You signed up—now what?

We want the entire training process to be clear before you ever meet your trainer. Whether you enrolled in Private Lessons or a Board & Train program, this page explains exactly what happens next, what you need to bring, how your training will progress, and what we expect from you along the way.

Our goal isn’t simply to teach your dog a list of commands. We want to build better communication, strengthen the relationship between you and your dog, fulfill your dog biologically through appropriate outlets like play, and teach you how to maintain and continue the training long after your program ends.

PRIVATE LESSONS: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU SIGN UP?

Step 1: Payment & Your Confirmation Email

Once payment is completed online or over the phone, you will receive a confirmation email containing detailed instructions for your program.

Your confirmation email will include a link to our online scheduling system, where you can book all of your Private Lessons.

Book ALL of Your Lessons as Soon as Possible

We strongly recommend booking your entire Private Lesson program as soon as you receive your scheduling link.

Do not wait until after each lesson to schedule the next one.

Appointment times can fill quickly. Waiting to schedule can result in large gaps between appointments—sometimes one to three months or longer depending on trainer availability.

Ideally, Private Lessons should be spaced approximately 7 days apart. This gives you enough time to practice your homework while maintaining consistency and momentum.

Each Private Lesson is approximately one hour.

You can always reschedule an appointment through our online scheduling system as long as you are more than 48 hours from the scheduled lesson time.

Once you are within 48 hours of the appointment, the lesson becomes locked and the scheduling system will no longer allow you to cancel or reschedule it.

All cancellations and rescheduling must be completed through the scheduling website—not by text message or phone call.

WHERE ARE PRIVATE LESSONS HELD?

Our Private Lessons are intentionally conducted in real-world public environments rather than a sterile training room.

Depending on your dog’s program, training level, goals, weather, and location, lessons may take place at:

Public parks
Outdoor shopping centers
Indoor or outdoor malls where dogs are permitted
Lowe’s
Home Depot
Pet-friendly stores
Other public environments appropriate for that stage of training

Dogs don’t live their lives in training facilities. Ultimately, we want your dog to understand how to behave and respond to you in the environments where you actually need the training.

As your dog progresses, we deliberately increase distractions and change environments to help generalize what they have learned.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO EVERY PRIVATE LESSON?

Please arrive at least 5 minutes early and bring:

Your dog
Your regular leash
A secure flat-buckle collar or properly fitted Martingale collar
A bag of your dog’s favorite treats
Your dog’s favorite tug toy
Your dog’s favorite fetch toy
Any training equipment your trainer has previously issued to you

Please bring both a tug toy AND a fetch toy.

We want options. Different dogs respond differently to different forms of play, and having both available gives your trainer more opportunities to determine what motivates your dog and how we can use that motivation within training.

We will provide the training equipment required for your specific program as it is introduced, which may include a 15-foot long line, prong collar, and, depending on your program and your dog’s progression, an electronic collar (e-collar).

Once a piece of training equipment has been issued to you, bring it to every future lesson.

BEFORE LESSON ONE: REQUIRED READING

Before attending your first obedience lesson, every client is required to read:

Why You Should Play With Your Dog: The Benefits of Play

Play isn’t something we add at the end of training as a reward. It is an important part of how we build relationships, engagement, confidence, communication, motivation, and biological fulfillment.

Understanding this before your first lesson allows us to spend more of your appointment actually working with you and your dog instead of spending that time explaining concepts you can learn beforehand.

Required reading before Lesson One:

https://www.lehighvalleydogtrainers.com/why-you-should-play-with-your-dog/

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE 4-LESSON BASIC OBEDIENCE PROGRAM?

Every dog is different, so this is a general progression—not a rigid script. Your trainer may move faster, slow down, repeat a lesson, or modify the progression based on the dog in front of them.

Lesson 1: Relationship, Play, Communication & Loose-Leash Walking

For most dogs, Lesson One begins with play.

Before demanding obedience, we want to develop engagement and establish communication between the dog and handler.

We will work on things such as:

Structured play
Building engagement and relationship
Developing confidence
Creating biological fulfillment
Beginning marker training
Teaching clear rules within play
Improving communication between dog and owner

After the play portion of the lesson, we’ll typically transition to a loose-leash walk using a 15-foot long line.

