Results, not homework
Board and train for busy professionals in Houston: results without weekly classes
You did not skip training because you do not care. You skipped it because a six-week class at 7pm on Tuesdays does not survive a travel schedule, and the homework never got done. A board and train fixes the problem the way a professional fixes anything: by handing it to someone whose full-time job it is, then learning the maintenance.
Last reviewed September 11, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
Who this is for
Board and train fits the professional whose problem is time, not commitment.
The Energy Corridor commuter. Out the door at 6:30, home at 7, the dog walker covers the middle. The dog has never been walked by the same person twice with the same rules, so he pulls, barks at the door and cannot settle in the evening. Gold's two weeks give him one consistent structure, and the go-home session gives you a fifteen-minute routine before work.
The frequent traveler. Two weeks in Denver, a week in Singapore, and the dog goes to a sitter who lets him on the bed. A Platinum stay is often scheduled to overlap a trip, so the dog is trained rather than parked, and comes back to a house that runs on rules instead of on whoever holds the leash. The unlimited lessons afterward absorb the setbacks each trip causes.
The owner who wants it done properly and does not want to be the trainer. Some professionals want a finished dog they can take to the office, the club or a patio without thinking about it. VIP exists for that buyer: off-leash reliability, an in-home handover and unlimited in-home lessons so our team comes to you, at whatever hour the calendar allows.
- Long commutes and inconsistent walkers or sitters
- Travel schedules that break every class series
- Owners who will maintain a routine but cannot build one from scratch
- Executives who want a dog they can take anywhere, handed over at home
Your time, and where it goes
The whole stay asks for about three appointments from you, and two of them can be at your door.
The first is the free phone consultation, a direct call with our trainers, taken from your desk. Our team answers between 6am and 9pm daily, which fits a schedule that does not stop at five. The second is drop-off, or with transport, opening the door when our team arrives. In between, you watch the Monday, Wednesday and Friday videos on your phone between meetings and see the work rather than read about it.
The third appointment is the handover. With transport it happens in your home: our team returns the dog, walks you through every command at your door, in your kitchen and on your street, and leaves you a written routine. VIP owners never come to Cypress at all; drop-off, handover and every lesson afterward are at your house. The follow-up lesson is booked around your calendar, not ours.
Week 0: a 20-minute phone consultation from your office, then the $250 deposit paid online to lock dates around your travel.
Day 1: our team collects the dog at your door before you leave for work, or you drop him in Cypress on the way to 290.
Days 2 to 13: you watch three video updates a week; the dog learns place, doors, leash and impulse control on a schedule that never varies.
Day 14 (Gold) or 21 (Platinum): the dog is returned and the handover happens in your home in about an hour, on an evening or weekend that suits you.
Weeks 3 to 5: run the ten-minute morning routine and the evening walk from the written plan; the sitter or walker gets the same page.
Week 4 onward: the Gold additional lesson, or Platinum's unlimited private lessons, booked whenever a trip has knocked something loose.
Price and inclusions
Two weeks is $2,500, three is $3,750, and the $250 transport is the line item professionals rarely skip.
Gold at $2,500 delivers sit/stay, place/stay, loose leash, door boundaries, jumping, pulling and impulse control, the go-home session, one additional lesson and lifelong support. Platinum at $3,750 adds down/stay, structured heel, behavior modification, field trips, a comprehensive handover and unlimited private lessons. VIP at $10,000 is the executive package in practice: off-leash reliability, the Mini-Educator, transport home, an in-home handover and unlimited in-home lessons.
The deposit, then the transport. A $250 reservation deposit is paid online through Reserve Your Spot in a minute and is applied toward the program, which locks a start date around your travel without a second call. Transport, at $250 for pick-up and return with a first lesson in your home, removes two drives to Cypress from your week.
- Three appointments, two of them at your door with transport
- $250 deposit paid online to lock dates around travel
- Updates three times a week, watched on your phone
- In-home lessons at $220 if you want our team at your house later, or included in VIP
| Program | Price | Your appointments | Lessons after the stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Board & Train, 2 weeks | $2,500 | Phone consultation, drop-off or pick-up, handover | One additional lesson, lifelong support |
| Platinum Board & Train, 3 weeks | $3,750 | Phone consultation, drop-off or pick-up, comprehensive handover | Unlimited private lessons in Cypress, lifetime support |
| VIP Service-Dog-Level, 6 weeks | $10,000 | Phone consultation, pick-up at home, in-home handover | Unlimited in-home lessons, lifetime support directly with our team |
| Transportation | $250, included in VIP | Replaces both drives to Cypress | First lesson at your home on the return |
Houston specifics
A professional's dog lives in a townhome, rides in a car and meets the walker at noon, so that is what gets trained.
Professionals who call us often live inside the loop or along I-10: Heights townhomes with a front door onto the sidewalk, Uptown high-rises with elevators, Memorial and the Energy Corridor with a 25-to-45-minute drive to Cypress they would rather not make twice. Transport solves the drive. The stay trains the rest: a calm exit from the front door, a settle on place while the walker clips on the leash, a heel on a busy sidewalk.
The schedule is the other issue. Summer walks in Houston have to happen before 8am or after 7pm from May through September, which is when you are commuting. The go-home session builds a routine around that: a short structured walk before you leave, indoor place work the walker can run at noon, and the real walk after dinner. Hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, is covered too; a dog who is crate-calm is easy to move when a storm changes your travel plans.
- Townhome front doors, elevators and busy sidewalks proofed on Platinum field trips
- A morning and evening routine that fits around the heat and the commute
- A one-page plan you can hand to the walker or the sitter
- Memorial, the Heights and the Energy Corridor are 25 to 45 minutes from Cypress; transport removes the drive
The programs
The three lengths, and where transport fits.
Gold for structure, Platinum for behavior and public reliability, VIP for the finished dog with everything delivered to your door.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
How much of my time does board and train actually take?
A phone call, a drop-off or a pick-up at your door, and a handover of about an hour. With $250 transport the drop-off and handover both happen at your home, and VIP includes transport and in-home lessons as standard. After the stay, keeping the results takes a short morning routine and a structured evening walk.
Can the stay line up with a business trip?
Yes, and it is one of the most common ways professionals schedule it. Our team collects the dog before you leave and returns him after you are back, with the handover on the first evening or weekend that suits you. Because the home keeps a limited number of dogs, book the dates as soon as the trip is confirmed.
Will the training hold if a dog walker handles him during the day?
It will if the walker runs the same rules, which is why the go-home session produces a written one-page routine you can hand over. Place, the door boundary and the leash handling are simple to follow once they have been demonstrated. Gold's additional lesson, or Platinum's unlimited lessons, can include the walker if you want.
What does board and train cost for a working professional in Houston?
The programs are $2,500 for two weeks, $3,750 for three and $10,000 for the six-week VIP, plus $250 for transport unless you choose VIP, where it is included. A $250 reservation deposit is paid online and applied to the total. There are no charges for updates, food or the follow-up lesson.
Do I have to come to Cypress at all?
Not if you choose transport. Our team picks the dog up at your home, returns him and runs the handover and first lesson there. The free consultation is a phone call. Later lessons can be at your house for $220 or in Cypress for $160, and VIP includes unlimited in-home lessons.
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Tell our team your schedule, and we will fit the stay around it.
The free phone consultation takes about twenty minutes from wherever you are. A $250 reservation deposit, paid online, then holds the dates and is applied toward the program.