Having a dog brings incredible joy, but without training, it can also be frustrating. Obedience training teaches essential commands that help you maintain control, improve communication, and build a stronger bond with your dog. It also plays an important role in safety—skills like recall can be critical if your dog is heading toward danger. A well-trained dog is more enjoyable to live with and opens the door to doing more together.

Training requires time, consistency, and dedication. While private lessons work well for some, not every owner has the schedule or needs immediate results. Our board-and-train obedience programs offer an effective solution. Your dog stays with us full-time in our climate-controlled boarding facility and works daily with our professional trainers, receiving the repetition and structure needed to build reliable behaviors. We begin by establishing a positive bond and association, then move into focused training.

Our Obedience Programs Include:

Boarding at River Town Retrievers’ climate-controlled facility
Hours of daily training
Daily leashed walks
Playtime
Owner lesson at pick-up

Our trainers are committed to your dog’s overall well-being, prioritizing health and wellness alongside behavior. Every interaction is treated as a training opportunity—from potty breaks to leash work—creating a strong foundation in obedience, focus, control, and environmental neutrality.

When Should My Dog Start?

Formal obedience training is best started when your dog is around five months of age or older. Before this stage, most dogs have not yet developed the attention span or cognitive ability needed to benefit from structured training.

On-Lead Basic Obedience

(1 Month)

While on lead, your dog will learn four foundational obedience commands:

Sit: Remain seated next to you or at a distance until released
Heel: Walk or sit calmly beside you without pulling
Here: Reliable recall when called
Kennel: Go to and remain in a designated place

In addition to these commands, your dog will be taught general manners, including eliminating unwanted behaviors such as jumping on people, play biting, and similar habits.

Off-lead Option

(Additional 1 Month)

For those who choose this option, once your dog has completed On-Lead Basic Obedience, we transition to teaching reliable off-lead command compliance. This additional training time allows us to refine each command, add precision and control, and further address unwanted behaviors while reinforcing overall manners.

So, My Dog Gets Trained…Then What?

One of the most important parts of training a dog is training the owner. Along with working hands-on with your dog, we focus on educating you to ensure a smooth transition from trainer to home. You play the key role in maintaining your dog’s skills and manners, so we make sure you leave with the knowledge, tools, and confidence needed for long-term success. At the end of the program, we schedule a go-home lesson where we walk you through our training methods, role-play real-life scenarios, and teach you how to clearly communicate with and handle your dog.

Obedience training is an ongoing process and does not end when your dog leaves our facility. Consistent practice at home—such as a simple weekly review of commands—helps reinforce and maintain your dog’s skills. If questions or challenges arise, we encourage you to reach out. Our goal is for you to get the most out of your dog’s training, and we are always happy to help!

Take the hassle, confusion, and frustration out of teaching your dog how to live and behave in a human world. Send your dog to stay and learn in the comfort of our climate-controlled facility—we handle the training, then teach you how to maintain it at home.

When Should My Dog Start?

On-Lead Basic Obedience

Off-lead Option

So, My Dog Gets Trained…Then What?

Contact Us Today

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