The Basics on Dog Boot Camp Programs

If you want your four-legged friend to learn new skills, enrolling in a dog boot camp in Portland can be an effective approach.

Also called dog board-and-train programs or immersion training, boot camps are designed for pet owners who lack the time and patience for dog training. Some professional trainers – including the team at Blackwood Canine – also offer camp programs for dogs who need help resolving behavioral issues. 

How Dog Boot Camp Training Works

 With a board-and-train program, your dog will stay with professional trainers for a period of time – typically between four and ten weeks. Immersion training is highly customized, and after learning about your specific needs and goals, the trainers will create a plan to achieve results.

While at boot camp, your dog will take part in multiple training sessions throughout each day. There’s plenty of downtime, too, and your pooch will have opportunities to catch naps, go for walks and participate in supervised group play.

To ensure that the lessons learned during the boot camp program aren’t forgotten at home, many professional dog trainers in the Portland area include private follow-up lessons. Take advantage of these, and you’ll learn how to work with your dog to maintain and enhance their training.

What Dogs Learn at Boot Camp

As we mentioned, Portland dog board-and-train programs are customized, so the skills and behaviors the professional trainers work on will depend on your unique needs and overall goals. During immersion training, your dog may learn:

·       Basic commands, such as sit, stay, come and down

·       General in-home manners, including how to act when guests arrive

·       Crate training, potty training and housebreaking

·       Loose leash walking without pulling, even with distractions

·       Proper socialization and dog-to-dog interaction

Professional trainers can also focus on behavior modification to bring bad habits to an end. A board-and-train program can be effective in stopping your pooch from:

• Running out the door

• Jumping up on people

• Barking at every sound

• Grabbing food from the table

• Resource guarding

• Nipping and biting

Immersion training can help with other behavioral challenges as well, including fear issues, separation anxiety, and aggression. You can also find Portland board-and-train programs that offer specialty training for agility, competition, and therapy work.

What to Bring to Dog Boot Camp

When you enroll your pooch in boot camp, the professional trainers will let you know what to bring. Don’t expect a long list, however, as most board-and-train facilities have just about everything your dog will need during their time away from home.

You may be asked to send food for your furry family member, as a sudden change in diet can be stressful. You might also want to bring a favorite toy or, perhaps, a worn blanket or t-shirt to provide a familiar scent and help your dog feel at home.

Other than that, you’ll need to make sure that your dog is wearing a collar with an I.D. tag and, preferably, a microchip that holds your current contact information. The professional trainer will also want your veterinarian’s information. These are simply precautions, like those you would take if you were leaving your child with a babysitter.

What to Expect When Your Dog Comes Home

Many pet owners are worried about the transition between the board-and-train facility and home. When a dog returns from boot camp, they need to understand that their new skills must apply at home, too – and there’s a concern that this won’t happen.

Fortunately, professional dog trainers recognize this, and most will provide you with the advice and guidance you need to get your pooch to listen to your commands. Your trainer should also let you know how to motivate and reward your four-legged friend in different situations.

If the trainers you choose use positive reinforcement to promote proper behavior, your dog should be eager to respond to your commands at home. And if you experience any issues, your professional dog trainer can address them during your private follow-up lessons.

How to Choose the Right Dog Boot Camp Program

People often assume that anyone who runs a dog boot camp has met the industry requirements – but the problem is, the industry is completely unregulated. As a result, choosing the right board-and-train program can be a challenge.

To make the best decision for your beloved pet, look for a professional trainer who has made a point of seeking out certifications, apprenticeships and continuing education. These types of qualifications show dedication to the profession, an important trait in a dog trainer.

You’ll also want to consider the dog trainer’s approach, as professionals who employ a balanced approach – with positive reinforcement and clear communication – are more successful in changing behavior. Look for a boot camp where your dog can have fun while they learn, and you can achieve your training goals.

Looking for a Quality Dog Boot Camp in Portland?

Positive reinforcement and reward-based training techniques result in happy, well-behaved dogs – and if you choose our Portland dog boot camp, you can count on the professional trainers at Blackwood Canine to use these methods in teaching your pooch.

Along with immersion training, we offer a puppy jump-start program and private lessons – either at your home or our state-of-the-art facility in Scappoose. We work with tail-waggers of all breeds and ages, and we’re proud to be the preferred trainers of local veterinarians, shelters, breeders and rescues. For more information on the Blackwood Canine team, or to discuss the benefits of enrolling in our dog boot camp in Portland, Oregon, contact us online or give us a call today.

Malinois, True Talk.

This is one of those touchy subjects where a small percentage of folks respond with, “AMEN!” While another group of folks respond with, “she’s just being elitest and on a soap box about her breed.”

