The first few months of a puppy's life are the most important, and sometimes the most stressful. Our baby puppy board & train gives you the peace of mind of having a professional dog trainer help navigate their experiences during the most important part of their development.
Over the past 10 years of teaching Puppy Socialization and Life Skills classes in Halifax there always seems to be a common feeling among puppy owners: it's exhausting. They are not wrong! I often joke that people just need to 'survive' puppyhood until you get to enjoy your nice adult dog.
Our Baby Puppy Board and Train program is for owners who don’t have the extra time puppies require in their first few months to ensure a well-rounded early life experience. It is also an ideal program for those who have to board their puppy during those formative months. A puppy board and train is an excellent option to make sure your pup is still experiencing new things out in the world in a safe, fun way while their people have to travel or tend to other business or family affairs. Puppies have a critical socialization period that ends around 16 weeks of age. It is an important time that should not be overlooked!
With our baby Puppy Board & Train program, your puppy will live with a trainer who is experienced in using positive reinforcement training methods to bring out their best. You can expect your puppy to go on daily adventures: exploring trail and beaches on group walks with other dogs, excursions out around town to see new people, places, and things, learning to relax and self entertain around the house, start learning polite leash walking skills, grooming, potty training, and age appropriate training exercises. Emphasis will be places on learning how to watch exciting/worrisome things like strangers, traffic, and other animals calmly and confidently.
During your puppy's board and train, you can expect the following to be covered:
Enforcing potty training schedules and teaching them outdoors is the place to go!
Exposure to dogs of varying breeds and ages, that are trusted and safe to ensure the most positive experience possible.
Learning to be comfortable & relaxed while confined for short periods.
Learning to focus around distractions like people, dogs, and out in public.
Learning to explore the great outdoors, while staying close and being responsive to their guardians.
Socialization & Desensitization to the things that city life entails: construction, bikes, buses, weird noises, etc.
Learning the foundations of walking politely on leash.
Desensitization to basic handling and grooming.
Puppies should ideally be under 20 weeks when starting this program. Programs should be a minimum 2 weeks in length. Custom lengths of time may be available, contact for more information.
14 day board & train
4 week board & train
*Taxes not included in price
We found ourselves in a situation during which we found the perfect puppy for us but thought it wasn’t the right time because we had an upcoming trip planned. We decided to have the little guy join our family anyway and think about what to do next later - and I’m so glad that the solution to our perceived problem was so easy to find!
We ended up digging around the internet and conducting a ton of research, and decided to reach out to Sarah after realizing quickly that she would be the perfect fit for our young pup. Sarah was very professional, easy to communicate with, gave us a realistic plan of expectations, answered all of our questions and made us feel at ease leaving our pup Groot behind in her care.
We were able to have a relaxing getaway knowing that Groot was having a blast with Sarah and her pack, and we were getting updates and photos so that we didn’t miss him too much. It was really important to us that he stayed with a pro like Sarah at such a young age because we knew he would get the attention and care he needed with her. We felt like it was critical that the good habits and training we started were maintained and built-upon, and our expectations were blown out of the water. She really is a dog-whisperer!
We would not hesitate to recommend Sarah’s services to anyone. Unless you are worried that your dog may end up liking her more than you - that might happen ;).
- Mina and Jon
Our Puppy Board & Train program is run by our trainer, Sarah McManaman. Contact her at sarah@sublimecanine.ca to book your stay today!