Enjoy a dog you can take anywhere with confidence!

Our immersive Board & Train program provides the structure, consistency, and real-world practice your dog needs to build lasting obedience and better behavior.

Wondering if Board & Train is right for you?

  • Board & Train can be a great option for any dog, not just dogs with serious behavioral problems. Puppies, adult dogs, and senior dogs can all benefit from the focused training and structure that the program provides. It is especially helpful for busy owners who don’t have the time to put in the repetition and consistency needed. Your dog gets focused training, structure, socialization, and real-world practice throughout their stay while you get guidance on how to continue progress at home.

  • This is one of the most common questions we hear! With my guidance, your dog will absolutely learn to respond to you, but maintaining those results is highly dependent on your overall consistency at home. My job is to coach you through handling your dog appropriately and how to get the same results you saw during their stay. Practice is important as well. The more consistently you practice and reinforce the training, the more reliable they will be long term.

  • Your dog will receive a well-rounded foundation of obedience and real-world skills. Obedience training includes commands such as sit, down, heel, come, & place, along with leash manners, impulse control, and reliable responsiveness. We also incorporate proper exposure and appropriate socialization so your dog can learn to focus and behave in a variety of environments-not just inside a training space.

  • Training doesn’t end when your dog comes home. This program includes 3 private go-home lessons where I work directly with you and your dog. I will teach you how to communicate with your dog effectively, reinforce the behaviors they’ve learned so that you can confidently handle them in everyday situations. These lessons are a crucial part of setting you and your dog up for continued success.

  • Prior to drop off, I send you our intake sheet and waiver to fill out. The intake sheet lists emergency contact, vet information, how much you feed at home, etc. I also keep vaccination records on file and specifically look for rabies, bordetella, and ask that they are currently being treated for flea and tick. I am able to provide treats, leashes, a crate of the appropriate size, enrichment toys, etc. so everything else is optional.

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Every dog follows a structured daily routine designed to promote learning and positive experiences.

A typical day includes:

  • Morning potty break and structured walk

  • Multiple obedience sessions

  • Play & Enrichment on our 5 acre property

  • Rest periods to prevent over stimulation

  • Safe indoor sleeping accommodations

  • Regimented potty breaks

  • Real world exposure and field trips

  • Several weekly videos updating you on their progress

  • Ability to spend time in our home to relax and address house manners

Board & Train Graduate Testimonials

  • Danielle L.

    Eliza is truly a life saver!! We were at our wits end with our two Dobermans, Xena (2 ½) and Xander (8 months), and their uncontrollable behavior at home. They had no structure which was totally our fault as we let them run the house and us. After three weeks of board and train, they came home as completely different dogs. In addition to basic commands, we are now able to kennel them, walk them without them walking us and holding place when instructed. We are even able to have guests come over without feeling like they will be attacked. The one on one follow up sessions with Eliza were an added bonus as we were being trained as well. We highly recommend Eliza as she is an exceptional trainer who truly cares about your pets and their well- being. Update: Now at 7 and 9, they still know all commands and are still very well behaved.

  • Deborah R.

    My grand pup has trained and boarded with DLS, and would definitely recommend and do it again. Great people to work with and trust your pets will be well trained and taken care of.

  • Christy H.

    Night and day. I can't thank Eliza enough for the work she's done with my GSD Liv. She went in a crazy busy body and came out so much more structured. I can now walk her without her walking me. She stays by my side. I can take her places without her freaking out at people/pets. She notices them but stays by my side as told. She has actually learned to relax and is now kennel trained so home life is much calmer now. During Liv's 6 week stay I received videos almost every day to keep me updated on her progress and every day I could see a difference. She teaches your pup and then gives you the tools needed and teaches you so you can continue once her time with them is up. I have and will continue to recommend her and her services. She met and then exceeded my expectations. Again thank you 😊

  • Kate S.

    Training and boarding is amazing with Eliza. She knows how dogs think and can not only teach them ( our pups)but we humans as well. I’m a much better owner now. And Teddy enjoys the “work”

  • Dayna C.

    We have been so pleased with the Training our Elk received! Hes a completely new dog that listens, follows commands, and wants to please and behave. We are so happy we had him trained here!