I have belgian malinois. They are one of my favorite breeds, but I struggle to say that they are MY breed. I have a lot of dogs, and they are all special to me for different reasons. The pit bull was my first entry into studying dog behavior, they will always have a spot in my heart. My chihuahua taught me to appreciate patience and tolerance while training, and also how to be an efficient big spoon. My english bulldog and petit brabancon constantly remind me to laugh, to not take dog training so seriously. My little mutt, Kevin Bacon (RIP) who had touched so many hearts in ways that were totally inexplicable.

And then there are my mals. My maligators. My little raptors. My punishers and teachers and my hearts. The type of dog that requires you to be a little masochistic. The kind of dog that challenges you to be honest, to be fair. They are wonderful, and like everything else in the world, they were not meant for all. They are a whole ass lifestyle.

When my first malinois entered my life as a 2 year old rescue, most people didn’t know what a malinois was. We’d walk down the street in 2010 and everyone would ask me, “do you know what your pretty shepherd is mixed with?” Fast forward to 2021, walking my malinois around town and the comments now range from, “gorgeous mal!” to “looks like my friends malinois!”

So why are folks upset that the malinois are getting more popular? Because this is not an easy breed by nature. You can’t be prepared with reading. You can’t compare their energy to the german shepherds you’ve had. A job for them goes beyond daily long walks, weekend hikes, or just left alone to guard the yard. They will eat your belongings and snap at you if you try to take it back. They will jump on your guests and put their arms in their mouth. They will snatch at your clothing and tug you with a death grip. That’s all typical mal! And the difficult ones can come with a natural defense that can translate to people and animal aggression, and with a very strong focus and bite that can be dangerous if you don’t have the ability to redirect. These dogs need solid training from the get go, and that typically means more than just a puppy class at your local pet store. When these dogs go undersocialized, untrained, frustrated and pent up, they can be a dangerous breed. What does this mean, in simple terms? It means that your natural guard dog is going to decide who the good and bad guys are on his own. That means your elderly mother who visits every now and then, might be an intruder according to your malinois. This means that your nice neighbor, just checking in on the house is a potential ax murderer. It means your college buddy who’s a little loud and boistrous is an excellent bad guy to bite.

People see me walking mine and see how well behaved they are in public and perhaps assume they fell out of their mothers wombs like that. My dogs are a result of literal (yes, literally), years of blood, sweat, and tears. I worked hard for my dogs to be the way they are. The ones I have raised from a puppy, I had individual goals and realistic expectations mapped out from the beginning. Everything I did with them was a step towards those goals.

They demand respect, not love. They want structure, not luxuries. The internet isn’t lying, when they say these are among the smartest of smart dog breeds. The problem in having a dog like this, is that while your malinois will learn sit and down and shake, faster than any other dog you’ve had, they will also outsmart you, manipulate you, pick up bad behaviors, faster than you catch on. They are fast, and you must be faster. This means very little downtime, and always having eyes at the back of your head, and help of professional trainers who have experience with malinois, as well.

So what are you to do after you’ve found yourself totally obsessed with this breed? Don’t just read about them, go meet some. Contact a local club or training group and ask if you can hang out. Ask real people, real questions. Don’t just look at the dog in training mode, look at the dog when it’s “off duty.” Ask the owners about their battle wounds. Scars, bruises, cuts, scratches. They’re there. Ask about the collateral damage. Not just chewed shoes – chewed whole metal dog crates, dry wall, car interiors. No one is posting the bad stuff on their insta pages. But it’s there. Still a masochist, are you? Now go find a trainer first. If you’re in Portland and surrounding areas, I frequently invite those that are curious to come meet some of my malinois. Schedule a private lesson with me, or another malinois owning trainer in your area, to really get to know what goes into training a malinois. See what it takes to get these animals (yes – they are animals before they are dogs, before they are our pets) to the point of control and reliability.

If this has deterred you from getting a malinois – thank you for being honest with yourself! There are so, so many more dog breeds out there that are equally gorgeous, smart, and perhaps much better suited for you, your family and your lifestyle!

If this has not deterred you and you’re still interested or already have one – welcome to the club! We love these beasts and would never trade them for anything less, and that love encompasses even their worse, our hardest moments and our blackest malinois caused bruises.

Looking for dog trainers with Malinois experience? Obviously, if you’re in the Portland, OR area, we’re available.

If you’re in the Denver, CO area - we love Synergetic Canine. Our Los Angelenos should hit up iWorkDogs. My Malinois lovers in San Diego can call Howlcraft K9.

Keep watching this list, we’ll continue to add to it! In the meantime, The Driven Dog also offers virtual training.

Content written by Karin at So Fetch Consulting.