Love the idea of a board-and-train, but want to get your young puppy off to the right start with in-home lessons? Then the Whole Enchilada is for you!
While this is our most popular program for puppy owners, it is a perfect fit for dogs of all ages! This package is great for those who want to ensure the highest quality of training and longest lasting results. Learn the basics of dog training and establish a solid foundation through 5 in-home pre-immersion lessons and allow us to refine your dog’s advanced obedience through an intensive three-week board-and-train.
During the immersion portion of training, your dog will come to live with one of our trainers for 3 weeks (Monday to Friday). To ensure long term success, we include a go-home lesson each week as well as two follow up lessons to fine tune and troubleshoot if needed!
While the advanced portion of this package is more hands-off, we will still ensure that you have the knowledge and handling practice necessary to hold your dog accountable after they complete training. This package includes a training manual that will serve as a reference between meetings with your trainer and help you maintain your dog’s training!
Over the course of the 5 pre-immersion lessons and 3 week board-and-train, your dog will learn basic and advanced obedience, both on and off leash (e-collar included!). Among other things, we will teach your dog to walk nicely on and off-leash, recall consistently regardless of distractions, behave calmly in your home, focus and engage with you, interact politely with people, respect doors and thresholds, navigate the world with confidence, stop unwanted behaviors and more!
As we progress through training, we’ll move from quiet, calm environments to busier, more distracting environments. We will proof your dog’s training in environments such as dog-friendly stores, busy parks, hiking trails, parking lots, etc. Before beginning training, we’ll discuss with you the types of environments that you envision spending time with your dog and then we will train specifically for these environments! Want to hike with your dog? We’ll take them on a hike! Want to hang at a brewery with them? We’ll do a training session at a brewery! Want to improve their comfort level at the vet? We can do a training session in the lobby!
While we do have a planned curriculum of behaviors and life skills that we believe every dog should know, this package is highly customizable based on individual needs. If there are behavioral issues you want us to work on, problem areas you want us to dedicate more time to, tricks you want us to teach your dog, etc., just let your trainer know!
*Please note - we require that dogs are 6 months of age or older prior to starting the immersion portion of the Whole Enchilada. We want to ensure that they are mature enough to be held to a high standard before completing advanced training.
INCLUDED COMMANDS WE BELIEVE EVERY DOG SHOULD KNOW:
- NAME RECOGNITION – look to you for direction when name is given
- HERE – recall to handler
- SIT – sit and remain in position until released, automatic sits at heel position
- DOWN – down and remain in position until released
- PLACE – go to a specific boundary and remain until released (bed, crate, etc.)
- HEEL – walk on left side, nose to knee, auto sit when handler stops walking
- SWITCH – switch from left side to right when heeling
- LET’S GO – follow along, less structured loose leash walk
- WATCH – make eye contact with handler
- TOUCH – two paws on object, i.e. a rubber feed bowl
- OUT – drop a toy
INCLUDED MARKERS WE BELIEVE EVERY DOG SHOULD KNOW:
- KEEN/CLICK – terminal marker / release word for food reward direct from handler; builds drive, enthusiasm and engagement
- GET IT – terminal marker / release word for toy reward or food reward delivered indirectly by handler (tossed out)
- YES – terminal marker / release word for toy reward direct from handler (optional)
- FREE – terminal marker / release word with no reward (freedom is the reward)
- GOOD – duration marker; let’s your dog know you like what they are doing and to keep doing that behavior; food, affection, or praise reward
- NICE – duration marker; let’s your dog know you like what they are doing and to keep doing that behavior; no reward (optional)
- EH-EH – lets your dog know that they are on the wrong track
- NO – stop unwanted behaviors
EXAMPLES OF PROBLEM BEHAVIORS THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED WITH THIS PACKAGE:
- Pulling on leash
- Not coming when called
- Excessive barking
- Whining or barking in crate
- Jumping on people or furniture
- Counter surfing
- Mouthing or play biting
- Chasing cats or prey
- Destructive chewing
- Marking in the home or on walks
- Not following through on commands when distracted
- Resource guarding*
- Leash or barrier reactivity*
- Aggression towards people or other dogs*
*Please schedule a virtual consultation prior to booking to discuss severity of behavior and schedule an in-person assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What areas does KeenDog serve?