We’ll begin teaching your dog how to move with you without constantly pulling or creating leash tension while also beginning to establish the meaning of our “No” marker.

We want “No” to have a clear meaning. It shouldn’t become background noise that an owner repeats 15 times while the dog continues doing exactly what they were doing.

Lesson 2: Refining the Foundation

Lesson Two frequently begins by revisiting Lesson One.

We’ll evaluate your play, engagement, communication and loose-leash walking and fine-tune anything that needs improvement.

From there, we can begin adding additional skills such as:

Recall
Sit
Down
Place
Heel

Exactly how much we introduce depends on the individual dog and how much progress you made during the previous week’s homework.

Lesson 3: Bringing Obedience Into Play

By Lesson Three, we’ll typically begin integrating obedience directly into the relationship and play we’ve already established.

Rather than making obedience an entirely separate, boring activity, we can pause the game, ask the dog for a behavior or introduce a new command, and then return to the game.

This may include Sit, Down, Place, Recall, Heel or another behavior appropriate for your dog and program.

The dog begins learning that listening to you doesn’t end the fun—it becomes part of the interaction.

Lesson 4: Distance, Duration & Distraction

Lesson Four builds upon everything we’ve already established.

Depending on your dog’s progression, we may:

Increase distractions
Increase duration
Increase distance
Refine Heel
Introduce additional commands
Continue incorporating obedience into play
Work in more challenging real-world environments

The goal isn’t simply for your dog to perform something in the exact park where it was taught.

We want the dog to understand the communication well enough that those skills transfer into everyday life.

WHAT ABOUT OUR 8-LESSON BASIC & ADVANCED PROGRAM?

The first several lessons establish the same core foundation, including play, engagement, loose-leash walking, Recall, Sit, Down, Place and Heel.

Lessons 5–8 give us considerably more room to advance the training.

Depending on your goals and your dog’s progression, we may introduce advanced commands, increase distance and duration, further develop Heel, work around significantly higher distractions, train in different public environments, and continue generalizing the behaviors your dog already understands.

If appropriate for your program, this is also where we can begin progressing toward greater off-leash reliability.

Off-leash work does not mean simply taking the leash off.

Before removing that physical connection, your dog must understand the training system and the e-collar must be properly introduced. We then build reliability using long lines that may range from approximately 15 to 75 feet before progressing to true off-leash work.

We build the foundation first and remove the safety net when the dog demonstrates that he or she is ready.

9-LESSON REACTIVITY & AGGRESSION PRIVATE LESSON PROGRAM

Our 9-Lesson Reactivity & Aggression program follows a different progression because obedience alone does not resolve behavioral problems.

Before Lesson 1: Muzzle Training Is Required

For dogs enrolled in our Reactivity & Aggression program, muzzle training is required before Lesson One.

You will need to:

Purchase an appropriately sized basket-style muzzle that properly fits your dog.
Begin conditioning your dog to comfortably wear the muzzle before your first lesson.
Complete our free Muzzle Training Video before arriving at Lesson One.

Free Muzzle Training Video:

https://www.olk9academy.com/course?courseid=muzzle-conditioning-made-simple

The muzzle is most likely a temporary training and safety tool—not something your dog will necessarily need forever.

As long as you complete your homework, remain consistent and continue progressing through the training, our goal is not to simply keep your dog muzzled indefinitely.

However, during behavior modification there are times when we need to safely test the dog and see what decision the dog will make.

In those situations, we may need the muzzle so we can safely allow the dog an opportunity to make a decision without putting another dog or human in a situation where they could be bitten.

Safety allows us to train the behavior instead of simply avoiding it.

Lesson 1: Consultation & Behavioral Evaluation

The first appointment is an in-depth consultation and evaluation.

We want to understand:

What the dog is doing
When the behavior occurs
What triggers it
How long it has been occurring
The dog’s history
What the owners have previously tried
How the owners currently respond
The dog’s confidence and emotional state
The dog’s relationship with the handler
What may be reinforcing or maintaining the behavior

We need to understand the problem before developing the solution.

Lesson 2: Building the Foundation—and Addressing the Problem

Lesson Two begins similarly to Lesson One of our traditional obedience programs.

