Boarding and daycare with training
Dog boarding with training. Built around your dog.
Dedicated one on one work built around what your dog needs, then adjusted as it responds. Day training means coming home each night; board and train includes an overnight stay. The evaluation helps choose the work and format.
Two ways to run it
Home each night, or stay with us
Daycare with training
The same day, plus focused work on a plan built around your dog.
From $110per day
Pickup and drop off included.
Boarding with training
A stay built around one training plan, adjusted as your dog responds.
From $200per night
Pickup and drop off included.
Choose the overnight arrangement and the training goal together. Day training keeps your dog home each night. A training stay combines the work with overnight care. Staying longer does not automatically mean a higher training level; the evaluation decides what individual work your dog needs.
Compare the whole training quote
A board and train cost starts with the published starting nightly rate and number of nights; day training uses the daily rate and number of days. Compare that starting total, the work included and any separately agreed follow-up. Our published starting rates include pickup and drop off. The plan can change as your dog responds, so agree how any change affects the work and price before choosing.
Use the board and train cost worksheetBuilt around the dog in front of us
The evaluation starts the plan. It does not lock it.
Dogs do not improve on a fixed schedule. We start with what the evaluation shows us, then change the work as your dog responds.
The goal is not to finish a checklist. It is to make the change hold when your dog comes home. That means teaching you what changed and what to keep doing, not only working with the dog while it is here.
A skill can depend on where it was learned. For example, waiting at a farm doorway does not mean your dog will understand the same request at your front door. You need to know the cues and how to keep practising in your own setting. AKC trainer Stephanie Gibeault explains why owner follow-through matters after board and train.
At handover, ask what changed, what you should practise and what to do if the skill is harder at home. Michael shows you what to keep doing. Extra help at home can be added after the main program if useful; a home follow-up visit is not included automatically.
What the evaluation decides“This was a very personalized, no pressure to buy more training, supportive experience.”
Bringing your dog home
What to record at your board and train handover.
Make one record for each agreed goal before bringing your dog home. A demonstration shows what happened there; it does not give you every instruction for home. Write down what you were told, what you understand and what you still need to ask. Use this record with your trainer rather than filling gaps from memory.
- Agreed goal
- Write down the goal you and the trainer agreed to work on. Keep a separate record for each goal.
- Exact instruction or cue
- Record the instruction as given, including the exact cue if one was provided. Mark anything you did not capture as missing.
- Setting and handler shown
- Note where the demonstration took place and who was handling your dog. Keep what you saw separate from instructions for home.
- What you understand
- Write what you can explain in your own words and what remains unclear. Ask to go through unclear parts with the trainer, including your own handling where relevant.
- What differs at home
- Note a relevant difference between the demonstration and your home that you need to discuss.
- Question still to ask
- Turn the missing or unclear part into one specific question. Leave the answer blank until you have it.
- Contact and follow-up terms
- Record any separately agreed contact, what help it covers and any terms. If none are agreed, write that down too.
Spot the missing instruction: a hypothetical settling record
This is a made-up example, not a Raja dog or training result.
- Agreed goal
- Indoor settling.
- Exact instruction or cue
- Missing. I did not record the exact cue or enough of the instruction to explain what to do.
- Setting and handler shown
- The trainer showed the dog settling indoors at the training property.
- What you understand
- I can describe what I saw, but I cannot explain the instructions I should follow. I have not gone through that gap with the trainer yet.
- What differs at home
- My living room opens into the kitchen. I did not ask how that setting affects the instructions.
- Question still to ask
- What exact cue and instructions should I follow for indoor settling in my living room, and can we go through them together?
- Contact and follow-up terms
- No follow-up contact, scope or terms agreed yet.
Here, the missing instruction changes the question. Instead of asking only whether the dog can settle at home, the owner needs the exact instructions and a chance to go through them. The record stays incomplete until that question is answered.
What gets worked on
Foundational skills, or one specific problem
The evaluation decides which. Most general work is Foundational. Anything with a named problem behind it is Specialized.
Foundational
One-on-one sessions on top of the day.
Recall, loose leash walking, sit, down, stay, place, waiting at doors, and greeting people without jumping. Then we take each skill somewhere new, because a dog that only listens in our yard has not really learned it.
Specialized
Built around one thing you name.
Leash reactivity, fear of people or dogs, barrier frustration, separation problems, off-leash reliability, or a goal like agility or sport work. More time on that one thing, and time spent showing you how to hold it at home.
From training clients
What they say
“We brought our rescue dog Otto home at 5 months old—he was extremely timid, anxious, had never been on a leash, and would bark at every person and dog. Michael didn't just train our dog—he trained us to be the kind of owners our dog needed. With incredible patience, he guided us through everything from leash walking and socialization to crate and house training, and was always there when we needed help, no matter the time. The transformation has been unbelievable—Otto is now more confident, calm, and happy. Michael truly cares and treats him like his own, and Otto absolutely adores him like a 2nd parent. We only trust Michael for boarding because he always comes back better, never with bad habits like elsewhere. If your dog has anxiety or behavioral challenges, I can't recommend him enough—he truly has a gift.”
“Michael and RAJA K9 have been a huge help with my golden retriever puppy. She came to me with resource guarding issues, and they worked to eliminate those. They also gave me techniques to use should they crop up again. She is a new dog thanks to RAJA K9! Also my puppy has been going to doggie day care with them and it has been a huge help to me. I would recommend RAJA K9 to anyone.”
“Michael and crew at RajaK9 have been so helpful to our dog and family. We have a large dog that grew more and more reactive and territorial as he grew into adulthood. Michael and his team spent a week boarding and training our dog to wear a muzzle and respond less aggressively to stranger dogs and people. Then Michael trained us how to better guide our dog's behavior and has provided tuneups ever since. We now board our dog with Raja when we travel and send him for daycare 2 days per week. Having a reactive dog is a journey - we're so happy to have RajaK9 to guide us.”
Questions
About training stays
- Is the starting rate a quote for the whole program?
- No. A daily or nightly starting rate is not a total program price. The evaluation sets the starting work and helps decide day training or an overnight stay. Ask for the rate and proposed length for your dog before choosing; the plan can change as the work progresses.
- What is the difference between the two?
- Daycare with training means your dog comes home each night. Boarding with training means it stays, so the plan runs across the whole day and the evening too.
- How much does it cost?
- Daycare with training from $110 a day. Boarding with training from $200 a night. Both include pickup and drop off.
- How is the program built?
- The evaluation gives us the starting point. From there, the work changes with the dog rather than following a fixed package or schedule.
- Does the training hold once my dog is home?
- You are taught what changed and what to keep doing at home. If more help in the home would be useful after the main program, that can be added separately.
- How long does a board and train take?
- It depends entirely on the dog and the problem. We give you a realistic answer after the evaluation.
- Which training level applies?
- Foundational for general skills, Specialized when there is one specific problem to solve. The evaluation tells us which.
Everything starts with an evaluation. Here is what that involves.
Start with the evaluation.
An hour with your dog, in your home or at the farm. You will know what it needs and whether we are the right people to do it.
$125 at your home, $50 at the farm. Your full evaluation payment is credited toward your first purchase.