- We primarily serve the Charlotte, NC / Fort Mill, SC area. Surrounding communities we serve include Pineville, Matthews, Monroe, Huntersville, Concord, Indian Land, Tega Cay, Rock Hill and more. If you are not local to the Carolinas, we still have options for you! We have trained dogs from as far as Canada and Europe. Check out our Out-of-State Dogs page for options that may be a good fit for you!
When are pre-immersion lessons available and how are they booked?
- We typically have lessons available Tuesday - Saturday. Our trainers each keep individual hours, but generally we have lessons available from 9am to 7pm. Lessons are booked through our scheduling platform, Booksy. Pre-immersion lessons are booked as “In-Home Lessons.”
Will I work with multiple trainers or just one?
- When you sign up for the Whole Enchilada, a trainer will be assigned for the immersion portion of training. We recommend scheduling your pre-immersion lessons with this same trainer, but it’s up to you who you book your lessons with! If you choose to work with multiple trainers, we will do our best on the back end to communicate any individual needs and priorities, what has been covered already, etc.
How does scheduling work for the immersion portion of the Whole Enchilada?
- When you sign up for the Whole Enchilada, we will review our availability and present dates to you that work well on our end. If these dates are satisfactory, we will finalize them. If they don’t work for you, or if you’d like to plan around a scheduled vacation, we will work together to find dates that work well for everyone. If you’d like to discuss availability prior to signing up, please email our scheduler to discuss.
How are trainers assigned?
- Trainers are assigned based on a number of factors including availability, behavioral expertise, breed experience, and client preference. If you are hoping to work with a particular trainer, please let us know when you sign up.
Is a hybrid in-home lesson / board-and-train program the right fit for my dog?
- This program offers the best of both worlds - hands-on in-home lessons to jumpstart training, and a 3-week board-and-train to refine and advance training to the next level. This program is a great fit for dogs of all ages, but it is particularly popular with clients who are starting training with young puppies.
Why do you send dogs home on the weekend?
- Most board and train programs are 3 weeks straight through with only one go-home lesson at the end. In one short lesson, you are expected to learn everything your dog learned in 3 weeks. That is crazy to us! You are much more likely to experience life-long results if you have ample time to learn and practice the concepts we taught your dog during their time with us. During the immersion portion of training, when you come to pick up your dog at the end of each week, we’ll do a one-hour go-home lesson going over everything they learned that week. We will send you home with things to practice over the weekend and, at drop off the following week, we’ll debrief on how the weekend went. These checkpoints provide an opportunity for you to ask questions as well as reveal any areas that we need to revisit or troubleshoot during the next week of training.
What is the purpose of follow up lessons?
- Follow up lessons are for refining, perfecting, challenging your dog, and answering questions. We typically recommend scheduling your first follow up for a week or two after the immersion portion of training concludes, and then you second follow up a few weeks after that. We want you to apply all that you’ve learned in your home environment and everyday life, and then let us know if you’re having trouble with anything. At your follow up lessons we’ll review and troubleshoot, and make sure you leave feeling confident. If you need additional support, we recommend attending our group classes which are included in this package.
What training methods are used?
- We take a modern, balanced approach to training. We do not use a one size fits all approach; we train the dog in front of us, utilizing all four quadrants of operant conditioning.
Why must my dog be 6 months of age or older to participate in the immersion portion of the Whole Enchilada?
- Board-and-train programs, take an expedited approach to training. We progress very quickly from basic to advanced obedience and we want to make sure that dogs are old enough to understand actions and consequences. All dogs mature at different rates, we find that most dogs are mature enough at 6 months of age to begin e-collar conditioning which is an important aspect of the immersion portion of the Whole Enchilada program.
Is an e-collar included with this package?
- Yes! The Whole Enchilada package includes a professional grade e-collar from E-Collar Technologies. Not familiar with e-collars or how they’re used in training? Schedule a virtual consultation and we’d be happy to talk you through our beliefs on e-collars, the conditioning process, and our training methodology.
Is a training manual included with this package?
- Yes! The training manual is a comprehensive reference PDF that covers everything taught in lessons.
Is KeenDog boarding included with this package?
- Yes! Access to boarding with our KeenDog trainers is included with this package (additional fees apply).
Are KeenDog group classes included with this package?
Do you offer discounts for completing training with multiple dogs?
- Yes! We offer a $500 discount for the second dog if you are signing up two at once. If you would like to complete training with more than two dogs, please reach out before signing up!
Not sure which package is right for you and your dog? Schedule a virtual consultation with one of our trainers. They’ll be happy to discuss your needs and point you in the right direction!