Platinum, our most popular
3-week board and train in Houston: the $3,750 Platinum program, explained
Three weeks is the length most Houston families end up choosing once they understand the difference between teaching commands and changing behavior. The first two weeks build the obedience. The third week takes it into pet stores, parking lots and lakeside trails, where the dog who used to lose his mind learns to stay on a heel.
Last reviewed September 11, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
Who Platinum fits
Platinum is for the dog whose problem shows up in public, not just at home.
The leash-reactive dog. A shepherd who barks and spins at every dog on the Terry Hershey trail, or a doodle who screams at the sight of a cyclist, cannot be fixed in a yard. Platinum's third week exists so the dog meets the real trigger on a real sidewalk with a trainer holding the leash, at a distance he can cope with, then closer.
The dog with a bite history or a growl. Guarding a bed, snapping at a hand near the bowl, going stiff when guests walk in: this is the behavior modification work our trainers have specialized in for 16 years. Platinum gives three weeks to change the pattern and then unlimited private lessons to keep it changed in your house.
The family who wants a finished pet, not a project. Plenty of Platinum dogs have no dramatic problem. Their owners simply want a structured heel through the Heights hike-and-bike trail, a down/stay at a patio table and a dog who can go anywhere. Three weeks and the field trips get them there.
- Reactivity to dogs, people, bikes or traffic on leash
- Growling, guarding or a bite history that needs a real plan
- Fear that shuts a dog down in stores or on busy streets
- Owners who want public reliability and a heel, not just house manners
Three weeks, in order
Obedience first, then behavior, then the real world: a Platinum stay in sequence.
Drop-off and the first week. Your dog arrives at the training home in Cypress, or our team collects him for $250, and spends day one decompressing in a crate and on short walks. Days two through seven build the same foundation Gold does: sit/stay, place/stay, door boundaries, leash pressure, marker words. The Monday and Wednesday updates that week look ordinary on purpose.
Week two adds the Platinum layer. Down/stay with duration, a structured heel that keeps the dog's shoulder at your knee, and the start of behavior modification: controlled exposure to whatever sets your dog off, on the property first, then on the neighborhood streets. Week three is field trips and the handover, and it is the week the videos start to look like a different dog.
Days 1 to 3: settle in, crate and place routine, leash pressure basics, a baseline video of the trigger response for comparison later.
Days 4 to 7: sit/stay, place/stay, door boundaries and loose leash in the house, the yard and the streets around it.
Days 8 to 11: down/stay and the structured heel, built indoors and then proofed past fence dogs and passing walkers.
Days 12 to 14: behavior modification begins with the real trigger at a manageable distance, closing in only as the dog stays under threshold.
Days 15 to 18: field trips. Pet and hardware stores along 290, a busy parking lot, the lake path, a patio: heel, place and down/stay in every one.
Days 19 to 20: proofing with a second handler and a full run-through of the go-home content on video.
Day 21: the comprehensive handover, then unlimited private lessons in Cypress for as long as you want them.
Price and inclusions
Platinum is $3,750, and the unlimited lessons afterward are why it costs more than Gold.
For $3,750 you get 21 days in the house, every inclusion from Gold, and the four things that make behavior change stick: field trips, behavior modification, a comprehensive handover and unlimited private lessons at the Cypress training home for the life of the dog. The difference over Gold buys the third week and an open door afterward, which for a reactive dog is where the real value sits.
The $250 reservation deposit. Platinum spots are the ones that fill first, because it is the program most families are recommended. Once the consultation confirms the fit, a $250 deposit through Reserve Your Spot holds your three weeks and is applied toward the $3,750. Include your dog's name and the start date you want when you pay it, and our team confirms by phone.
- $3,750 covers three weeks, the handover and unlimited private lessons
- Field trips are included, not an add-on
- $250 optional transport with an in-home first lesson
- $250 deposit holds the spot and is credited to the total
| Inclusion | Gold, $2,500 | Platinum, $3,750 | VIP, $10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sit/stay, place/stay, loose leash, door boundaries | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jumping, pulling and impulse control | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Down/stay and structured heel | No | Yes | Yes |
| Behavior modification for reactivity and aggression | No | Yes | Yes |
| Field trips and public exposure | No | Yes | Yes |
| Lessons after the stay | One additional lesson | Unlimited private lessons | Unlimited in-home lessons |
| Support | Lifelong | Lifetime | Lifetime, directly with our team |
| Off-leash reliability and e-collar | No | No | Yes, Mini-Educator included |
Houston specifics
Platinum field trips happen in the places your dog actually has to behave.
The third week is planned around northwest Houston. Store aisles along 290 and Fry Road for tight spaces and carts, the paths at Towne Lake and Josey Lake for joggers and waterfowl, a parking lot on a Saturday for doors and traffic, and a patio for a down/stay under a table. If your dog's trigger is other dogs, the trips go where dogs are walked on leash at a distance our trainers can control.
Weather shapes the week. Between May and September trips run in the early morning and the evening, and midday exposure moves into air-conditioned stores. In hurricane season, June 1 through November 30, our team watches the National Weather Service Houston outlook and adjusts the field trip week rather than cancelling it. Alligators live in Houston bayous and retention ponds, so lakeside sessions stay on the paths.
- Store aisles, parking lots, lake paths and patios within a short drive of Cypress
- Summer trips at dawn and dusk; hot-hour work indoors
- Central Houston, Memorial and the Heights: roughly 30 to 45 minutes to the training home
- Reactive dogs meet leashed dogs on sidewalks, never in a dog park
The programs
Platinum, or the step below and the step above.
Three weeks is the recommendation for most reactive and public-facing problems. Our team will say if two is enough or six is warranted.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
How much is a 3-week board and train in Houston?
Platinum is $3,750 for three weeks at Best Dog University. That covers the stay in our Cypress home, all training including behavior modification and field trips, the comprehensive handover, unlimited private lessons afterward and lifetime support. Transportation is an optional $250, and a $250 reservation deposit holds the dates.
Why is Platinum the most popular program?
Because it is the shortest program that includes behavior modification and public field trips, which is what most Houston families actually need. Two weeks teaches commands. The third week takes those commands to the trigger, in stores and on trails, and the unlimited lessons afterward mean you are never on your own with a setback.
What does unlimited private lessons mean in practice?
After the handover you can book private sessions with our trainers at the Cypress training home as often as you need, for the life of the dog, at no extra charge. Some families come twice in the first month and then once a year. Others come for a refresher before a move or a new baby. There is no cap.
Can a three-week program fix aggression?
It can change it substantially and give you a management plan you can live with. Aggression is our trainers' specialty, and Platinum is the minimum length we recommend for it. What no honest trainer promises is a dog with a bite history who can be trusted unsupervised in every situation, so the handover includes the boundaries as well as the wins.
Does my dog go to public places during Platinum?
Yes. Field trips are a listed inclusion of Platinum and they fill most of the third week. Your dog rides with our trainers to stores, parks, parking lots and the lake, and works heel, place and down/stay in each one. You see the trips in the Monday, Wednesday and Friday videos before you see them in person at the handover.
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Ask our team whether three weeks is the right length for your dog.
Everything starts with the free phone consultation, a direct call with our trainers. If Platinum is the recommendation, a $250 reservation deposit holds your three weeks and is applied to the $3,750 total.