Gold vs Platinum
Gold vs Platinum board and train: two weeks or three
This is the comparison most Houston families are really making when they call. Gold is a complete obedience program. Platinum is the same program with a third week that changes what the dog can do in public and what you get after. Here is what that week buys, and when you do not need it.
Last reviewed September 11, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
Side by side
Same per-day price, different job: Gold trains the house, Platinum trains Houston.
Both programs live in our trainer's home in Cypress, both include updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and both end with a go-home session. Gold spends its two weeks on obedience and proofing: the commands, then the commands with doors, food and people in the mix. It suits a dog whose problems are manners and impulse control, and it includes one extra lesson plus lifelong support.
Platinum keeps everything in Gold and adds a third week of behavior modification and public exposure. The dog rides to pet and hardware stores along 290 and Fry Road, walks past other dogs on real sidewalks, and holds a structured heel through parking lots. It also changes the follow-up: unlimited private lessons and lifetime support, plus a comprehensive handover. That is why it is our most popular program.
| Gold Board & Train | Platinum Board & Train | |
|---|---|---|
| Length and price | 2 weeks, $2,500 | 3 weeks, $3,750 |
| About per day | $179 | $179 |
| Obedience | Sit/stay, place/stay, loose leash, door boundaries, jumping, pulling, impulse control | All of Gold plus down/stay and structured heel |
| Behavior modification | Not included | Reactivity and aggression work, daily graded exposure |
| Public work | Property and neighborhood streets | Field trips: stores, sidewalks, parks, the lake |
| After the stay | Go-home session, one extra lesson, lifelong support | Comprehensive handover, unlimited private lessons, lifetime support |
When Gold wins
Gold wins when the dog is friendly and the problem is manners.
A Goldendoodle who jumps on every guest, a Lab who drags you down the block, a rescue who has never learned to settle: these are obedience gaps, not behavior problems, and Gold closes them. The dog is not scared of anything and not angry at anything. He simply has no rules. Two weeks of structure, place/stay and leash work with proofing in the second week produces a different dog at your front door in Cinco Ranch or Fairfield.
Gold also wins on budget honesty. If our team hears a Gold problem on the phone consultation, we say Gold, because the difference is real money and a third week a dog does not need is a week he spends away from his family. The extra lesson included in Gold is enough follow-up for a manners dog. If you find yourself wanting more lessons later, they are $160 at the training home.
- Jumping, pulling, counter surfing, no settle
- The dog is social with people and dogs
- Nobody has ever been frightened by the dog
- You walk mostly in your own neighborhood
- You want the full obedience set without behavior work
When Platinum wins
Platinum wins the moment another dog, a stranger or a public place is part of the problem.
Lunging at dogs on the Buffalo Bayou trail, growling at visitors, freezing in a store, guarding the couch from the kids: these need behavior modification, which is a Platinum skill. The third week is not more of the same obedience. It is controlled exposure to the actual trigger, at a distance the dog can handle, closer each day, with a trainer who reads the dog's body before it tips over. Gold has no room for that work.
Platinum also wins for families who want the dog reliable in public, even without a behavior problem. Field trips to stores, restaurant patios and the lake are where a structured heel is built. And the unlimited private lessons matter more than families expect: a Memorial family who moves to a Heights townhome six months later gets a lesson on the new block at no extra charge. Lifetime support means the program does not end at the go-home session.
- Reactivity toward dogs or people on walks
- Growling, snapping or a bite, however minor
- You want the dog calm inside stores and on patios
- Structured heel and down/stay are on the list
- You want unlimited lessons after, not one
What Houston families choose
Platinum is the most popular program in the house, and adolescence is the reason.
The dogs arriving from Katy, The Woodlands and the Heights are mostly eight to eighteen months old, and many of them have started doing something on walks that worries their family: fixating, barking at a dog across the street, planting their feet at the sight of a stranger. That is early reactivity, and it is a Platinum job even when the obedience gap is small. Families who choose Gold for that dog often call back.
Gold is chosen by families with a steady dog and a shorter list, often a second dog in a house where the first one is already trained. Cost per day is identical, so the decision is about the third week's content, not the price. When our team is unsure, we ask one question: has this dog ever made you nervous on a walk? If yes, Platinum.
How to decide
How to decide between Gold and Platinum in five steps.
Take these in order. Most families stop at the second one, and the rest have their answer by the fourth. Bring the list to the phone consultation and our team will check it against the dog.
Write down every behavior you want fixed. Circle any that involves another dog, a stranger or a public place.
If anything is circled, choose Platinum. Behavior modification lives there.
If nothing is circled, ask whether you want the dog reliable in stores and on patios. If yes, Platinum for the field trips.
If the list is manners in the house and on your street, choose Gold and use the included lesson.
Check the follow-up you want. One lesson is Gold; unlimited lessons for life is Platinum.
The programs
The two programs most families compare.
Gold is the full obedience program. Platinum is the same program plus behavior modification, public work and unlimited lessons.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Can I upgrade from Gold to Platinum during the stay?
Sometimes, if there is space in the training home that week, since only a limited number of dogs live with us at once. Our team will call you if the dog turns out to need behavior modification. It is easier to book Platinum from the start when the phone consultation leaves any doubt.
Is Platinum worth the extra $1,250 if my dog is not reactive?
For a friendly dog with manners problems, Gold usually does the job and we say so. Platinum still earns its price for families who want public reliability, a structured heel, down/stay and unlimited lessons afterward. If you only want a calm house and a good walk on your block, keep the difference.
Do Gold dogs go on field trips?
No. Gold dogs train in the house, in the yard and on neighborhood streets, which is enough to build and proof obedience. Field trips to stores, parks and the lake are part of Platinum and VIP, because those trips are where behavior modification and public exposure get done safely with a trainer on the leash.
What does lifetime support include after Platinum?
Unlimited private lessons at the training home in Cypress, plus phone and message support for the life of the dog. Families use it after a move, a new baby, a second dog or a slip in the routine. Gold includes one additional lesson and lifelong support by phone, which is enough for most manners cases.
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Gold or Platinum? Decide with our team.
On the free phone consultation, tell our team what your dog does on walks and who visits your house. We will name Gold or Platinum, and a $250 deposit locks the start date.