Retriever breeder and trainer with kennels outside Chattanooga, TN and in Tupelo, MS, offering obedience and retriever/gun dog training. Obedience training is paid for when the dog is picked up to go home.
Program details are summarized from Timber Creek Retrievers'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.
Timber Creek Retrievers is based in Tupelo, MS. Full details are on their own site at timbercreekretrievers.com. Board and train clients commonly travel from surrounding areas, since the dog stays on site for the length of the program.
Timber Creek Retrievers 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.
Board and train programs at the Tupelo facility (3901 Westgate Dr): Basic (14 days), Enhanced (21 days) and Advanced (28 days), all covering heel, place, down, stay and sit, with higher tiers adding off-leash work; a Refresher option is also offered.
49-day immersive board and train where the dog lives at the Kiln facility learning sit, down, place, heel, recall and off-leash work around real-world distractions; graduates receive free one-on-one tune-up sessions for the life of the dog. Serves the Gulf Coast including Gulfport, Biloxi and Ocean Springs.
Pet academy and resort offering training, boarding, daycare and grooming. Its "Boarding Lessons" program has the owner leave the dog for at least a week, with 3–4 one-on-one sessions of 20–30 minutes a day and an owner handoff lesson at pickup.
Training and boarding facility in Canton offering an obedience Stay and Train course and a Rehab and Train program for behavior problems, run by trainer Kelley.
Board-and-train programs at the Purvis facility: 2-week basic and 6-week advanced obedience, plus 4- and 8-week shed antler hunting programs.
Mississippi Gulf Coast trainer offering 2-week (home and neighborhood walks) and 3-week (all settings) board and train programs.