Post-Training FAQs
Congratulations on your dog’s graduation from our board & train program! There will be questions that pop up as you get into your new groove at home—that’s normal. This page is a collection of the questions (and answers!) that come up most often.
Click the question below to jump down the page to its answer.
E-collar, Prong Collar and Corrections
Lifestyle
My dog isn’t eating well since returning home. Is something wrong?
Dog messing up during free time/while snuggling on the couch/while being held.
I said “break” but my dog isn’t moving and/or seems confused.
Place command
Moving around the house
Thresholds
E-collar, prong collar & corrections
OMG I think the e-collar injured my dog’s neck! (pressure sores)
The e-collar isn’t capable of burning your dog’s neck, but pressure sores are possible. Pressure sores are caused by the contact points of the e-collar sitting in the same spot for too long. They are further exacerbated by friction, which is one reason why it’s important to fit the e-collar snugly. You don’t want it wiggling around on your dog’s neck!
If you notice that your dog has developed pressure sores, do three things:
Clean the sores, keep them clean, and let them get plenty of air. That means you should not put the receiver back on that spot until they’re fully healed. It also means you’ll need to place the e-collar band further up or down on your dog’s neck, that way the band isn’t sitting over top of the sores and preventing air flow to them.
Develop a schedule to ensure that you’re rotating the collar more often. I recommend setting alarms on your phone until you get in the habit. Frequent rotation of the collar is the only way to prevent pressure sores! We recommend every 4-6 hours for most dogs, but if your dog develops pressure sores at that interval, then shorten it to 3-5 (or less).
Evaluate the fit. The collar MUST have a snug fit in order to make consistent contact, which means you’ll be able to use the lowest numbers possible. The snug fit also prevents it from rubbing your dog’s neck, which helps prevent pressure sores.
Last but not least, if you’ve done all these things and you’re still seeing some sores, your dog may have an allergy. We switch out all contact points to hypoallergenic contact points prior to a dog’s return home; however, they could have an allergy or sensitivity to the contact points or to the biothane band. Contact us if you suspect that’s an issue. We’ve seen it before and we can probably give some advice.
I think the e-collar and/or the prong collar is too tight.
We sized and fit both collars before sending your dog home, so the size should be correct. Keep in mind, both will be snug. Review the fit videos here:
That said, mistakes happen. If you think your prong collar or e-collar is too tight and you’ve already rewatched the videos above, please email us to ask about this.
Is it fair to correct my dog?
In a nutshell: yes!
If your dog was still learning behavior expectations or learning new skills, corrections would be more nuanced—but that’s not what’s happening. The learning phase is the part of training that we do for you during the board & train. By the time your dog returns home, they’re already well beyond the learning phase—they already know all the skills, patterns and behavior expectations that you’re asking them for. They’ve moved into the maintenance phase, which makes it totally and completely fair to correct them.
In fact, not correcting your dog is harmful because it damages your relationship with your dog, which causes your dog’s behavior to deteriorate overall. Your dog is inclined to listen to you because they believe you will hold them accountable. If you stop correcting your dog or you only do it every once in a while, your dog will catch on that you’re not likely to hold them accountable—and they’ll soon stop listening to you altogether. Yikes!
I pushed the button but my dog didn’t listen. WHat do i do?
One of the most important skills you need to learn once your dog returns home is how and when to dial up on the remote. Your dog will not always respond to the same number, so don’t get “stuck” on one!
Your task is to match the number on the dial to your dog’s state of mind. If your dog is in an elevated state of mind (excited, nervous, barking, chasing something, or generally amped up for any reason whatsoever) you will need much higher numbers than usual. Get used to the feeling of twisting the dial! Here’s a graphic to help (right).
No matter the scenario, if your dog blows you off, it’s safe to say their state of mind was more elevated than you thought. Dial up and try again!
It’s a simple thing, but the ability to do this takes *practice*. There is a little bit of a learning curve to it. You need to learn:
When your dog is in an elevated state of mind
What that elevated state of mind does to their perception of the e-collar
What the twist of the dial feels like to match their state of mind in a given moment
The good news is that your dog isn’t harmed by your learning curve! If you come in too low and your dog ignores you, dial up and try again, and keep doing that until your dog responds. Then, look down at your remote and make a mental note for future reference. This will give you a good idea of what’s needed for similar situations in the future.
If you accidentally go too high and your dog makes a noise in response, you are still not harming your dog in any way—not physically, and not emotionally. Your dog is okay! Again, take note of the number and make a mental note for similar situations in the future.
This work of learning how and went to twist the dial is what makes you proficient in e-collar communication! Don’t skip it!
Lifestyle
My dog isn’t eating well since returning home. Is something wrong?
