In-Home vs Board & Train Dog Training Services: Which Is Best for Your LA Dog?

People ask this all the time: “Should we do in-home or Board & Train?”

There isn’t a universal right answer. There’s only the right answer for your dog and your capacity.

Here’s how I think about it.

In-Home Training

Best suited for:

• dogs whose main issues show up in the home

• owners who want to be very hands-on

• situations where changing daily life is a big part of the solution

In-home work is about seeing the real picture: how your dog moves through your space, how people interact with them, and what the day actually looks like.

We then use that reality as the material for training. It’s slower than shipping the dog out, but it builds your skills at the same time, which matters a lot for long-term success.

Board & Train

Best suited for:

• dogs who are overwhelmed in their current setup

• more serious behavior cases

• situations where the home environment is working against the dog

• owners who don’t have the bandwidth to do heavy daily reps right now

Board & Train gives the dog a clean slate for a bit — clear structure, consistent handling, and fewer variables. That makes it possible to change habits faster.

But it’s not a magic box. The work isn’t “done” when the dog comes home; it just means you’re starting from a much better baseline.

How to Decide

This isn’t something you should decide from a menu on a website. It should come out of an evaluation that considers:

• your dog’s actual temperament

• the level of behavior you’re seeing

• your schedule

• your household

• your tolerance for doing the work vs outsourcing parts of it

Sometimes the right answer is in-home only. Sometimes it’s Board & Train followed by in-home. Sometimes it’s a hybrid.

That’s exactly what a consult is for.

Book your consultation at Dog Nerd LA and let’s build your puppy’s future — together.