Study Abroad
board and train program
traction's
Study Abroad program
Study Abroad is our unique board and train program.
Structure
Start with a free phone consultation with our Head Trainer. A free in-person evaluation will be scheduled prior to booking a Study Abroad program. This ensures you and your trainer are on the same page before embarking on your journey together.
After the evaluation, you’ll receive a detailed written goals sheet specifying exactly what your dog will learn during their board and train program and what to expect at pick-up.
On the first day of training, you’ll drop your dog off at your trainer’s home, where they’ll be living and training around the clock. Drop off will be quick and casual for your dog’s benefit.
Most Study Abroad programs are 3 weeks long, although sometimes a shorter or longer program is recommended in the Study Abroad behavior evaluation.
You’ll receive report cards with updates on your dog’s board and train program about every 3 days.
For most programs, we require at least 1 visit per week. This means we may bring your dog home for a visit, have you come visit your dog at their trainer’s home, or you may meet your trainer at a public place to see your dog’s progress around distractions.
This allows us to maintain owner involvement and better develop your communication and relationship with your dog!
For programs with owner visits: You’ll bring your dog home with you after a graduation visit if you feel confident in using the skills you and your dog learned!
If you were out of town during your dog’s program or did not schedule visits, you’ll most likely spend about 3 hours with your trainer at pick-up learning exactly how to use your dog’s new skills and maintain consistency for them. Sometimes this is one long session, and sometimes this is 3 shorter sessions.
You’ll have specific instructions for implementing new behaviors in your home as well as step by step written instructions and oftentimes a library of video tutorials recorded with your dog.
In some programs, you will have up to 3 sessions with your trainer to over-practice the new skills or take field trips to challenging environments together.
Maintain and fine-tune your training on Varsity with monthly training sessions.
When the Study Abroad Program is Best
- Dogs in off leash training
- Parents that want a clean slate for their dog’s behavior
- Dogs with difficult learning styles or quirks that require a big-picture approach to training
- Physically powerful dogs or parents with physical limitations
specialized trainers
Our trainers are specialized to either in-home training or board and train programs. This ensures your trainer will be focused on your dog 24/7 instead of away at in-home training sessions.
Our Study Abroad trainers include:
- Tina Chavez (Colorado)
- KT Tong (Austin)
- Dalton Krisik (Austin)
