Board & Train
Positive-Reinforcement, Intentional Training
Real-Life Training, Real Comfort, Real Results
Our Board & Train program blends positive reinforcement training with a carefully structured, emotionally supportive daily routine. Your dog doesn’t just “learn commands”...they build skills, confidence, and stability with professional guidance.
This isn't your traditional "bootcamp" board-and-train
Training is integrated into your dog’s daily routine—supporting confidence, emotional regulation, and skills that actually carry over.
Training During Boarding
Balanced Days & Overnight Care
Training During Boarding
Training sessions take place during the day between your dog's participation in their assigned daycare pathway—Social, Confidence, or Personal Play.
Skills with Context
Balanced Days & Overnight Care
Training During Boarding
Training sessions are conducted one-on-one with a professional trainer, while incorporating real-world scenarios to reinforce success.
Balanced Days & Overnight Care
Balanced Days & Overnight Care
Balanced Days & Overnight Care
Learning is supported by structured rest, professional supervision, and calm overnight accommodations—essential for retention and emotional wellbeing.
Is Board & Train Right For Your Dog?
Who Board & Train Helps Most
Board & Train is ideal for dogs who need consistent, professional guidance to make meaningful progress in skills that carry over to your home and life.
This program is especially helpful for dogs who need support with:
- Loose-leash walking and focus on walks
- Recall and listening around distractions
- Confidence in new environments
- Overexcitement or difficulty settling
- Reactivity, nervousness, or emotional overwhelm
- Manners that feel hard to build at home alone
- Challenging behaviours your are unsure how to address
Your dog lives, learns, and rests in a structured environment where training is woven into their everyday experience.
How our Boarding + Training Process Works
A Thoughtful, Step-by-Step Start
To set your dog up for success, we use a thoughtful three-step intake process. Each step serves a different purpose, and together they allow us to create the safest environment and most effective training plan.
1. Training MEet & Greet
Discuss goals, readiness, and your dog's personalized plan
- If you’re still deciding whether Board & Train is the best option, the Training Meet & Greet is the best place to start.
- If you’re confident a Board & Train is the right fit, we’ll schedule your Training Meet & Greet and Placement Meet & Greet back-to-back.
This session is focused specifically on your dog’s learning and your behaviour and training goals.
During this session, we:
- gain an understanding of your dog’s confidence and training readiness
- discuss your goals (obedience, reactivity, confidence, loose leash skills, etc.)
- talk through lifestyle, home environment, and reinforcement preferences
- design a tailored training plan
- recommend the most appropriate Board & Train package, duration, and structure
What to expect after this meeting:
You leave with clear training goals, a recommended program, and the ability to book your training dates or book your dog's Placement Meet & Greet.
2. Placement Meet & Greet (Activity-pathway focused)
Determine The Best Daily Activity Pathway For Your Dog
This essential step can take place on its own or on the same date as your Training Meet & Greet.
While your dog is with us, they participate in the daycare activity pathway that best supports their comfort and wellbeing. We determine that pathway during this visit.
Understanding how your dog engages socially, emotionally, and physically allows our team to place them in the most supportive environment for their stay.
During this session, we:
- observe your dog’s comfort and confidence with our team and in our environment
- assess social interest and emotional pacing
- recommend the best daycare pathway: Social Daycare, Confidence-Building Daycare, or Personal Play Daycare
What this means for your dog:
They spend their stay in an environment that feels safe and regulated, which supports better learning and less stress.
3. Daycare Trial Day
Help Your Dog Feel Comfortable Before Their Stay Begins
Before your dog’s Board & Train begins, we require at least one full day of daycare (if you are not local, please call us to discuss).
This visit allows your dog to experience our environment, routines, and team before an overnight stay. It also gives our staff time to observe comfort, confidence and build connection outside of the evaluation context.
This step is the same reason we ask dogs to attend daycare before regular boarding—it helps us support your dog and meet exactly their needs for their best stay.
During this visit, we:
- help your dog become familiar with our environment and our team
- observe comfort, rest habits, and engagement with us
- fine-tune their daily activity pathway if needed
What this means for your dog:
Your dog arrives for Board & Train already feeling more comfortable and familiar, allowing training to begin with less stress and better focus.
Why We Use This Process
Training Works Best When Dogs Feel Safe
Training success isn’t just about teaching skills—it’s about emotional comfort, psychological safety and the right daily environment.
By preparing:
- your dog’s training plan
- their daily activity and emotional support
- their comfort with our environment before their stay
we create a Board & Train experience that is both productive and supportive.
Dogs learn more effectively, feel less stressed, and build confidence that lasts beyond their stay.
What Your Dog's Board & Train Program includes
A Well-Rounded Experience That Supports Learning and Wellbeing
Your dog’s Board & Train stay is designed to build skills, support emotional regulation, and keep you informed every step of the way.
Training
- Individualized training plan based on your dog’s goals
- Daily positive reinforcement training sessions
- Final private training transfer session to help you carry skills forward at home
Confidence, Rest & Daily Routine
- Exposure to new environments and challenges
- Scheduled rest periods to prevent overstimulation
- A consistent daily routine that supports focus and learning
Communication & Ongoing Assessment
- Daily updates on each day's training curriculum
- Daily updates on your dog's day, including activity time, rest time and appetite tracking
- Regular videos so you can see progress
The result:
Your dog builds reliable skills in a structured environment, with support for both learning and emotional stability.
