Booking · Lead time
How far in advance should i book board and train?
The honest answer is earlier than you think, for a reason that has nothing to do with marketing: a house holds fewer dogs than a kennel. Here is how booking works, what to line up before drop-off, and how the Houston calendar affects the dates.
Last reviewed September 11, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
The short version
Lead time is about the house, and the deposit is what makes a date yours.
Every dog in a program lives in our trainer's home off US-290 in Cypress, and there are only so many bedrooms and crates. When those are reserved, the next start date is when a dog goes home, which for a Platinum dog is three weeks out. That is the whole reason to call early. A phone consultation costs nothing and commits you to nothing; the $250 deposit is what turns a conversation into a reserved date.
Two to four weeks of notice is comfortable for an ordinary adult dog on ordinary dates. Peak dates need more. If you need a start next week, call anyway, because cancellations and flexible families do open dates, and our team will tell you honestly what is available rather than promising a place they do not have.
- A limited number of dogs live in the house at once
- Free phone consultation first, then the $250 deposit holds the dates
- Two to four weeks of notice is comfortable; peak dates need more
- Flexible on dates means earlier starts
The process
From first call to drop-off, the booking runs in six steps.
The steps below are the same for Gold, Platinum and VIP. The one people underestimate is the fourth: the week before drop-off is when the crate goes up at home, the food is portioned and the parasite prevention is checked, and doing that in a rush is how records get left on the kitchen counter.
Call for the free phone consultation and describe the dog, the behavior and the dates you have in mind.
Hear which program fits and which start dates are open for a dog like yours.
Pay the $250 deposit to reserve the dates.
Prepare: crate at home, food portioned, vaccines and prevention current, records copied.
Drop off in Cypress or book the $250 transport service, which collects the dog at your door.
Attend the go-home session at the end, then book the follow-up lesson.
For your dog
Puppies book one thing now and another later; hard cases book after an honest conversation.
A puppy under four months books the Puppy Development Bundle right away, $550 in Cypress or $750 in your home, and a stay later at four to five months if it turns out to be needed; many bundle puppies never need one. An adolescent or adult with manners problems books Gold at $2,500 for two weeks, and the lead time is usually a matter of finding the fortnight.
A reactive, fearful or aggressive dog books Platinum at $3,750 for three weeks, but the mix of dogs already in the house matters more, because a dog with a bite history changes who else can be there that week. Those bookings sometimes wait for the right week rather than the first open one, and our team explains why. For families wanting off-leash reliability, VIP at $10,000 is six weeks and needs the longest lead time of all.
Houston reality
School breaks, holidays and storm season set the Houston booking calendar.
Families in Cypress, Katy and The Woodlands tend to want stays around the same weeks: spring break, the start of summer, Thanksgiving and Christmas, because a stay that covers a trip is convenient. That convenience has a catch: the go-home session should be followed by two weeks with you at home, so a stay that ends the day you fly wastes the handover. Book the stay to cover the trip and end with you home, or to finish two weeks before you leave.
Hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, does not stop bookings, but every dog booked in those months has an evacuation contact on file, and families 25 to 45 minutes away in Katy, Spring or the Heights should expect a call if a storm turns. July 4 and New Year's Eve inside a stay are handled as indoor evenings with food. In summer the outdoor work runs early and late; the stay itself runs as normal.
- Book the stay to end with two weeks of you at home, not with a flight
- Evacuation contact on file for any stay between June and November
- Summer and holiday dates go first; call earliest for those
The programs
Three lengths, one deposit, and a call that costs nothing.
Gold is two weeks at $2,500, Platinum three weeks at $3,750 and the program most families choose, and VIP six weeks at $10,000 with transport and the e-collar included. Silver at $1,500 is a one-week foundation or refresher. For every one of them the process is the same: the free phone consultation first, then the $250 deposit to hold the dates, then a week of preparation, then drop-off in Cypress or pickup at your door.
The programs
Programs to book at Best Dog University.
Gold, Platinum and VIP in our trainer's home in Cypress, each reserved with a $250 deposit after the free phone consultation.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Can I book board and train for next week?
Sometimes. Call for the free phone consultation and ask; cancellations and flexible families open dates, and our team will tell you honestly what is available for a dog like yours. If nothing is open, they will give you the earliest start and, if the problem is urgent, suggest private lessons at $160 or $220 to start the structure now.
What does the $250 deposit do?
It reserves your dog's dates in the training home after the phone consultation has confirmed the program. Because only a limited number of dogs live in the house at once, a date is not held on a promise. Our team explains how the deposit and the balance work when you reserve, so there are no surprises at drop-off.
Should I book before or after my vacation?
Book so that you are home for at least two weeks after the go-home session. A stay that covers your trip and ends the day after you return works well; a stay that ends the morning you leave wastes the handover. Tell our team the travel dates and they will line the program up around them.
How early do summer and holiday dates need to be booked?
As early as you know them. Summer, spring break, Thanksgiving and Christmas are the weeks most families want, and the training home has only a few places in any week. If you are planning a stay to cover a specific trip, call the moment the trip is booked and hold the dates with the $250 deposit.
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Call now, decide later.
The free phone consultation costs nothing and holds nothing; the $250 deposit is what reserves your dates. Call as soon as you know them.