The six-week price
How much is a 6 week board and train?
Six weeks is our longest program and our most expensive, and families deserve a plain account of what is in the number. Here it is, along with the honest limits and how VIP compares with the three-week Platinum program.
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
What $10,000 covers
$10,000, and the collar, the transport and the in-home lessons are inside it.
The VIP price is all in. It covers the six-week stay and all the training, the Mini-Educator e-collar your dog goes home with, door-to-door transport, and a handover in your own home rather than in Cypress. After that come unlimited in-home lessons and lifetime support directly with our team.
Nothing in that list is sold separately. Families in other programs pay $250 for transport; in VIP it is included. Families in other programs who want the e-collar learn it in a paid lesson; in VIP the collar and the teaching are part of the program.
- Six weeks in our trainer's Cypress home
- Mini-Educator e-collar included
- Transport included
- In-home handover and unlimited in-home lessons
- Lifetime support directly with our team
What six weeks buys
The price buys a sequence: foundation first, the collar second, the leash off last.
Off-leash reliability is not a skill you can rush. The first weeks build heel, come, place, front and center positioning and duration stays on a leash and a long line. Only once those are reliable is the Mini-Educator introduced, at a level the dog can barely feel, paired with commands it already understands. The collar is never used for fear.
The later weeks add distance and distraction on field trips, in stores, on sidewalks and at the lake, until the leash comes off in real places. That sequence is why VIP is six weeks and not three: each stage needs time to hold before the next one starts.
- Foundation on leash and long line
- Collar introduced low, after understanding
- Field trips for distance and distraction
- The leash comes off last
What it is not
It is not service dog certification or task training, and we say so before you book.
The name describes the level of reliability, the standard a working dog is held to in public, built into a family dog. VIP does not certify a service dog, does not train medical or disability tasks, and does not come with public-access paperwork. Families who need a service dog for a disability should look for a program built for that purpose.
What VIP does deliver is a dog you can take almost anywhere dogs are allowed and trust to stay with you, off leash where the law allows it, on a patio, in a store aisle or on a lake trail.
Against Platinum
Against Platinum at $3,750, VIP adds off-leash reliability, the collar and everything at your house.
Platinum is our most popular program and the right one for most behavior work, including reactivity and aggression. VIP is for the family whose goal is a dog that is reliable with no leash at all.
| Platinum | VIP | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Price | $3,750 | $10,000 |
| Goal | Behavior modification and a structured heel | Service-dog-level obedience, off leash |
| E-collar | Not included | Mini-Educator included |
| Transport | $250 optional | Included |
| Afterward | Unlimited private lessons | Unlimited in-home lessons |
From call to your door
A VIP booking runs from a phone call to a handover at your own front door.
The six weeks are the middle of the process. The call before and the lessons after are what make the reliability last at home.
Book the free phone consultation and describe the off-leash life you want.
Reserve your dates with the $250 deposit, which comes off the $10,000.
Our team picks your dog up from your door.
Six weeks of foundation, collar work and field trips follow, with updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Our team brings your dog home and runs the handover at your own door, yard and street.
Unlimited in-home lessons keep the reliability as your dog settles back in.
Off leash in Houston
Houston off-leash work is proofed around water, wildlife and heat.
Houston is hard on off-leash dogs. Bayous and ponds can hold alligators, deer break cover on the trails in The Woodlands and Kingwood, and from May to September the heat decides when any outdoor work can happen. VIP field trips run early in the day in summer, and recall near water is proofed on a long line long before it is trusted without one.
Leash rules still apply. At the time of writing, most Houston city parks and trails require a leash, and a reliable off-leash dog is one that goes back on leash without argument. If you have two dogs, programs are priced per dog, and our team quotes the household on the call.
The programs
Six weeks for off leash, three for behavior.
VIP is the six-week off-leash program at $10,000; Platinum is the three-week behavior program at $3,750.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Is $10,000 the full price?
Yes. It covers the stay, all training, the Mini-Educator e-collar, transport, the in-home handover, unlimited in-home lessons and lifetime support. There is no separate charge for the collar, the drive or the follow-up visits. The $250 deposit that reserves your dates comes off the $10,000.
Will my dog be a certified service dog after VIP?
No. VIP delivers service-dog-level obedience and off-leash reliability for a family dog. It does not certify a service dog or train disability tasks, and it does not include public-access paperwork. We say that plainly on the phone so nobody books VIP expecting it.
Is there a discount if both my dogs do VIP?
We do not publish a two-dog price. Programs are priced per dog, because each dog gets its own six weeks of training. Tell our team about both dogs on the free phone consultation, and we will quote your household there and say whether both dogs need VIP.
Does my dog have to use the e-collar?
The Mini-Educator is part of how VIP builds off-leash reliability, so it is included and taught to you. It is introduced at a level the dog can barely feel, only after the commands are understood, and never used for fear. If you do not want an e-collar, our team will discuss whether Platinum fits better.
Is six weeks a long time for my dog to be away?
Most dogs settle into the routine of our trainer's home within days, and you see them every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the updates. The length is what makes off-leash reliability hold. Dogs remember their families, and the in-home handover is designed for the reunion.
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Want a dog you can trust off leash?
Tell our team the off-leash life you want for your dog on a free phone consultation. If VIP fits, a $250 deposit reserves the six weeks.