It’s very common for dogs to stop eating/not eat as much when they feel a bit of anxiety—including when their environment changes. This is true even when it’s a “good” change, like returning home. It just takes dogs a few days to make big adjustments like this, and during that time they often don’t eat as much (or at all). The good news is that dogs are really good about self-regulating in the sense that unless something is truly wrong (major illness) they won’t starve themselves. They’ll eat when they really need to! Just keep offering food, on schedule, in the crate and try not to make a big fuss over it (they’ll notice the fuss and that will make it worse). Keep a light eye on it and if the issue persists, please let us know.
Overall, rest assured that if we had any health concerns while your dog was here with us, we would tell you about it! If your dog wasn’t eating well, wasn’t feeling well, showed other signs of feeling sick, etc. you would know. If we haven’t said anything, then it’s safe to assume that your dog was feeling fine when they left here, which means your dog just needs some time to adjust to being home again. There’s usually nothing to worry about! :)
My dog won’t play like they used to. Is this normal?
Yes! When a dog first returns home from training, they are fighting the urge to return to all their old patterns—all the ways they used to behave with you and in your home. This is problematic because those patterns include all of his/her old "bad" behaviors. Right now, your dog is dealing with the internal tension between their old shenanigans and the new way of life they learned in training, and for some dogs, they take a few days to realize that they can still relax and play at home. It just takes time to make the adjustment, but your dog will get there. Be patient and rest assured that nothing is wrong, your dog is just hard at work sorting out which behaviors belong now and which behaviors don’t.
Overall, resisting the urge to fall back into their old patterns is really hard work. The whole purpose of the post-training lifestyle is to help your dog through this transition, which means the best way to help them is NOT to make exceptions, but to stick to the plan! The closer you adhere to the post-training lifestyle, the faster your dog will get over the hump and will seem like their normal self again.
my Dog is messing up during free time/while snuggling on the couch/while being held.
Okay, time for a wee bit of tough love…
Your dog really shouldn’t be having any free time/lap time/snuggle on the couch time right now. This post-training phase (the first 90 days after returning home) is a key time for your dog. The post-training lifestyle is all about helping your dog replace all their old patterns (the patterns of behavior they used to practice in your home environment) with their new patterns (the patterns they learned at training). If we give them free time right now, we're blurring the two patterns, and your dog will have a harder time sticking to their new, good behavior patterns. We don't want your dog’s behavior to regress, so we highly recommend strictly sticking to the post-training lifestyle (pages 5-15 of the go-home guide).
If you’re concerned that you might not get enough quality time with your dog during this post-training phase, the best thing to do is leverage engaged playtime. Take your dog outside and play with them, and then at the end of playtime you can sit in the grass with your dog for a quick snuggle before going back inside. For now, don’t do this in the house.
I said “break” but my dog isn’t moving and/or seems confused.
If your dog seems confused when you say “break”, here’s how to clarify:
Tone + Praise: Say "break" with enthusiasm, and as soon as your dog starts to move pour on the praise.
Body language: Open your arms wide, pat your legs, squat down, etc—anything to encourage your dog to move.
Movement: Your body is a magnet! Start moving when you say break and your dog may move, too.
Additional things to consider:
✨Did you really mean break?✨
If we’ve said "break" but the context and/or our body language indicates something else, your dog may not move because they're confused! Break means the dog is free to move about and do whatever they want. Is that what you want in this moment? If you had something more specific in mind, use a word that better suits your intention. For example, if your dog is on place and you'd like your dog to move to the door to go outside for a potty break, it would be more appropriate to say "let's go" or "heel".
✨Does your dog want to move?✨
Break means your dog is now free to move about as they please, which includes remaining where they are. If your dog is curled up and relaxed and doesn’t move when you say break, that's not really a problem! It's important to distinguish between confusion and comfort.
WHen can i play with my dog?
You can play with your dog during engaged playtime. Engaged playtime is best done outside, and during that time you and your dog can run and play whatever games or forms of engagement you enjoy. If the weather is bad, you can do some playtime inside, but try to refrain from making this a regular habit. As much as possible, you want to cultivate the idea that inside = calm time.
WHen can my dog just “be a dog”?
I think what you mean by this is “when can my dog roam around and do whatever they want?” The answer to that question is: later. A few months from now when your dog is consistently making good choices without your direct input, then you can start allowing them some time to roam around and do whatever they feel like doing. So long as their behavior in other areas of life does not deteriorate, then it’s okay to give a little freedom and decision-making back to your dog (down the road). Until then, your task is to build a pattern of responding to your directions in the house and an understanding that you are the leader and decision-maker. If your dog doesn’t look to you in the small moments, they’re DEFINITELY not going to look to you in the big moments!
