Frequently Asked Questions

We offer in home training services in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Eastern New York State and Rhode Island. For our dog board and train, services are offered to anyone (worldwide). We offer pick up and return delivery in the same areas listed above for in home training.

Usually, the better option is to train your dog yourself - with our help - with our in home dog training program. However, this is and should be a personal choice. There are sometimes issues and circumstances that make board and train the better option. Some examples might be extreme aggression, fighting or car chasing. In other cases board and train is the better option if you simply do not have the time, interest, confidence or physical ability to work with your dog to solve issues that require intense interactions.

No. We don't offer a 'meet and greet' program. If, after speaking with our trainer you can't decide if this is the dog trainer for you, then it is appropriate to continue searching. Often dog trainers offer a 'meet and greet' or 'initial consultation' to access whether or not your dog can be trained (he/she can) or whether they are able to handle the issues presented (we are). At Best Buddy Dog Training, that is all accessed during the initial phone call. In all the years we have been in business, we have never met a dog that was untrainable. It is true that some are more difficult and some issues are more dangerous, but ALL dogs are trainable barring some neurological issue that makes it impossible for them to learn. The only question is how long it might take. Our commitment is to work as long as necessary to correct the issues.

Some dogs warm up to our trainer right away, and some take a few minutes. With patience and assertiveness, your dog will quickly begin to show signs of cooperation because dogs respond to calm leadership. We show this in some of our videos where you can see the dog being aggressive to the trainer on first meeting and quickly (within minutes) becoming peaceful, trusting and cooperative. It's also important to remember that we are there to solve problems ... in some cases, the dog might initially behave aggressively if the dog has normally been allowed to decide things like who can come into the house, or has developed unwanted and inapproproate protective aggression.

In most cases, no. Our position on prong and electronic collars is that they can be excellent tools but can also have unintended consequences when used inappropriately. That said, there are situations, behaviors and circumstances where a prong or electronic collar is appropriate to extinguish dangerous behaviors. Our approach in those cases is to use the tool as necessary, but transition as quickly as possible to a regular training collar. Please read our blog article "Why I (usually) don't use a prong or e-collar" for more insight on this issue.

Yes, but there are exceptions. While consistency is important, all people have their own personality and level of willingness to train and lead the dog appropriately. A well trained dog will respond to all family members with varying degrees of respect and deference. Often between spouses or partners, there is a difference in what is allowed and expected from the dog. We leave that up to you to work out so long as one style of interaction is not causing trouble with the other. Cooperation between the humans is critically important. That said, it is sometimes inappropriate to include small children or occasional visitors in the training because the training is based on relationship. Among dogs, that relationship is always based on hierarchy and status. In the case of small children, the dog will often see them as playmates or subordinates and will ignore their commands, etc. We recommend having the adults (and family members older than 16) work with the dog initially, and then once the dog is trained and responding well it is possible to include younger family members.

Yes, but we don't recommend it. While with us for board and train, your dog is often learning an entirely new way of interacting with humans. It is important during this process that we don't 'remind' the dog of his old way of behaving. The best approach is to give your dog some time and space to learn his new behaviors. It is generally true that when we return the dog, he will be excited and his behavior will momentarily deteriorate due to that excitement. For example, the dog may run to you and jump on you if that has been the old pattern of behavior. This will be immediately corrected. Also, once the dog is back in his familiar environment, he may try to behave as before due to familiarity and old habits. It's best to get those habits replaced with new habits without the interruption of a visit so that upon return your dog can more easily settle into his new patterns of behavior.

Yes. In some cases, the in home training might prove to be more difficult than you anticipated. Humans often have a hard time changing old habits. In those cases, you can switch to the board and train program, subject to availablility, and you would simply pay the difference in price. If so, the in home training will be continued when the dog returns to you as part of the return process.