Dog boarding training

Mr. Flibble

Are there any kennels that will train your dog while boarding there?

I understand that training is something that I, as dog owner, need to do myself and I have this covered. I do lots of training with my dog and have been to obedience school with him. But, if I need to leave the dog in a kennel for a week I would prefer to have him undergo training during that time if possible.

If I could go on holidays and return to my dog who had learned even one new trick (reliably fetch a ball, for instance) it would be great.

Can anyone recommend any training kennels to me -- the nearer to Dublin the better, but a two drive from Dublin is an option too.

westies4ever

http://www.fircroft.ie/

I havent used these guys as I use a dog sitter but i have visited the kennels and they were of a good standard and the owners were very nice. not sure where you're based though.

Mr. Flibble

westies4ever wrote: »

http://www.fircroft.ie/

I havent used these guys as I use a dog sitter but i have visited the kennels and they were of a good standard and the owners were very nice. nit sure where you're based though.

Thanks westies4ever. I'm in Dublin so their location is fine for a long stay. I'll give them a call.

DBB

Emmaline of http://www.citizencanineireland.com does one-to-one, in-home board and train. It's more expensive than straightforward kennelling, but your dog gets the undivided attention of a top-class trainer and behaviourist, and gets to live in the comfort of her home as a pet for the week :-)
Emmaline's based in south Wicklow.

Mr. Flibble

DBB wrote: »

Emmaline of http://www.citizencanineireland.com does one-to-one, in-home board and train. It's more expensive than straightforward kennelling, but your dog gets the undivided attention of a top-class trainer and behaviourist, and gets to live in the comfort of her home as a pet for the week :-)
Emmaline's based in south Wicklow.

Thanks DBB. Spoke to both and both options look good. Going to go with with Emmaline for this trip.

DBB

Mr. Flibble wrote: »

Thanks DBB. Spoke to both and both options look good. Going to go with with Emmaline for this trip.

Fantastic!
Emmaline has one of the most ingenious dog training brains I know, some of the ideas she comes up with are brilliant, but at the same time make you think "feck! Why didn't I think of that?"!
I'm sure your dog will have a great time, he may even be ready for university by the time you collect him :-D

cocker5

westies4ever wrote: »

http://www.fircroft.ie/

I havent used these guys as I use a dog sitter but i have visited the kennels and they were of a good standard and the owners were very nice. not sure where you're based though.

Sorry westeis4ever but OP please dont use this place... :mad:

i used to use fircroft for the first two years i had my cocker, firstly as a boarding kennels and then for two weeks training when he was 18 months cost me €700 (i think it was 6 years ago or so) complete waste of time and money, my cocker came back MASSIVE, like 5kg over weight and still no recall. my vet went mental when he saw the size of him.

Plus the kennels are €18 per day for a very small, old grubby stables in the middle of no where.... DEF wouldnt use these again! OP you can PM for details if you want.

Plus i have since found out some of "mary owens" training methods and i am horrified to say the least. would never recommend!

I would also like to point out after spending €700 in fircroft my cocker was still no better trained and 4 months later we had a "proper" dog trainier come to the house and train all of us... 2 months later complete different dog!

Personally IMO sending a dog away to be trained doesnt work, you both need training together to make it work!

:P

DBB

I would ordinarily agree that sending your dog away to be trained is far, far from ideal. But I think in OP's case, they've done a lot of training already, but want their dog's stay in boarding to be a fulfilling one? That the dog would come home with a new skill to add to the ones he's got? I think anyway, that was how I read it.
Also, in the case of Emmaline doing one-to-one board and train, there are some behavioural problems that can be sorted, but for various reasons it's difficult or risky to do so in the dog's home. They can be sorted out, with a sizeable dollop of after care, by a good behaviourist who keeps the dog in a home environment.
Keeping them in a kennel environment, training numerous dogs every day, and giving the owner a quick rundown on where to go from here, just doesn't cut the mustard.

Whispered

This is something I've been thinking about lately. I've often said before that I just don't agree with residential training, however, having been in more classes lately I'm beginning to wonder if in certain cases it might be beneficial.

A dog who already has some training might be easier to train new behaviours, they know how to focus and understand that if they offer different behaviours they might get rewarded. If you have an owner who is easily frustrated by lack of results, thinking the dog doesn't "get it" etc then maybe training while in a kennel isn't such a bad idea. I wouldn't agree with sending them off just for that, but if they are staying in a kennel anyway? Sort of like a kick start to training.

I'd want to see what they are planning to do with the dog, what methods they will use etc, I'd expect daily updates and then another follow up on collection to see the progress and to make sure I am properly giving cues, rewarding on time etc.

Now I don't know, I'm definately not as against it as I once would have been, not sure how well it would work though. I would be very very careful in choosing a place to do this too.