Board and train, Upper Kirby
Board and train in Upper Kirby: from Kirby and Richmond to the training home
Upper Kirby is townhomes and apartments with a patio on every block and dogs that walk everywhere: to Levy Park, to brunch, to the store. Its dogs need a loose leash past a crowd, a settle under a table and neutrality at the dog park fence, and the stay is built for that life.
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
- Drive to the training home
- About 35 to 40 minutes to the training home in Cypress outside rush hour, by 59 to 610 to 290.
- Pickup and delivery
- $250 door-to-door pickup and return with the first lesson at your townhome or apartment; included in VIP.
- The go-home session
- At the training home in Cypress for drop-off families; on your own block and at Levy Park for transport families and every VIP graduate.
- Where we train near you
- Levy Park, which has a dog park and is run by the Upper Kirby district · the patios along Kirby and West Alabama · the sidewalks, stores and lake near the training home in Cypress
- Homes and yards
- Townhomes and apartments, patios every block, small or no yards, and dogs that walk everywhere they go.
The stay, from Upper Kirby
Out 59 and 610 to 290 for drop-off, or a pickup on Kirby before the day starts.
Upper Kirby to the training home is about 35 to 40 minutes by 59, 610 and 290 outside rush hour, an easy drive for drop-off with the food, medications and records and a few minutes with our trainer about the patio, the park and the front door. The other route is the $250 transport: our trainer meets you at the townhome, runs the first lesson on your block, and drives the dog to Cypress, where the first day is a quiet settle into a house.
From day two the training is daily, in the home and on the sidewalks, in the stores and at the lake near it, with photos and video on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The go-home session happens at the training home for drop-off families and on your own block for transport families and VIP graduates, and for Upper Kirby that usually means a walk to Levy Park, past the patios, with the crowd as the final exam.
Free consultation, then the $250 deposit
Drop-off in Cypress, or pickup on your block for $250
A quiet first day in the house
Daily training in the home and on the nearby sidewalks
Store aisles and busier streets as the dog earns them
Updates Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Go-home session at the training home or on the walk to Levy Park
What an Upper Kirby dog practices
A loose leash to Levy Park, a patio settle on Kirby and calm at the dog park fence.
The Upper Kirby dog's problems are the problems of a dog that goes everywhere: it pulls toward every patio, greets every stranger with its paws, cannot settle under the table, and turns into a different animal at the dog park fence. The stay builds the structured walk on the Cypress sidewalks and adds crowds and passing dogs in order, teaches place as a settle that moves under a table, and builds neutrality at a fence before any thought of going through the gate.
For the go-home session and the lessons afterwards, the classrooms are yours: Levy Park, run by the Upper Kirby district, has a dog park we use for neutrality at the fence rather than for play, and the patios along Kirby and West Alabama give the table. Houston's leash rules apply on the sidewalks; check the park's own site for its current dog park rules and Houston Parks and Recreation for the city's, before you practice on your own.
- A loose leash past the patios on Kirby
- A settle under the table with food around
- Neutrality at the Levy Park dog park fence
- Four paws on the floor when a stranger says hello
Which program Upper Kirby families choose
Gold for the friendly patio dog, Platinum when the fence or the crowd sets it off.
Gold at $2,500 fits the friendly, over-social dog: two weeks of sit and stay, place, the loose leash, door boundaries, jumping and impulse control, with a go-home session, one added lesson and lifelong support, and it covers most of what a patio dog needs. Platinum at $3,750 is the fit for the dog that lunges at the dog park fence, freezes in a crowd or cannot be left in a townhome; three weeks buys behavior modification, field trips and unlimited private lessons afterwards.
VIP at $10,000 is six weeks with off-leash reliability, the Mini-Educator included, transport and the handover on your block with unlimited in-home lessons; it suits the household that takes the dog everywhere and wants it finished. Silver at $1,500 is the one-week refresher for a graduate whose patio manners have faded over a busy year.
- Gold for the friendly, over-social patio dog
- Platinum for fence lunging, crowd fear and separation anxiety
- VIP for the finished, goes-everywhere dog
Prices and the deposit
Published prices, a $250 deposit, and a transport that ends at Levy Park.
Two weeks of Gold is $2,500, three of Platinum $3,750, six of VIP $10,000. The $250 reservation deposit secures the dates; it comes off the program price. Transport is $250 for pickup and return with the first lesson at your home, included in VIP; from Upper Kirby it is a fair trade against two drives out 290, and it puts the go-home session on your own block with the patios and the park as the test. Drop-off at the training home is welcome any day from 6am to 9pm.
Private lessons afterwards are $160 at the training home or $220 at your townhome; Platinum and VIP include them without limit, and Upper Kirby families usually book the at-home version for the walk to the park. Boarding with training refreshers is there for graduates who travel. The pricing page has every number, and the consultation call is free and takes a few minutes.
| Program | Length | Price | Go-home session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2 weeks | $2,500 | Cypress, or your block with transport |
| Platinum | 3 weeks | $3,750 | Cypress, or your block with transport |
| VIP | 6 weeks | $10,000 | Your block, transport included |
Upper Kirby specifics
Brunch patios, hot sidewalks and a dog park that undoes good work.
Kirby's sidewalks fail the pavement test by mid-morning from May to September, so the summer walk to the park is early or after dark and the patio settle happens in the shade; the stay is scheduled the same way. Patios welcome dogs year-round here, and the settle under the table is practiced with food on the floor and servers stepping past. The dog park is the trap: ten minutes of chaos inside the fence can undo a week of neutrality, so the go-home session covers how to use Levy Park for the walk and the fence and not for the free-for-all. Mosquito and heartworm pressure runs all year.
- Pavement test before the summer walk
- A patio settle with food on the floor
- Levy Park for the walk and the fence, not the free-for-all
- Heartworm prevention year-round
The programs
Programs Upper Kirby families book.
Gold for the friendly patio dog, Platinum for the fence and the crowd, VIP for the finished dog, Silver as a refresher.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
How far is Upper Kirby from the training home?
About 35 to 40 minutes outside rush hour: 59 to 610, 610 to 290 and on to Cypress near Fry Road. That is an easy drive for drop-off, and the $250 transport is there for families who want the first lesson and the handover on their own block.
Should my dog keep going to the Levy Park dog park?
During the stay, no, and afterwards, carefully. The stay builds neutrality at the fence, and the go-home session shows you how to use the park for the walk and the fence work. Free play inside the fence is where most of the pulling and lunging was learned in the first place.
Our dog cannot settle at a patio. Which program?
If the dog is friendly and simply excited, Gold at $2,500 builds place and a settle that moves under a table. If it is anxious, barks at passing dogs or cannot be left alone in the townhome, Platinum at $3,750 has the three weeks of behavior modification and the unlimited lessons afterwards that it needs.
Where is the go-home session for Upper Kirby?
At the training home in Cypress for families who dropped off. On your own block for transport families and every VIP graduate, usually ending with the walk to Levy Park and a settle at a patio on Kirby, because those are the places the dog lives.
What does a day in the training home look like?
A house in Cypress with a limited number of dogs, a crate to sleep in, meals on place, training through the day in the home and on real sidewalks and in stores, and rest in between. It is a routine, and the routine is what transfers back to a townhome with no yard.
Keep reading
Free consultation · 10% off this fall
Upper Kirby families start with a call.
Tell our team what happens at the patio and at the dog park fence. The free phone consultation is a direct call with no obligation, and the $250 reservation deposit holds your dates.