We work on relationship, structured play, engagement, communication, biological fulfillment and loose-leash walking.

There is one major difference:

If your dog displays the reactivity, aggression or behavioral problem during training, we address it.

We’re not going to spend five lessons teaching obedience while ignoring the reason you came to us.

Lessons 3–6 and Beyond

From there, we continue developing the same foundations used throughout our training programs while deliberately working around your dog’s individual behavioral issues and triggers.

As your dog progresses, we introduce and develop obedience including:

Recall
Sit
Down
Place
Heel

We also begin increasing environmental exposure, distance, duration and distractions.

The remaining lessons allow us to continue challenging both the dog and owner in appropriate environments while making the training increasingly applicable to everyday life.

WHY WE DON’T USE OBEDIENCE TO MANAGE REACTIVITY OR AGGRESSION

This is one of the most important distinctions in our training philosophy.

If your dog is barking, lunging, growling, fixating or displaying aggression toward another dog, putting the dog into a Sit, Down, Place or Heel may temporarily prevent the dog from performing the unwanted behavior.

But that does not necessarily mean you’ve changed the behavior.

If you put a reactive or aggressive dog into a command, you could build frustration in the dog, or you could simply have an obedient dog that’s following the command.

We want something more than that.

We want a dog that knows how to make good decisions and will avoid bad ones through clear communication, boundaries and rules.

You could have a bitable dog that will hold a perfect Sit when it’s uncomfortable, fearful or aggressive because the dog has learned that when you say “Sit,” it is supposed to remain sitting.

But what happens when the dog walker takes the dog out?

What happens when your spouse, child, parent or another family member who wasn’t part of the training doesn’t know that they need to put the dog into a specific command to manage that behavior?

Now the dog is free to make its own decision.

And if we only managed the behavior through obedience, the dog never learned not to make the bad decision. It only learned that when it was told to Sit, it was supposed to hold the Sit.

That’s a major difference.

Our goal is to create a dog that understands what behaviors and decisions are acceptable and which ones aren’t through clear communication, boundaries and rules.

Ultimately, we absolutely want your dog capable of walking in Heel, holding a Sit or Down, recalling reliably and listening around other dogs, people and distractions.

But obedience should not be the only thing preventing the behavioral problem.

We don’t want to simply control the dog. We want to teach the dog.

That’s why we address behavioral problems directly rather than attempting to hide them underneath obedience.

To understand this approach in greater detail, please read our complete Training Philosophy:

https://www.lehighvalleydogtrainers.com/dog-training-philosophy/

YOUR HOMEWORK BETWEEN PRIVATE LESSONS

Your trainer sees your dog for approximately one hour.

You live with your dog the other 167 hours of the week.

That makes your participation extremely important.

Your homework between appointments is to practice what you learned during the previous lesson.

We don’t expect you to jump ahead and teach five things we haven’t shown you yet. We want you to become proficient at the skills you’ve already learned so we have a solid foundation to build upon at the next appointment.

Consistency matters far more than cramming the night before your lesson.

PRIVATE LESSON WAIVER, CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS

At your first Private Lesson, you will sign our Private Lesson Agreement/Waiver, which includes our cancellation and refund policies.

Please read it carefully.

Appointments are scheduled back-to-back, and your trainer has reserved that time specifically for you.

Cancellations or rescheduling requests made less than 48 hours before your scheduled appointment result in that lesson being forfeited.

All cancellations and rescheduling must be completed through the online scheduling system. Once you are within 48 hours of your appointment, the appointment is locked and cannot be canceled or rescheduled through the system.

Please arrive at least 5 minutes early.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, the lesson is forfeited.

Refund Policy

After completing Lesson One, you have 24 hours from the completion of that lesson to request a refund.

Once that 24-hour period has elapsed, no refunds are provided at any point during the Private Lesson program.

Please review the complete Cancellation & Refund Policy on our website and your signed Private Lesson Agreement for the complete terms and conditions.

BOARD & TRAIN: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU SIGN UP?

Step 1: Place Your Deposit

Once you place your Board & Train deposit online or over the phone, the onboarding process begins.

If you’re enrolling over the phone, we’ll conduct a brief Q&A to collect initial information about you, your dog, your goals and any behavioral concerns.