  • George H.

    Eliza at DLS Dog Training is truly exceptional. We’ve known her for 8 years, since she began training our dog when he was just 3 months old, and we have trusted her ever since.

    She also boards and trains our dog when we travel, and we gladly drive 6 hours round trip each time because there is no one else we would trust the same way. Eliza is knowledgeable, patient, caring, and truly one of the best dog trainers on the East Coast.

    Every dog owner should use DLS for training or board and train services. We will never use anyone other than Eliza. Highly recommend!

  • Ronda M.

    Our boys were just puppies when we got them, as they grew Finnegan (German Shepard) started to become reactive and aggressive towards his brother Reginald (Golden Retriever). My husband and I decided to get them fixed. During their healing process, they were kenneled and separated. As they began to heal, Finnie just was as hostile towards his brother. My husband searched far and wide to find someone to train him. He had a very long conversation with Eliza about the behaviors we were seeing. He felt super comfortable with Eliza and her ability to help us. Eliza recommended her 3 week board/train program. Which is what we did. Through out the process Eliza communicated his process, setbacks with videos, photos, and texts. Her commitment to our boy, and us was impressive. Eliza is extremely knowledgeable and compassionate about our family needs, and insuring success. When the board was done, she continued OUR training with both of our boys, not once, not twice, but three times she visited our home. We gain a lot of helpful advice and more importantly, tools to help us all understand each other better. Dog to person, person to dog. Finnie is a much more confident and happy dog. Eliza saved our family and brought harmony back to our home. I highly recommend her for any and all of your dog needs. She even help us with nutrition for Finnie and Reggie!

  • Hunter W.

    Eliza is hands down, the best trainer I have had the pleasure of meeting. I adopted Diesel after he had a very tough upbringing, he was scared of literally everything and I wanted nothing more than him to enjoy his life stress free. I decided to put Diesel in Elizas training and it was the best decision I have ever made. Before training Diesel was unable to sit, lay down, rest, and 0 confidence as a Male German Sheperd. After training, he had a new found confidence in himself and was able to sit/lay down on command and can finally just relax around the house without being so on edge. I highly recommend Eliza if you want what is best for your pup. 5 stars isnt enough 🙏🏻

  • Ron M.

    5 stars are not enough to represent how we feel about our experience. We adopted Morty with a known bite history and were prepared for an altered lifestyle, particularly with regard to travel.

    We engaged with Eliza with the hope of gaining information and tools to help us manage Morty. We got so much more. Morty emerged from his training with different, much improved behavior around strangers. With Eliza's methodical and professional approach our hopes were high after just a few sessions. Deep into it we visited some big box stores with lots of new people.......fertile ground for problems with Morty in the past. He did fantastic and he has been back many times since, the latest without a muzzle.

    Morty is living his best life here and will soon be going on some car trips......an idea we had written off before Eliza. Thank God we found her!

  • Sheila G.

    We have been looking for an experienced trainer in the Roanoke area for our 2 year old German Shepard. Eliza was very receptive to our concerns and goals before we started the training process. She answered all of our questions and once he came back from boarding he was a transformed dog. The fact that she offers small sessions after boarding to help train the humans as well made a world of a difference since it gave us the opportunity to address additional concerns that came up once he was home.
    If you are looking for a highly knowledgeable trainer receptive to humans and dogs needs don’t hesitate to hire Eliza, completely worth it.

Headstart

3 weeks

Sets a solid obedience foundation. Perfect for puppies and young dogs that don’t have any severe behavior issues but just need to set the stage for their training.

Can address: leash manners, basic obedience, potty/crate training, intro to socialization, intro to new environments, & more.

Level Up

4-5 weeks

Includes more added distraction and exposure training. Great for adolescent or older dogs with some established bad habits.

Can address: reactivity, bad leash manners, destructive tendencies, confidence issues, jumping & more.

The Perfect Companion

6-8 weeks

The best program to address moderate/severe behavior issues and to establish advanced obedience and off leash reliability.

Can address: severe reactivity, behavior modification, off leash reliability & recall, much more in depth exposure & socialization, & more.

Ready to get started?

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. We look forward to talking with you and helping you create the well mannered and confident companion you’ve always wanted!