Board and train cost
How much does board and train cost in Houston?
Your dog lives in our trainer's home in Cypress, not a kennel, and trains in real Houston places. This page breaks each price into days, lists exactly what sits inside each number, and explains the one optional add-on.
Last reviewed September 10, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
The four core prices
Four lengths, four prices, and the go-home session is inside every one.
Board and train pricing at Best Dog University is set by length. One week is $1,500 and two weeks is $2,500; three weeks is $3,750 and six weeks is $10,000. Each number already includes a go-home session where our trainers coach you through what your dog learned. There is no separate charge for the handover, for the Monday, Wednesday and Friday updates, or for the field trips in the longer programs.
The two specialty programs, Free-Style and Agility, are each two weeks and each $2,500 and cost the same as Gold. They are for dogs who already have basic obedience and want tricks and engagement, or weave poles, jumps, tunnels and the seesaw. They are not the place to fix reactivity; our team will steer a struggling dog toward Gold or Platinum.
- Silver Foundation: 1 week, $1,500
- Gold: 2 weeks, $2,500
- Platinum: 3 weeks, $3,750 (the most popular)
- VIP Service-Dog-Level: 6 weeks, $10,000
- Free-Style or Agility: 2 weeks, $2,500
Per-day math
Gold and Platinum cost the same per day; the difference is what Platinum adds.
Divide each price by the days your dog is in the house and the picture changes. Silver's $1,500 across seven days is about $214 a day, the highest daily rate, because a short program still carries a full go-home session. Gold's $2,500 across 14 days is about $179 a day. Platinum's $3,750 across 21 days is also about $179 a day, so the third week costs no more than the first two.
VIP's $10,000 across 42 days is about $238 a day. That is the only program where the daily rate rises, and it rises because the price carries a Mini-Educator e-collar, transport home, an in-home handover and unlimited in-home lessons directly with our trainers for the life of the dog. The table puts the per-day figure next to what is bundled into it.
| Program | Days | Price | About per day | Included after the stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Foundation | 7 | $1,500 | $214 | Go-home session |
| Gold | 14 | $2,500 | $179 | Go-home session, one extra lesson, lifelong support |
| Platinum | 21 | $3,750 | $179 | Comprehensive handover, unlimited private lessons, lifetime support |
| VIP Service-Dog-Level | 42 | $10,000 | $238 | In-home handover, unlimited in-home lessons with our trainers, lifetime support |
| Free-Style or Agility | 14 | $2,500 | $179 | Go-home session |
Inside each price
Each step up buys more skills, more public exposure and more help afterward.
Silver at $1,500 buys a foundation: loose leash walking, door boundaries and basic structure, with a go-home session. It is a starting point or a refresher, not a behavior transformation. Gold at $2,500 buys sit and stay, place and stay, loose leash, door boundaries, jumping, pulling and impulse control, then a go-home session, one additional lesson and lifelong support.
Platinum at $3,750 buys everything in Gold plus down and stay, a structured heel, behavior modification for reactivity and aggression, and field trips into stores, parks and the lake. It ends with a comprehensive handover and unlimited private lessons for life. VIP at $10,000 buys service-dog-level obedience, complete off-leash reliability, front and center positioning, duration stays, the e-collar, transport home, an in-home handover and unlimited in-home lessons. No price buys a service dog certification; VIP delivers service-dog-level reliability in public, an obedience standard rather than task training or paperwork.
The $250 transportation
Transportation is $250 round trip, and it comes with your first lesson at home.
The training home is in Cypress, off US-290 on the northwest side. From central Houston and Memorial it is about 30 to 45 minutes, from The Woodlands or Spring 35 to 45, and from Katy or Tomball 25 to 35. If you would rather not drive twice, the transportation service collects your dog at your door, brings the dog home when the program ends, and costs $250 total, not per leg.
The fee is not only a ride. The return trip includes the first lesson in your home, so our team walks your dog through your front door and down your street on the first day back. Families in Cinco Ranch, Creekside Park and The Heights book it for that lesson as much as for the mileage. VIP includes transport and the in-home handover at no extra charge.
- Pick-up and return: $250 total
- First lesson in your home included
- Already included in VIP
- Cypress drive: 25 to 45 minutes from most of Houston
Reading any quote
Compare board and train quotes by days, handler, sleeping quarters and follow-up.
Board and train prices around Houston vary widely, and many programs price by the week without saying what a week contains. Before you commit anywhere, get a written price and run it through the steps below. They are the questions our team answers on the free phone consultation without being asked, and they are the reason this page shows days and inclusions next to every price.
Run Best Dog University's programs through that list and you get the numbers at the top of this page, with nothing hidden underneath them. The dog sleeps in a house, our trainers are the handlers, field trips are in Platinum and VIP, the follow-up is written into each program, and transport is one flat $250 or already inside VIP.
Ask where the dog sleeps: a home, a kennel run or a facility. Dogs generalize best from the environment they will go back to.
Count the actual training days and divide the price by them so a short program and a long one can be compared fairly.
Ask who personally handles the dog every day. At Best Dog University it is our own trainers, start to finish.
Ask what public exposure is included. Field trips into real stores and parks are in Platinum and VIP here.
List what happens once the dog is home: the go-home session, extra lessons, and whether support has an expiry date.
Add transport if you need it, then check the calendar. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, so leave slack for weather in late summer.
The programs
Board and train programs and prices.
Six programs, one home, one trainer. Pick the length by what has to change, and our team will confirm it on the call.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Is Platinum worth more than Gold if the per-day cost is the same?
For most dogs with a real problem, yes. Platinum's third week is where field trips, structured heel and behavior modification happen, and it comes with unlimited private lessons afterward instead of one. Gold is the right buy for a young dog who needs manners and impulse control and has no reactivity.
What does the $10,000 VIP price include that the others do not?
Six weeks in our trainer's home, service-dog-level obedience with complete off-leash reliability, front and center positioning, duration stays, a Mini-Educator e-collar, transport home, an in-home handover and unlimited in-home lessons with our trainers for the life of the dog. It is the only program where nothing is optional.
Is the one-week Silver program enough?
It is enough for a refresher or a starting point: loose leash walking, door boundaries and basic structure, with a go-home session. It is not enough to change reactivity, aggression or anxiety. If those are the reason you are calling, budget for Platinum from the start rather than paying twice.
Is transportation $250 each way?
No. The $250 covers door-to-door pick-up at the start and return at the end, anywhere in the service area from Katy to The Woodlands to Montgomery, and it includes the first lesson in your home on the return trip. VIP clients pay nothing extra for transport.
Do follow-up lessons cost extra after board and train?
Not in Gold, Platinum or VIP. Gold includes one additional lesson plus lifelong support, Platinum includes unlimited private lessons and lifetime support, and VIP includes unlimited in-home lessons with our trainers. After Silver, lessons are booked as private sessions at $160 in Cypress or $220 at home.
Keep reading
Free consultation · 10% off this fall
Ask our team which price fits your dog.
The free phone consultation is a direct call. Describe the dog and the problem, and our team will name the program, the price and the next open start date.