Step 2: Confirmation Email

You will receive a confirmation email verifying your Board & Train dates.

That email contains important information and attachments specific to the program you selected.

Please read the entire confirmation email and all included materials before drop-off.

Step 3: Complete Your Contracts & Questionnaire

You will receive SignNow documents containing your:

Board & Train Agreement
Training contract/waiver
Detailed questionnaire about your dog

Please complete these documents thoroughly.

The more we know about your dog’s history, routines, personality, previous training and behavioral concerns, the better prepared your trainer can be.

Step 4: Your Trainer Contacts You

Your trainer will contact you within 48 hours of placing your deposit.

At that time, your trainer will schedule your mandatory pre-Board & Train consultation and your scheduled drop-off time.

Mandatory Pre-Board & Train Consultation

In almost all cases, this consultation is conducted in person before your dog’s Board & Train begins.

This gives your trainer an opportunity to meet you and your dog, discuss your goals, evaluate your dog, review any concerns and make sure everyone is prepared for the upcoming stay.

In rare situations where a Board & Train is booked on short notice—such as only a week or two before drop-off—we may conduct the consultation by phone or video conference instead.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS BEFORE BOARD & TRAIN

Vaccination Records

Your dog’s vaccination records must be sent to us within 72 hours of booking your Board & Train.

Negative Fecal Test

Every Board & Train dog must have a negative fecal test dated within three weeks of the scheduled drop-off date.

Most veterinary offices will allow you to simply drop off a fecal sample without scheduling a full office visit. Contact your veterinarian directly for their procedures.

Potty & Crate Training

Unless your dog is specifically enrolled in a Puppy Board & Train program, your dog must already be potty trained and crate trained well before drop-off.

IMPORTANT: OBEDIENCE BOARD & TRAINS VS. BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

Our standard 7-Day, 10-Day and 14-Day Board & Train programs are not Behavior Modification programs.

They are not designed for dogs experiencing significant:

Reactivity
Aggression
Severe fear
Severe underconfidence
Other serious behavioral concerns requiring dedicated behavior modification

Those dogs require a different approach.

Our Behavior Modification Board & Train programs are generally 3–6 weeks, depending upon the individual dog, severity and history of the behavioral problem, and training goals.

If we’re dealing with a serious behavioral issue, we don’t want to squeeze the dog into an obedience program that wasn’t designed to address it.

YOUR BOARD & TRAIN DROP-OFF

Your trainer will schedule a specific drop-off time on the date you reserved.

Please arrive on time. We allot approximately 30 minutes for Board & Train drop-offs.

At drop-off, you’ll meet your trainer, review the necessary information and leave your dog in our care.

Please bring:

Your dog
Your dog’s collar
Your dog’s leash
Your dog’s regular food
Approximately 25% more food than your dog would normally require for the scheduled stay
Any medications your dog requires

Packing Your Dog’s Food

You can portion your dog’s food into individual bags or bring it in one larger container.

If using a larger container, we recommend a plastic airtight container rather than an open bag closed with a clip. If the original food bag has a reliable built-in airtight seal, that is also acceptable.

Please clearly write on the outside:

Your dog’s name
How much food your dog normally receives at each meal
What times your dog normally eats

Medications

All medications must be provided in their original containers with written dosing instructions.

DAILY WHATSAPP UPDATES

When your dog begins Board & Train, we will create a WhatsApp group for your dog’s stay.

All pertinent family and household members can be included in the group.

This becomes your direct communication channel with your trainer throughout the program. You’ll be able to receive updates, follow your dog’s progression and ask questions along the way.

You’ll receive daily picture and video updates.

And these aren’t designed to be nothing but highlight reels.

We want you to see the process.

That means you’ll see:

Your dog learning something new
Your dog making mistakes
How the trainer responds to those mistakes
How we follow through
How consistency creates clarity
New commands being introduced
Existing commands becoming more reliable
Structured play
Relationship building
Confidence development
Environmental exposure
Appropriate socialization
Real-world distractions

We believe seeing how your dog learned is incredibly valuable because eventually you need to become your dog’s trainer.

The goal isn’t for your dog to listen beautifully to us and then fall apart when they go home.

THE GO-HOME/TURNOVER LESSON

The Board & Train isn’t finished when we hand you the leash.