TOTAL PROGRAM LENGTH & PRICING
Minimum Length
The minimum stay is five nights, with five days of training, and which includes a one-hour private training session scheduled within one week after the end of the Board & Train.
You can decide the custom length of stay after your Training Meet & Greet and based on your schedule and budget.
At the Training Meet & Greet, we’ll discuss:
- Your desired length of stay
- Training focus areas
- Total program investment
This ensures your dog receives the right level of support—not a one-size-fits-all package.
How Board & Train Pricing Works
Board & Train pricing is based on:
- Your dog’s daycare pathway (Social, Confidence, or Personal Play)
- The number of training sessions per day selected
- The minimum five-night / five-training-day stay which includes the one-hour private training session
Final pricing is confirmed after your Placement Meet & Greet and Training Meet & Greet to ensure the training structure matches your dog’s needs.
Board & Train Packages
Essentials Program
Intermediate Program
Best for: Dogs who benefit from consistent daily reinforcement and foundational skill-building while maintaining a balanced boarding routine.
Five-day programs starting from $749
Minimum five nights / five training days
Additional days/nights of training starting at $119/night
Intermediate Program
Intermediate Program
Best for: Dogs who benefit from consistent daily reinforcement and foundational skill-building while maintaining a balanced boarding routine.
Five-day programs starting from $909
Minimum five nights / five training days
Additional days/nights of training starting at $151/night
Intensive Program
Intensive Program
Best for: Dogs who require a higher level of training focus, faster skill progression, or additional support to work through more complex or long-standing challenges.
Five-day programs starting from $1069
Minimum five nights / five training days
Additional days/nights of training starting at $183/night
DO I HAVE TO SEND MY DOG AWAY FOR GREAT TRAINING RESULTS?
You don't! A board and train is great if you do need boarding or don't live locally, but you don't have to give up your dog to a board and train. Learn how our Day Train program can help change your life while keeping your dog close to your heart and in your home.
REady to Book a Board & TRain?
Set up an Account
Call to Book a Training Meet & Greet
Call to Book a Training Meet & Greet
You can do this online at the link below, or can call us at 587-787-3713 and we can set you up with an account.
An account is required to make any bookings.
Call to Book a Training Meet & Greet
Call to Book a Training Meet & Greet
Call to Book a Training Meet & Greet
A 30-minute Training Meet & Greet is a great first start if you have questions or want to discuss curriculum or firm up board & train plans or a schedule.
A Training Meet & Greet is $50 plus gst.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at info@thehappyhoundplaypark.ca if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Each Meet & Greet serves a different purpose.
The Training Meet & Greet focuses on learning goals. We assess your dog, discuss your priorities, and design a customized training plan, including recommended program length and structure.
The Placement Meet & Greet focuses on daily care. We observe how your dog responds to our environment and determine which daycare pathway (Social, Confidence-Building, or Personal Play) will best support their emotional comfort during their stay.
Separating these steps allows us to build a training plan while also ensuring your dog’s daily routine supports learning and emotional stability.
The daycare visit helps your dog become familiar with our environment, staff, and daily routine before an overnight stay.
This reduces stress, supports smoother transitions, and allows us to observe how your dog regulates energy, rests, and responds outside of an evaluation setting.
Dogs who start Board & Train already comfortable in the environment are typically more settled and able to focus on learning sooner.
Program length depends on your goals and can be customized to match your budget and schedule.
Some dogs attend for a shorter, focused stay to build foundation skills, while others benefit from a longer program to address more complex behaviours or confidence challenges.
At the end of the program, you’ll attend a private transfer session where we:
- review the skills your dog has learned
- demonstrate handling techniques and cues
- show you how to maintain progress at home
- answer questions and plan next steps
Training does not end when your dog goes home. The transfer session ensures you understand how to reinforce new behaviours in daily life.
We may also recommend follow-up sessions, classes, or ongoing support depending on your goals.
The first step is scheduling a Training Meet & Greet.
Availability for Board & Train stays depends on current bookings and your dog’s required preparation steps, including the Placement Meet & Greet and daycare trial day.
We recommend booking your Training Meet & Greet as early as possible so we can design your plan and secure suitable dates.
You’ll receive regular, structured updates throughout your dog’s stay so you can follow their progress and understand what they’re learning.
These include:
- Daily training updates outlining the skills your dog is working on
- Daily update on your dog's participation in their activity pathway, their settling, their sleep and their appetite
- Regular videos showing training progress
Our communication is designed to be informative and transparent and keep you connected to how your dog is doing overall.
We follow and teach science-based positive reinforcement practices and methodologies.
Required vaccinations
Puppies under 24 weeks old require:
- two completed sets of Distemper combination vaccine
Dogs over 24 weeks old require:
- three completed sets of Distemper combination vaccine
- Rabies vaccine
Suggested Vaccinations
- Bordetella
- Flea, tick and lice preventive treatment
Your dog does not need to be spayed or neutered. Female dogs in heat are not able to attend a board and train until 30 days from the beginning of their heat cycle.
Cancellation policy
If cancelled more than fourteen days in advance of the Board & Train program start date, the deposit less 3% admin fee and 3% credit card processing fee can be refunded. If cancelled less than seven days in advance of the start date, there is no refund or transfer or credit. Please see our Training Services Agreement for full details.
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