Board and train carries the highest published price tags of any common training format. Your dog lives at a facility or in a trainer’s home while a professional works with them, and you pay for housing, care, and training time in one bundle. That bundle is exactly why quotes are hard to compare - and why it pays to know what the published sources list before you call anyone.
This guide covers the published weekly frames, real posted package prices for 1, 2, and 3-week programs, what a program should spell out, and the contract terms to read twice.
Pricing note - reviewed August 5, 2026: Every figure on this page is quoted from a named published cost guide or an official retail price list, each opened on August 5, 2026. Franchise figures are location-specific published retail prices posted by individual locations - real prices, but not national averages. Programs differ in scope, and prices vary by market. Confirm the itemized total directly with a trainer.
How Much Does Board and Train Cost?
Three national cost guides publish three different frames. HomeGuide lists a stay at a dog-training facility at $500-$1,250 per week. Rover’s expert-sourced guide lists board and train at $3,000-$4,000 for two weeks. The Sit Means Sit 2026 price guide gives $1,500-$4,500 per program. Thumbtack adds a named-trainer example: a month-long intensive program for an individual dog in the trainer’s home for $3,000.
The spread is not noise. Program length, facility type, and what is bundled - handover lessons, refresher sessions, equipment - all move the total. If you are still weighing whether a residential program fits your situation at all, our board and train overview explains how the format works, and our full cost guide collects the published rates for every training format if you want the cross-format picture first.
Weekly Rates vs 1, 2, and 3-Week Packages
Cost guides publish weekly frames, but facilities sell packages. Franchise price pages show what posted retail actually looks like - with an important caveat. These are prices posted by individual locations, not national averages, and the same brand prices differently by market: Off Leash K9 Gainesville FL lists its 2-week board and train at $2,900, while Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA lists $2,625 with a posted sale price of $2,425.
One-week programs
Both posted one-week programs are scoped to a single goal. Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA posts a 1-week leash manners board and train at $1,300, with a listed sale price of $1,150. For young dogs, Off Leash K9 Gainesville FL posts a 1-week puppy board and train at $850, enrolling puppies aged 8 weeks to 5 months. Against HomeGuide’s $500-$1,250 per week frame, the puppy program lands inside the range and the leash manners program just above it.
Two-week programs
Two weeks is the length both cost guides and both reviewed locations price as the default. Rover’s guide lists $3,000-$4,000 for two weeks. Posted franchise retail sits below that: $2,900 in Gainesville and $2,625 (listed sale $2,425) in Blacksburg/Roanoke. Gainesville also posts a 2-week puppy board and train at $1,700.
Three-week and longer programs
Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA posts a 3-week advanced board and train at $3,500 with a listed sale price of $3,050, a 3-week non-e-collar program at $3,200 (listed sale $2,900), and a 3-week puppy program at $2,600. Note that the same location prices its e-collar-based and non-e-collar 3-week programs differently - the tools a program uses can show up in the price, so ask which approach a quote assumes. For a month-long stay, the closest published anchor is Thumbtack’s named-trainer example at $3,000 for an intensive in-home program. Sit Means Sit’s $1,500-$4,500 per-program range brackets every posted figure above.
Published guide figures
Franchise rows are location-specific posted prices, not national averages.
| Source | Figure | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeGuide | $500-$1,250 | per week | national cost guide |
| Rover blog | $3,000-$4,000 | per 2 weeks | expert-sourced guide |
| Sit Means Sit (2026 price guide) | $1,500-$4,500 | per program | franchise-published guide |
| Off Leash K9 Gainesville FL | $2,900 | per 2-week program | posted franchise price |
| Off Leash K9 Gainesville FL | $850 / $1,700 | per 1-week / 2-week puppy program | ages 8 weeks to 5 months; posted franchise price |
| Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA | $1,300 (listed sale $1,150) | per 1-week leash manners program | posted franchise price |
| Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA | $2,625 (listed sale $2,425) | per 2-week program | posted franchise price |
| Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA | $3,500 (listed sale $3,050) | per 3-week advanced program | posted franchise price |
| Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA | $3,200 (listed sale $2,900) | per 3-week non-e-collar program | posted franchise price |
| Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA | $2,600 | per 3-week puppy program | posted franchise price |
| Thumbtack (trainer rate card) | $3,000 | month-long in-trainer-home intensive | named trainer example |
What a Board and Train Program Includes
Every quote in this category folds the stay, the daily routine, and the professional’s hours into one number. Beyond that, published packages differ widely, so the quote should spell out each line.
