Immersive training.
Real-world practice.
A stronger foundation at home.
Our Board & Train programs provide immersive, personalized training built around your dog’s age, behavior, temperament, and training goals.
Explore Programs ↓Choose the right training path for your dog.
Our Board & Train programs are designed around different training goals, life stages, and behavioral needs.
Structural Obedience Board & Train
Build everyday obedience, leash skills, impulse control, structure, and real-world reliability.
Explore Structural ObediencePuppy Board & Train
Give your puppy a strong foundation with early obedience, confidence building, socialization, structure, and everyday manners.
Explore Puppy TrainingBehavioral Management Board & Train
Individualized training for dogs struggling with aggression, reactivity, fear, anxiety, or other serious behavior concerns.
Explore Behavioral ManagementAdvanced Off-Leash Board & Train
Advanced training for stronger reliability, responsiveness, and off-leash control around real-world distractions.
Explore Advanced Training
A personalized training experience.
Our Board & Train programs provide an immersive, personalized training experience built around your dog’s age, behavior, temperament, existing skills, and training goals. Each program follows a different training path, but all are designed to build clearer communication, stronger habits, and more reliable behavior in everyday life.
Individual Assessment & Training Plan
We evaluate your dog, your goals, current behavior, and training needs to create an individualized plan.
Structured Daily Training
Your dog follows a consistent routine with training, practice, rest, and appropriate enrichment.
Real-World Practice
Skills are reinforced in environments and around distractions appropriate for your dog and training goals.
Progress Updates
You’ll receive progress updates throughout your dog’s stay so you can follow their training.
Owner Education & Handoff
At pickup, we teach you how to communicate with your dog and continue the structure and expectations used during training.
Continued Support
Your trainer helps you understand how to maintain and build on your dog’s progress after they return home.
How Board & Train works.
Every dog progresses differently, but each Board & Train program builds skills in stages - from establishing a strong foundation to preparing those skills for everyday life at home.
Foundation
Your trainer learns your dog, establishes communication and structure, and begins building the skills appropriate for their individual program.
Practice & Progression
Training becomes more challenging as appropriate, with repetition, real-world practice, and increasing reliability around distractions.
Transition Home
The focus shifts toward the skills, routines, and expectations you’ll need to continue once your dog returns home.
Board & Train may be right for your dog if...
- They would benefit from immersive, consistent training.
- You want professional help establishing clearer structure and communication.
- Your puppy needs stronger foundations and early training.
- Your dog needs better everyday obedience and manners.
- Your dog is struggling with behavioral challenges that require more focused support.
- You want to build more advanced reliability or off-leash skills.
Every dog is different.
We’ll talk through your dog’s behavior, history, and your goals to help determine whether Board & Train is the right fit.
Talk to a TrainerThe handoff matters, too.
Every Board & Train program includes an owner handoff so you understand how to continue your dog’s training at home.
In-Person Handoff Session
At pickup, we walk you through what your dog has learned, demonstrate handling and reinforcement techniques, and practice the skills together.
At-Home Reinforcement
We show you how to maintain the routines, boundaries, commands, and expectations your dog has been practicing throughout the program.
Follow-Up Support
Questions can come up once your dog is back home. Your program includes three refinement sessions, available to use when you need them, plus lifelong support for smaller adjustments and questions along the way.
Training That Carries Over
The goal isn’t a dog who responds only to the trainer. We want you to feel comfortable reinforcing the same expectations at home and throughout everyday life.
Frequently asked questions
A few things dog owners commonly want to know before getting started.
Where will my dog stay during Board & Train?
Your dog stays in a trainer’s home and is treated as part of the family throughout the program. Kennels are primarily used overnight for safety and structure, and dogs are kept in secure, temperature-controlled environments, including during inclement weather when appropriate.
Chris, Cosmo K9’s CEO, personally inspects trainers’ homes and yards to make sure safety standards, cleanliness requirements, and company protocols are being followed.
Will I receive updates while my dog is with you?
Yes. You’ll receive three report cards each week with updates on your dog’s training and progress. Photos and videos are also regularly shared on Cosmo K9’s social media pages as well as the trainer’s social media.
Trainers may also send additional photos, videos, or updates directly when helpful.
What ages and breeds do you accept?
We work with dogs of all ages and breeds. Training is customized around the individual dog’s temperament, behavior, experience, and goals rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
Which Board & Train program is right for my dog?
The right program depends on your dog’s age, training history, behavior, and your goals. Structural Obedience focuses on everyday manners and reliability, Puppy Board & Train builds early foundations, Behavioral Management addresses more serious behavior concerns, and Advanced Off-Leash focuses on higher-level reliability. A consultation helps us recommend the appropriate program.
These cases often require additional time, exposure, patience, resources, and careful management, so we evaluate the individual dog and situation to determine the most appropriate training plan.
Will my dog still listen to me when they come home?
Yes — but consistency and practice at home are an important part of maintaining your dog’s training. At pickup, we show you how your dog has been trained, how to use the commands, and how to reinforce the same expectations at home.
And if questions come up afterward, we’re here to help.
What happens when I pick my dog up?
Pickup includes an approximately one-hour handoff lesson with your trainer. They’ll demonstrate the commands and skills your dog has learned, explain handling techniques and expectations, and have you practice with your dog so you feel comfortable continuing the training at home.
Your program also includes three follow-up refinement sessions to use if needed.
What are the three refinement sessions?
Each refinement session is approximately one hour and can be used to fine-tune anything you or your dog may be struggling with after returning home.
That might mean reinforcing an existing skill, working through a handling issue, or addressing a new challenge that becomes apparent once your dog is back in their normal environment.
What should I bring when I drop my dog off?
Please bring enough of your dog’s regular food for the full two-week stay, along with any treats or medications they’ll need.
We generally do not recommend bringing toys or beds. Shared toys can create unnecessary conflict between dogs, and beds may be damaged by dogs who are anxious or adjusting to a new environment.
Let’s talk about your dog.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Tell us about your dog, what you’re working on, and your goals. We’ll help you determine which Board & Train program is the best fit.