One more thought: We like to think of our training as giving a dog more opportunities to “be a dog”. I think they are “being a dog” when they’re running free in the woods exploring with their friends, enjoying off leash hikes and camping with you and the family, curling up on their dog bed by the fireplace while the family watches a movie, accompanying you to the bus stop and soccer games, etc. The ability to listen to you no matter what’s going on around them opens up so many doors for your dog. Your dog gets to do so much more because they will default to your leadership in the moments that matter most. If given the choice, would your dog pick running amuck in the house or running free in the woods? Barking and begging or enjoying a patio restaurant with the family? Food for thought…
Place Command
Can my dog nap in place?
YES! The purpose of place is to practice relaxation and a healthy, balanced calm state of mind, and impulse control (practice resisting the urge to respond to whatever is going on around him). If your dog falls asleep while on place, or if you know your dog is ready for a nap and you proactively put them on place, that’s great!
The only thing you want to avoid is using place in lieu of using the crate. Downtime in the crate is very important each day, so don’t get into the habit of skipping it.
Can my dog put himself on place?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: No, but only because your dog shouldn’t be making any decisions right now. All of your dog’s movements should happen after permission or instruction from you. So, if you bring your dog in from outside and you were thinking of putting her in her crate, but she runs to her place, the answer is no. However, if you intended to put your dog in place and this happens, you still want to reset this so that it happens on your command—that distinction is important! To reset the situation, recall your dog to you, heel them back to their place bed/cot, and then give the place command. This is a small thing from a human point of view, but a big distinction in a dog’s mind.
can I play with or pet my dog while she’s on place?
No, place is for relaxation and for practicing being calm and still even while activity goes on around them. If you play with your dog on place, this will confuse their understanding of how they should behave in that command.
When your dog is on place, no one should really be interacting with your dog. You could reach down and give your dog a few pets while you walk by (provided your dog can handle this) but you should not sit with your dog on place, sit down next to your dog’s place, or try to play with your dog while they’re on place.
Place = calm!
Can my dog have a bone in place?
The purpose of place is for your dog to practice being relaxed and calm. It’s counterproductive to provide constant entertainment via bones and toys! However, if your dog is less than a year old, then you can occasionally give bones while your dog is on place. Just make sure you’re not falling into the trap of providing constant entertainment!
Moving around the house
Can he run right to the door/to his crate?
Nope. It’s great that your dog is learning the pattern of potty breaks (or whatever the case may be) but the important thing about the post-training lifestyle is that your dog learns to listen to you. You want things to happen on your command. If your dog takes the initiative, it’s best to reset the situation and do it on your command, even if the outcome is the same. So, for example, if you’re letting your dog out of the crate to potty and as soon as you give your dog permission to exit the crate, he runs right to the back door, you’d recall him to you and instead heel him to the back door. The outcome is the same (you still reach the back door) but in one scenario your dog made the decision to go there, and in the other scenario you guided your dog there. That distinction is important right now!
How do I move my dog around the house?
You can use recall and heel to move your dog around the house. So, for example, if your dog is in place and you want to put her back in her crate, you can stand a few feet from her place and call her to you, then heel her to her crate. If the place and crate are in the same area, you can stand at the crate and recall her to you from her place. Either way, the important thing is that your dog isn’t roaming around at-will. There will be plenty of time for that later, but right now, it’s important that movement happen at your direction. The exception is engaged playtime—make sure you engage with your dog to get the moving and cutting loose during that time!
How do I stop my dog from darting up/down the stairs?
Use your commands and hold your dog accountable! Remember, your dog already knows this stuff, so accountability is totally fair. One option is to heel your dog up/down the stairs. You may need to put the leash on just to give your dog extra guidance if they’re really amped up about the stairs—that’s okay. Practice this a few times a day and you’ll be over the hump quickly. Go nice and slow. The more you practice slow, controlled behavior on the stairs the more your dog will start to default to this pattern without your prompting.
Another option is to put your dog in a down/stay at the top or bottom of the stairs while you walk up/down, then when you’re ready for your dog to join you, recall them to you. This will not teach your dog how to be calm on the stairs, but it will keep everyone out of harms way.
Thresholds
What do I say to get my dog to cross the threshold?
What you say depends on what you want. Do you want your dog to be in the heel position? Then say “heel” and start moving. Do you want your dog to be completely free to do their thing, like on a potty break? Then say “break”.
Does it matter who crosses the threshold first?
Nope! What matters is that your dog crosses only after receiving your permission! Thresholds are a safety measure and also a leadership exercise. It’s not the order that matters, it’s the act of waiting for your permission.