLY APPLIED DOES NOT MAKE FORN ANYTHING OTHER THAN A COINSISTENTLY UNTRAINED DOG.

    THE DOG WHISTLER
    Very true! Which is why I always recommend people go to classes, and even though I’ve been training dogs in Obedience for 20 years I still go to classes myself. It’s always helpful to get guidance and to have someone who knows what they are doing watching you interacting with your dog because half the time we are inadvertently screwing something up without realizing it.

    I can easily see the benefit of board and train for advanced skills like fieldwork, and I suppose they could work for more basic Obedience but I still think nothing builds a bond like the owner and dog learning together - but that’s just my opinion.
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  7. #24
    House Broken jenfarm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SoSiouxme View Post
    I sent my last lab to a board and train program that used e-collars. It was effective and that training stuck for his lifetime, but I'm happy with Biggie's training which used different techniques. Time will tell.
    Thanks so much for your response. I'm glad your experience went well! After meeting with three different trainers, I think we've finally made our decision to go with the ones that I wrote about in a previous post. Tomorrow we are going to visit their home and see where Chutes would be staying before putting down our deposit.

    They do happen to offer ecollar training as an add on to their board and train programs. We definitely won't be doing it on the first two week board and train, but DH is wanting to do some more research into them and possibly adding it on for the second three week board and train. I don't really know how I feel about them though... Are they really that effective? The ecollar they use has 100 stimulation levels plus a tone and vibrate. They use low level stimulation and don't introduce the ecollar until the dog understands all the commands verbally first. They also demonstrate and "train" ON the OWNER first before the dog so that the owner is aware of what the dog feels. Which is interesting. Haha. I don't know though... They make me nervous and I just don't know how I feel about them or how necessary I find them for a dog who seems to be learning well without one. So, we'll see...
    Josh & Jenna. Texas.
    Parents of: Farmer's Deschutes Cinder Cone Red "Chutes" the Labrador. (And the cat, Stewie. Hidden Content )

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  8. #25
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jenfarm View Post
    Thanks so much for your response. I'm glad your experience went well! After meeting with three different trainers, I think we've finally made our decision to go with the ones that I wrote about in a previous post. Tomorrow we are going to visit their home and see where Chutes would be staying before putting down our deposit.

    They do happen to offer ecollar training as an add on to their board and train programs. We definitely won't be doing it on the first two week board and train, but DH is wanting to do some more research into them and possibly adding it on for the second three week board and train. I don't really know how I feel about them though... Are they really that effective? The ecollar they use has 100 stimulation levels plus a tone and vibrate. They use low level stimulation and don't introduce the ecollar until the dog understands all the commands verbally first. They also demonstrate and "train" ON the OWNER first before the dog so that the owner is aware of what the dog feels. Which is interesting. Haha. I don't know though... They make me nervous and I just don't know how I feel about them or how necessary I find them for a dog who seems to be learning well without one. So, we'll see...
    What will the dog be doing that he will need an e-collar for? Most people find them useful for distance work. I don't use one personally. They are easy to use incorrectly.

  9. #26
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    What will the dog be doing that he will need an e-collar for? Most people find them useful for distance work. I don't use one personally. They are easy to use incorrectly.
    So is a golf club but that doesn't make it inherently dangerous. T'is the user and his or her lack o' proficiency that makes an e-collar o' warranted concern when in the wrong hands.

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  11. #27
    House Broken jenfarm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    What will the dog be doing that he will need an e-collar for?
    This is a good question. We are meeting with the trainers today and I have questions about the necessity of an ecollar. If we are just training now for basic and advanced obedience and no field work, I'm not sure if an ecollar is necessary if Chutes learns the commands fine without one. They say they don't incorporate ecollar training until the dog understands all the verbal commands, and if he understands all the verbal commands, what is the ecollar needed for then? I could understand using an ecollar for training if the dog has excessive behaviors maybe... We really haven't done much research on ecollar training which is why we aren't interested in adding it at this time. But maybe if we see benefits of it later on... but I don't know?
    Josh & Jenna. Texas.
    Parents of: Farmer's Deschutes Cinder Cone Red "Chutes" the Labrador. (And the cat, Stewie. Hidden Content )

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  12. #28
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    They are saying the one MOST important thing about an e-collar. It is NEVER used to teach a dog a command. The dog has to know the command perfectly well. After that... there are lots of ways and different circumstances in which the e-collar can be useful. I am doing more and more with my e-collar on such a low setting that it basically buzzes or vibrates (I know because I used the setting on myself first.)

    A good e-collar is expensive. So really, really study it and know how you want to use it and which one would be best for your purposes.

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  14. #29
    Senior Dog voodoo's Avatar
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    I paid quite a bit for a board/train only to find out later my chili was locked away in tiny cage for 23 out of 24 hrs a day...their excuse was cause he wasnt neutered. do your research...I wont be boarding again thanks to that experience.
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  16. #30
    House Broken jenfarm's Avatar
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    Thank you again for all your responses. All very helpful! We did a home visit this last Sunday to see where Chutes would be going and staying for training. We are very happy with them and we are looking forward to seeing what they can do with Chutes and how they can help us. We are confident they will be a great help.

    The trainers work straight out of their home where all their client's boarded dogs and board and train dogs stay with them just like they are part of the family. Continuing with crate training will be part of his training with them, as puppies in their care are crated at night (just like he is at our home) until they have proven proper house manners and potty training. All adult dogs sleep freely with them and their dogs as part of the family. They had a house full when we visited! And every single dog and puppy were so happy and well mannered. One of their personal dogs was a little boston terrier mix who was SO cute I wanted to steal him. :P They also personally own a labradoodle who I also wanted to steal. Must be on MY best behavior when visiting them too... HAHA. NO stealing, Jenna.

    Quote Originally Posted by TuMicks View Post
    They are saying the one MOST important thing about an e-collar. It is NEVER used to teach a dog a command. The dog has to know the command perfectly well. After that... there are lots of ways and different circumstances in which the e-collar can be useful. I am doing more and more with my e-collar on such a low setting that it basically buzzes or vibrates (I know because I used the setting on myself first.)

    A good e-collar is expensive. So really, really study it and know how you want to use it and which one would be best for your purposes.
    We also further discussed the ecollar training with them while we were there and I had a personal demonstration of the ecollar brand that would be included in the add on and it wasn't what I expected at all. We can see how incorporating that training, even if not all the time, could be helpful with Chutes so we are pretty sure we are going to add that in at a later time.

    We reached out to and consulted with a handful of trainers and board and train programs and we are very confident in our choice. I'm going to miss Chutes so much when he leaves on Sunday for his two week summer camp (HAHA) but I feel really good knowing he's going to be in good care and learning lots of new things.
    Josh & Jenna. Texas.
    Parents of: Farmer's Deschutes Cinder Cone Red "Chutes" the Labrador. (And the cat, Stewie. Hidden Content )

    Instagram: @jenfarm_ & @farmer_bram

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