Board and Train with a minimum two-week stay at the WI-16 facility, customized after an initial consultation at drop-off. Includes a minimum of two follow-up training sessions after the dog goes home.
Program details are summarized from Family Dog Center'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.
Family Dog Center is based in La Crosse, WI. Full details are on their own site at familydogcenter.com/training-fitness. Board and train clients commonly travel from surrounding areas, since the dog stays on site for the length of the program.
Family Dog Center does not publish pricing, which is normal for board and train — most trainers quote after an evaluation. Board and train programs generally run $1,500–$6,000 depending on length and intensity. Request a quote to get their number.
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.
Runs a 3-week board and train (3 full weeks including overnights) at its facility, covering basic obedience and behavior modification, with homework videos shared with owners.
In-home board and train at $750 a week with a three-week minimum, taking only one dog at a time, with the dog living in the trainer's home rather than a kennel. A separate four-week Finishing School at $1,000 a week is for CGC-ready dogs working toward advanced public and real-world reliability.
Customized two or three week board and train where the dog stays with the trainers at their west central Wisconsin facility and is trained daily. Home pick-up and delivery is offered in the greater La Crosse, WI and Rochester, MN areas.
Stay & Train is an immersive program where the dog lives, trains and plays at the facility, with daily walks, enrichment and individualized training sessions toward specific behavior goals. Two-week minimum.
Madison-area trainer offering private lessons, day training, boarding, and 2-, 3-, and 4-week board and train programs, including an off-leash program and longer programs for severe behavior issues.
Sun Prairie trainer offering 1-, 2- and 3-week Board & Train programs (Foundation, Reliability, Advanced/Behavior), plus day training and structured training walks.