- The stay itself. Where does the dog sleep - a kennel facility or the trainer’s home? What does daily care look like?
- Training time. How many sessions per day, how long, and with whom? Get the trainer’s name, not just the company’s.
- Owner handover. Programs end with the dog coming home to you. Ask how many go-home lessons are included and whether they are at the facility or at your house.
- Refresher sessions. Both Off Leash K9 locations reviewed advertise lifetime refresher sessions with their 2-week packages. If a program promises follow-ups, get the terms in writing: how many, how scheduled, what happens if the location changes hands.
- Equipment. If the program trains with specific tools, ask whether they are included in the posted price or billed separately.
One thing no price list can tell you is what a program will accomplish for your particular dog. Keep the pricing conversation and the expectations conversation separate, and get both in writing. Many owners also plan follow-up private work at home after pickup - see in-home training for how that format is structured.
Red Flags in a Board and Train Contract
The contract matters more here than in any other format, because you are paying a large sum upfront and handing over your dog. Read for these before signing.
- No itemized breakdown. Boarding, training, equipment, and handover lessons should each be visible in the total. A single flat number hides what you can negotiate or decline.
- Guarantee language without definitions. If a contract guarantees results, it must define them in writing - what behavior, in what setting, verified how. Marketing superlatives are not contract terms.
- Full payment upfront with no refund schedule. Ask what happens to your money if you cancel, if the program is cut short, or if the facility cannot deliver the stay.
- No named trainer. You should know who works with your dog day to day, and what happens if that person leaves mid-program.
- No update or visit policy. How often will you hear from the facility, and can you check in? Silence for weeks should be a choice you made, not a surprise.
- Countdown pricing pressure. Posted sale prices are common on franchise pages - $2,625 listed with a $2,425 sale price at review, for example. A discount deadline is not a reason to skip reading the contract.
- Vague daily schedule. A facility that cannot describe a typical day in writing is asking you to buy a bundle without a packing list.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does board and train cost per week?
HomeGuide frames it at $500-$1,250 per week. Posted one-week retail examples: Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA lists a 1-week leash manners program at $1,300 (listed sale $1,150), and Off Leash K9 Gainesville FL lists a 1-week puppy program at $850.
Why do two locations of the same company charge different prices?
Franchise price pages are published retail set by each individual location, not corporate national pricing. At review, Off Leash K9 Gainesville FL posted $2,900 for its 2-week board and train while Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA posted $2,625 with a $2,425 sale price. Local labor, facilities, and demand set the number - which is why quotes from trainers in your own market beat any national figure.
Are puppy board and train programs priced differently?
At the locations reviewed, yes - posted puppy program prices sit below the standard programs. Off Leash K9 Gainesville FL lists puppy board and train at $850 for 1 week and $1,700 for 2 weeks, for puppies aged 8 weeks to 5 months, versus $2,900 for its standard 2-week program. Off Leash K9 Blacksburg/Roanoke VA lists a 3-week puppy program at $2,600.
What should I get in writing before paying?
The itemized total, the number and length of training sessions, the number of owner handover lessons, the refund schedule, refresher session terms, and the name of the trainer responsible for your dog. Then compare at least two or three programs side by side - our listings cover board and train providers nationwide, including city pages like Atlanta.
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