The turnover lesson is one of the most important parts of the entire program.

Your go-home lesson will typically last approximately 2–4 hours, depending on the program, your dog and your individual needs.

Behavior Modification turnovers may take longer.

During the turnover, we’ll teach you how to communicate with your dog using the same system your trainer established throughout the stay.

We’ll review your dog’s commands, training equipment, handling, expectations, corrections, rewards, play, consistency and what you need to do once you get home.

You’ll have an opportunity to work your own dog under your trainer’s supervision so that you aren’t simply watching someone else handle your dog.

We trained the dog during the Board & Train. The turnover teaches you how to continue that training.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can My Family Attend Private Lessons?

Absolutely.

We actually want the people who regularly interact with your dog to understand the training.

Children are welcome, but whether bringing them is a good idea depends much more on the individual child than their age.

We’ve had children as young as 4 years old attend lessons with zero issues, and we’ve had 11-year-olds who were extremely distracting.

The important question is: Can you focus on your trainer and your dog while your child is there?

If you’re constantly having to stop, redirect or supervise your children, it takes valuable time and attention away from your lesson.

What Happens If It Rains?

Bring an umbrella and a rain jacket.

Dogs still need to listen when the weather isn’t perfect, and training in different environments and conditions is part of creating a reliable dog.

Your trainer will communicate with you if weather conditions become unsafe or severe enough that plans need to change.

What If My Dog Isn’t Food Motivated?

That’s fine.

We’ll work with play and other forms of motivation, and we can also help explain how to build greater food motivation when appropriate.

What If My Dog Doesn’t Know How to Play?

We’ll teach them—and we’ll teach you.

Many owners tell us their dog “doesn’t play” when the dog simply hasn’t learned how to engage in structured, interactive play with a human.

We’ll help develop that skill and show you how to use play to build engagement, confidence, relationship and motivation.

Will My Dog Forget Me During Board & Train?

No.

Your dog isn’t going to forget you because they spend a few weeks with us.

Think of it like your dog going to summer camp.

They’re learning, playing, experiencing new things and building a relationship with their trainer—and then they’re coming home.

Can I Visit My Dog During Board & Train?

We can’t tell you that you aren’t allowed to visit your dog. However, we strongly recommend against it.

Our Board & Train dogs stay in our trainers’ homes rather than being left at a traditional boarding facility.

This is intentional.

Your dog is incorporated into a normal home environment, which gives us opportunities to work on behaviors, routines, boundaries and training within the type of environment your dog will actually live in when they return home.

Because our trainers work from their homes, we do not provide trainers’ home addresses to clients.

If you request a visit, it must be scheduled directly with your trainer at an appropriate location and time.

More importantly, seeing the owner in the middle of a Board & Train can reset the dog emotionally and interrupt the training process. Some dogs can take several days to settle back into the routine after seeing their owner and then separating again.

For that reason, while visits can be arranged when necessary, in our experience it is generally not a good idea to visit your dog during a Board & Train.

You’ll still see your dog every day through the pictures and videos in your WhatsApp group.

Should I Practice at Home After Training?

Absolutely—but training doesn’t need to become a boring hour-long drill every day.

One of the biggest things we want you to continue is play.

Have fun with your dog. Build the relationship. Incorporate a little obedience into your play sessions.

Outside of structured play, use obedience practically when you need it.

If you ask your dog to do something, be consistent and follow through. Maintain the boundaries and rules you’ve established.

You don’t need to overwork obedience until your dog becomes bored with training.

Play. Communicate. Be consistent. Follow through. Hold your dog accountable when necessary—and have fun with your dog.

TRAINING DOESN’T END WHEN THE PROGRAM ENDS

Whether you choose Private Lessons or Board & Train, professional training establishes a foundation.

What happens afterward matters.

Dogs learn through consistency, repetition, consequences, rewards, experiences and clear communication. The more consistently you apply what you’ve learned, the more reliable those skills can become in everyday life.

Our objective is bigger than producing a dog that can perform a handful of commands.

We want to help create dogs that can think, communicate clearly with their owners, confidently navigate the real world, enjoy appropriate biological fulfillment and ultimately experience more freedom because they have more training.

Better Dogs. Better Humans.