Board & Train Program
Better Habits. Better Communication. A Better Life Together.
Sometimes your dog needs more than a weekly class or an occasional private lesson. Bell Creek's Board & Train program provides consistent, individualized training while your dog lives in the home of one of our experienced trainers.
Your dog isn't simply dropped off for a few training sessions each day. Training becomes part of everyday life.
From leash walks and mealtimes to settling in the house, greeting people, going through doors, working around other dogs, and trips into the community, we use everyday opportunities to teach your dog how to make better choices.
Why Board & Train Works
Teaching a dog a new behavior is only the first step.
The real work comes from practicing that behavior again and again, in different situations and around different distractions, until it begins to become part of the dog's normal routine.
That's one of the biggest advantages of Board & Train.
Instead of practicing for an hour once a week, we have opportunities throughout each day to reinforce good choices and interrupt old patterns.
The more time we have with your dog, the more opportunities we have to build consistency and turn newly learned skills into stronger everyday habits.
What Makes Bell Creek Different?
Your Dog Lives With Their Trainer
Our Board & Train dogs stay in our trainers' homes rather than spending their stay in a traditional boarding kennel.
This gives us the opportunity to work on the behaviors that actually matter in daily life—not just what happens during a formal training session.
Depending on your dog's individual needs, we may work on:
Every dog is different, so every Board & Train program is individualized.
Small Numbers. Individual Attention.
We intentionally limit the number of Board & Train dogs each trainer accepts.
Your dog works directly with Patti Engleman or Lindsey King, allowing us to get to know your dog's personality, strengths, challenges, and learning style.
We aren't interested in creating cookie-cutter dogs.
Our goal is to help your dog understand what is expected while building better communication between you and your dog.
How Long Should My Dog Stay?
One of the most common questions we receive is, "How many weeks does my dog need?"
There isn't one answer for every dog. Age, previous training, temperament, your goals, and—perhaps most importantly—how long your dog has been practicing unwanted behaviors all affect how much time we recommend.
Jump Start
Best for dogs with an existing training foundation or families with a few specific training goals.
A two-week stay can provide a strong jump start for dogs who already understand basic skills but need additional consistency, structure, or polishing. We can introduce new skills and begin establishing better routines, but two weeks goes quickly. For dogs needing more significant changes in everyday habits, we will usually recommend a longer stay.
Foundation Program
Our recommended program for most dogs.
Three weeks gives us considerably more time to move beyond simply teaching your dog what to do. We can build skills, add distractions, practice in different environments, work through challenges, and reinforce the same expectations consistently throughout daily life.
For many dogs, this is where we begin to see the transition from "I know how to do this" to "this is becoming how I normally behave."
Extended Training
Best for dogs with long-standing habits, multiple training goals, confidence concerns, or more complex training needs.
Behaviors that have been practiced for months or years don't disappear overnight. An extended stay gives us additional time for repetition, confidence building, working in different environments, increasing distractions, and helping new behaviors become more established before your dog returns home. We may recommend an extended program after meeting your dog and discussing your goals.
The Longer the Stay, the More Time We Have to Build Habits
Dogs become good at what they practice.
If your dog has spent two years pulling you down the driveway, jumping on visitors, or ignoring you when something more exciting appears, those behaviors have had hundreds—or thousands—of opportunities to be reinforced.
Learning a new behavior can happen relatively quickly.
Replacing an old habit with a new one takes repetition.
A longer Board & Train stay gives us more opportunities to practice those new behaviors until they become increasingly familiar and reliable.
Your Dog's Training Doesn't End When They Go Home
We want to be very clear about this:
Board & Train isn't a magic reset button.
We can put a tremendous amount of training into your dog, but your dog's long-term success depends on continuing that training at home. Dogs quickly learn which behaviors work with different people. If old routines and expectations return when your dog goes home, old habits can return too.
That's why owner education is part of our Board & Train program.
We'll teach you what your dog has learned, how we've been communicating with them, and what you need to do at home to maintain and continue their progress.
Your follow-up private lessons aren't an extra—they're an important part of the program.
Our goal isn't simply to send home a better-trained dog.
Our goal is to send home a dog and owner who understand each other better.
What Does a Typical Stay Include?
While every dog's program is different, Board & Train dogs receive a combination of:
We balance training with rest, enrichment, exercise, and simply being a dog.
You'll Get Updates Along the Way
We know leaving your dog can be difficult.
During your dog's stay, we'll keep you updated on their progress and let you see what they've been learning. Updates also give us an opportunity to begin preparing you for what you'll need to continue once your dog comes home.
Meet Your Trainers
Patti Engleman
Patti brings more than 30 years of experience working with and training dogs. Her background includes foundation obedience, behavior and manners, agility and dog sports, as well as years of teaching owners how to become better partners with their dogs.
Lindsey King
Lindsey brings both training and teaching experience to Bell Creek and works with dogs as individuals, helping build clear communication, confidence, and practical skills that owners can continue at home.
Both trainers intentionally accept a limited number of Board & Train dogs so that each dog receives individualized attention throughout their stay.
Board & Train Pricing
$630
per week · two-week minimum
While two weeks can be appropriate for some dogs,
we recommend three weeks for most Board & Train dogs
so that we have more time to develop consistency and begin turning newly learned behaviors into everyday habits.
Dogs with more established behaviors, confidence concerns, or multiple training goals may benefit from four to five weeks. Your dog's recommended length of stay will depend on their individual needs and your goals.
Included With Your Program
Your program includes two follow-up private lessons to help transfer your dog's training back to you and your household—because the most important part of Board & Train happens after your dog comes home.
Is Board & Train Right for Your Dog?
Board & Train can be a wonderful option, but it isn't necessarily the best training format for every dog or every problem.
We'd rather recommend the program that's right for you than simply sell you a Board & Train stay.
Before booking, reach out to us so we can learn more about:
- •Your dog
- •Their training history
- •The behaviors you're struggling with
- •What you've already tried
- •Your goals
- •What you'd like everyday life with your dog to look like
From there, we can help determine whether Board & Train, private lessons, group classes, or a combination would be the best fit.
Ready to Get Started?
Let's talk about your dog.
Contact Bell Creek Agility & Obedience to discuss your training goals and determine the appropriate program and length of stay.