In Board Training of 2 or 4 weeks in which the dog stays at the trainer's facility and home, including obedience training, one-on-one owner sessions, a year of group training and unlimited support; dogs must be at least 6 months old.
Program details are summarized from Epoch Canine Training Solutions's own website. Confirm current pricing, program length, and availability directly with the trainer before booking — and see what to check before you hand over your dog.
Epoch Canine Training Solutions is based in Spearfish, SD. Full details are on their own site at epochcanine.com/collections/services-training/products/epoch-dog-training. Board and train clients commonly travel from surrounding areas, since the dog stays on site for the length of the program.
Published pricing for Epoch Canine Training Solutions is $2,400.00 for 2 weeks; $4,500.00 for 4 weeks. Confirm directly with the trainer — program length, your dog's needs, and what's included (equipment, follow-up lessons) all change the final quote.
Two weeks is the common minimum for meaningful obedience results, and three to four weeks is typical for off-leash reliability. Serious behavior cases — aggression, severe reactivity, resource guarding — generally need four to six weeks or more, and many trainers set a minimum stay for those. Programs shorter than a week are usually best understood as a jump-start or a refresher, not a transformation.
It works when the handoff works. A good trainer can reliably teach your dog new skills in a few weeks, but dogs do not generalize automatically — the results hold only if you learn to maintain them. This is why the go-home lesson and follow-up support matter more than almost anything else in the program. Ask specifically how many follow-up sessions are included and what happens if the behavior returns two months later.
Ask: How many dogs are in your care at once, and who handles my dog? What training methods and equipment do you use, and what happens if my dog does not respond? Where does my dog sleep? Can I visit the facility before booking? How many follow-up lessons are included? What updates will I get during the stay? Vague answers to any of these — especially about methods and supervision — are a reason to keep looking.
Reputable programs are, but the industry is largely unregulated, so due diligence is on you. Visit in person before you book. Ask to see where dogs sleep and exercise, confirm the trainer carries insurance, ask about staff-to-dog ratios and overnight supervision, and check that they have a working relationship with a local vet. Be cautious of any trainer who will not let you see the facility, or who guarantees a specific outcome on a fixed timeline.
Black Hills trainer (also Billabong Border Collies) offering a one-month obedience board and train in a facility attached to the trainer's home. Also offers stockdog and show-dog board and train.
German Shorthair kennel and pheasant preserve where owners can leave their dog for boarding and training toward set goals. Training covers obedience, birds and gunfire, e-collar and force-breaking.
Retriever and pointing-Lab trainer for hunting and AKC/APLA hunt tests. Each dog has its own kennel space in a climate-controlled facility, and the monthly fee includes training, boarding and food.
Training Retreat board-and-train where the dog stays at the lodge full-time for 3-6 weeks with daily training sessions.
Basic obedience program is a 4-week stay at the training facility, with each dog in its own indoor/outdoor run on 150 acres; owners join sessions after week two. Also a retriever/upland gun dog trainer.
Stay and Train program in which the dog boards at Dog Days in Sioux Falls while training with the CPDT-KA trainer during the day; intended for obedience work only, not behavioral issues.