I have been approached many times with people asking or sometimes begging for board and train to help turn a dog around or get them off to a good start. The vast majority of the time my response is the same, I can but it’s not what you want or need. Board and train is when a dog is sent off to school to be returned some weeks later completely trained, at least in theory. The reason this often does not help is because the real issue creating all the problems was never with the dog but a fundamental lack of understanding between the dog and human.
Board and train may be effective at teaching the dog a variety of commands but it does nothing for progressing the handler/dog team dynamic which is so helpful for private dog ownership and absolutely crucial to highly successful service dog work. This is where relationship based training comes in.
Instead of commands this style uses conversation. Traditional training styles are founded on the premise of giving an order and it being followed. In fact it is hard for any of us to talk about dog training without using the word command. In relationship based training we believe using commands leaves half of the training process out, perhaps the most important part. A command is one way, asking something for nothing. What does the dog get out of listening to you? Relationship based training opens the communication up to create a two way dialogue. I will go on task for you knowing I will get time off soon. When training leash disciple for example we use a “with me” cue which tells the dog it is time to work, ignoring everything but the handler and staying directly next to the handler. They do this because they are also given a “free” cue where they can be a dog and sniff around or chew on a stick. The dog will immediately go on task when asked because they understand that there is a give and take contract. By creating a system, a contract, a relationship where both parties are getting what they want you can have a dog be excited and happy to work with you. But how do we establish this?
All of this is dependent on clear and concise two way communication between handler and dog. When training together we begin with big slow obvious verbal directives (siiiiiiit), hand gestures (slowly lifting our hand palm up from knee to shoulder), and body language (raising our shoulders straight up and standing tall) to make it very obvious what we are asking of the dog and immediately praising them when they perform. As we continue to train, what we say and do becomes less obvious until the dog knows your body language so well you can just look at them and they sit.
Training the dogs with a wide variety of handlers as well as specifically finishing its training with its recipient the dog becomes fluent in reading what the human is looking for and the human learns to read the dog. In this way the dog can easily respond to cues as well as take independent action as it sees fit based on reading their handlers needs. Focusing on the unique relationship and communication between dog and handler is very effective at molding a working dog that prioritizes teamwork.
Using this approach we can teach true communication between human and dog, reading and reacting instantaneously. This allows us to create a foundation upon which any and all advanced skills and tasks that a recipient may need can be easily taught.
The Service Dogs that graduate from our program are not only able to go on task swiftly and proficiently, responding to their human’s requests, but are also capable of making independent action. They have no fear of correction or punishment because they have never experienced it and as such they are capable of creative problem solving. Our Service Dogs read and anticipate their human’s needs so that our dogs and dog recipients can live their best lives possible as a Service Dog team.