Bonny's Dog Boot Camp

Do you have a busy schedule? Is your puppy or new dog home alone most of the day? Are you struggling to train a new dog or pup? Then, we have a simple solution: send your dog to boot camp!

In just 14 days, your dog will learn the gamut of obedience skills, including necessary “people skills” to live in harmony with their new pack. When the two weeks are up, we include four “human training classes,” where we teach you to work with your dog to learn their new commands, gestures, and skills.

Please note that your puppy has to be 6 months old.

Schedule Appointment

Why Choose Board and Train for your dog or puppy?

Dogs need calm, consistent repetition to learn the obedience skills necessary to live well with their new family. This includes the same basic commands we teach in such as:

Sit
Come
Stay
Lay down
Down (no jumping on people, furniture, etc.)
Heel

First-class puppy training also requires potty training, walking without pulling on a leash, and meeting new people and other dogs without aggression. We also teach other obedience skills designed to teach household’s rules and boundaries. Examples include staying out of the kitchen or other off-limits areas in the home, not jumping on or laying on furniture unless allowed, ringing a bell to be let outside, commands to get in/out of the car, and more.

Get rid of the annoying habits

In addition to teaching dogs what they need to learn, we also get rid of the annoying habits that make everyone’s life miserable. This means:

No excessive barking

No chewing or destruction of household fixtures, furnishings, and other items

No aggressive biting, growling, or other behavior

No urinating or defecating in the home

To achieve this level of obedience, canines need to encounter the same commands repeatedly, receiving positive reinforcement whenever they do things correctly. Boot camp accomplishes all of the above in just two short weeks (14 days).

What’s the secret ingredient? The constant and solid presence of an experienced dog trainer and handler, 24/7. At Alternative Canine Training boot camps, dogs are integrated into the home - with humans and other dogs - just as they would be at home or in a “natural pack” setting. We board and train several dogs at a time, but all are a part of our home (there’s no such thing as being stuck in kennels here!).

With this level of consistency, day and night, your dog gets the ultimate dog boot camp experience.

Is it safe to send your dog away for training?

It is only safe to send your dog away for training if the program is reputable, credentialed, and you can visit and assess the setting and trainers in person. Alternative Canine Training’s (ACT) boot camp dogs are trained by Bonny Wainz and her fellow trainers, who bring clients and their dogs more than 35 years of experience. Bonny is a certified Dog Trainer as well as several other credentials, through IACP (International association of canine professionals). Bonny only hires dog trainers with similar levels of training, expertise, and a passion for dogs and their owners.

What’s Different About A.C.T’s Boot Camps & Training Techniques?

Our secret is the dog must be trained in the environment where they live: in your living room, kitchen, family room, etc. Also, the dog must respect YOU and not just the trainer. That is why we combine working in our home and then working privately with you in your home. Who else can offer this to you? Most dog and puppy bootcamp programs fail because the dog is kept in a crate or kennel and trained only two times per day for 10 to 15 minutes. Afterward, the owner must learn the training techniques. That is not the case here. There’s no “facility” or cement building with chain-link fences. In our unparalleled program, your boot camp dogs come to live in our home as a member of the family. By the time we’re done training, your dog will:

Sleep in our bedroom

Live in our living room

Travel with us all around town, helping us train other unruly dogs

Receive the best canine training, 24-7

End the course with 4 follow-up lessons with you, which can be used any time throughout your dog's life

The trainer teaches the dog everything they would learn in the Gold Program in two short weeks while also addressing any reported behavior problems.

Will I see an instant change in my dog's behavior after training?

You will absolutely see an instant change in your dog’s obedience and training responses - on one condition: That you do your human training as well. Canine board and training skills are only as good as the “trainer’s” consistency and follow-through. That’s one of the reasons we recommend using at least one or two of your four complimentary follow-up sessions soon after your pup returns home from boot camp. It gives us a chance to work together to ensure you’re maintaining the program and that your pup honors your role as “leader of the pack.” And, to answer one of the most popular questions we get: Yes, your dog will be walking off-leash when he or she returns to your home from the board and train experience. That said, always observe public guidelines around dog leashing to protect the safety of your dog as well as the safety of others. Contact Alternative Canine Training, (734) 462-2810, to learn more about our upcoming doggy boot camp enrollment opportunities. We love seeing dogs and their owners living happy, joyful, and peaceful lives together, and we can’t make that your reality, too.

Don’t Want to Commit to a Dog Training Boot Camp Yet?

While boot camp is the fastest and most efficient way to teach your dogs what they need to learn, there are other ways to get the dog training you need from the comfort of your own home:

Online dog classes
Group class puppy training and dog training options
Private training sessions via in-home lessons

Give us a call at (734) 462-2810 or schedule an appointment online to learn more about all of the dog training classes available to you and your furry canine companion. We’re also happy to put you in touch with recent referrals, many of whom have left us glowing testimonials.