A house, not runs
In-home board and train in Houston: a trainer's house, not a kennel
The phrase in-home board and train confuses people, so here is the plain version. It is our home, not yours. Your dog moves in with our trainers, lives by house rules, and is trained in the environments he will go back to. The alternative, a building full of runs, teaches a dog to be good in a building full of runs.
Last reviewed September 11, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
Who chooses a home
In-home board and train fits owners whose problems happen inside a house.
The family whose dog is perfect at daycare and impossible at home. Counter surfing, bolting through the front door, losing his mind at the doorbell, pacing while dinner is cooked: none of that can be trained in a kennel because none of it happens in a kennel. Our trainer's home has a kitchen, a front door, a couch and a back gate, and every one of them is a lesson.
The anxious or soft dog. A sensitive dog who shuts down in a loud, echoing building often opens up in a quiet house with a routine, a crate of his own and a small number of other dogs who are also on structure. That is why anxiety is one of the three things our trainers specialize in, and why they do it at home.
The owner who wants to know who has the dog. In a facility your dog may be handled by whoever is on shift. In our home he is trained by our team from the day he arrives to the go-home session, and the person in the Monday, Wednesday and Friday videos is the same person who hands you the leash.
- Household problems: doors, kitchens, guests, the couch, the doorbell
- Sensitive dogs who need quiet and routine, not a run
- Owners who want one team from drop-off to handover
- Dogs who have been through a facility program and regressed at home
Inside the house
A day in the training home is a day in any structured household, with more repetitions.
Drop-off is at the house in Cypress, off US-290, or our team picks the dog up at your door for $250. He is shown his crate, walked around the block and fed for a sit. The number of dogs in the house is deliberately limited, so he is not one of forty; he is one of a few, each on the same rhythm of walks, sessions, place and rest.
What the house teaches is the point. Place while pots clatter. A wait at the front door while a package is signed for. Ignoring the dog on the couch across the room. Calm in a crate while the television is on. Then, for Platinum and VIP dogs, the same skills in a store aisle or on a lake path. The go-home session happens in this same house for drop-off families, or at your house for transport and VIP families.
Early morning: structured walk on the neighborhood streets, breakfast earned with a sit and a release from the crate.
Mid-morning: the day's obedience block in the yard, then repeated in the kitchen and hallway with doors opening and people passing.
Late morning: place with duration while the household does ordinary things around the dog, the skill that ends pacing and begging at home.
Midday: crate rest. Calm is trained, and rest is when the morning sets; in summer this is also when the outdoor heat is highest.
Afternoon: exposure. The front door with real deliveries, the back gate, the truck, and for Platinum and VIP dogs a store, a park or the lake.
Evening: a second walk, dinner for a down, and settle time in the living room while the house winds down; update videos go out three days a week.
Price and inclusions
Every program lives in the same house; the price buys time, depth and what comes after.
Silver is one week for $1,500, Gold two weeks for $2,500, Platinum three weeks for $3,750 and VIP six weeks for $10,000. All four take place in the training home, all four end with a go-home session, and all four include the same three-times-a-week updates. The differences are what is taught, whether the dog goes into public, and how much support follows the stay once the dog is back in your kitchen.
The $250 reservation deposit. Because the house holds a limited number of dogs, dates are held with a $250 deposit paid through Reserve Your Spot and applied toward the program price. Our team confirms the program on the free phone consultation before you pay anything, so the deposit is a decision, not a guess, and you will know the program, the dates and the total before it is paid.
- One house, four lengths, from $1,500 to $10,000
- $250 transport turns the go-home session into a lesson at your door
- $250 deposit holds the dates and comes off the balance
- Private lessons at your own home are $220 if you want us there later
| Program | Length | Price | Where the handover happens | Support after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Foundation | 1 week | $1,500 | Training home in Cypress, or your home with transport | Go-home session |
| Gold Board & Train | 2 weeks | $2,500 | Training home, or your home with transport | One additional lesson, lifelong support |
| Platinum Board & Train | 3 weeks | $3,750 | Comprehensive handover in Cypress, or your home with transport | Unlimited private lessons, lifetime support |
| VIP Service-Dog-Level | 6 weeks | $10,000 | In-home handover, transport included | Unlimited in-home lessons, lifetime support directly with our team |
Houston specifics
The house is in Cypress, which puts it within an hour of most of greater Houston.
The training home sits off US-290 near Fry Road, in the middle of Cypress. Families in Memorial, the Heights and the Energy Corridor drive about 30 to 45 minutes outside rush hour; Katy and Tomball are 25 to 35; The Woodlands and Spring are 35 to 45 via 249 and 99. The exact address is shared once a program is booked, because it is a private residence and not a storefront.
A house has weather. From late spring through September the yard work moves to early morning and evening and the middle of the day is indoor structure, which suits a house far better than it suits a kennel. From June 1 to November 30 our team keeps a hurricane plan for every dog under the roof, with crates, records and food ready to move, and Ready Harris is the reference we hand families for their own kit.
- Off 290 near Fry Road in Cypress, address shared at booking
- Central Houston about 30 to 45 minutes; Katy and Tomball 25 to 35
- Neighborhood streets, Towne Lake paths and the stores along 290 as the classroom
- A storm plan for every dog in the house during hurricane season
The programs
Four lengths, one house.
Every program below lives in the Cypress training home. Our team chooses the length on the free consultation based on what has to change.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Does in-home board and train mean the trainer stays at my house?
No. In-home board and train means your dog lives in our trainer's home in Cypress for the program. If you want training at your own house, we offer private lessons there for $220 per session, the $250 transport option includes a first lesson at your home, and the VIP program includes an in-home handover and unlimited in-home lessons.
How many dogs live in the training home at once?
A limited number, by design. We do not publish a fixed figure because it changes with the programs in progress, but the point of a home-based program is that each dog is trained personally by our team every day. If you want to know how many dogs will be in the house during your dog's dates, ask on the consultation call.
Where does my dog sleep in the house?
In a crate inside the home, on a routine that mirrors what we will teach you to run at yours. The crate is part of the training: calm entry, quiet rest, a release word to exit. Dogs are not left in outdoor runs, and the crate routine comes home with the dog at the go-home session.
Is a home-based board and train better than a facility?
For household behavior, yes, because the dog is trained in the environment he lives in. A facility can drill commands, but doors, kitchens, couches and doorbells are what families actually struggle with. Our trainers also take Platinum and VIP dogs into public places, so the home does not limit exposure; it anchors it.
What does in-home board and train cost in Houston?
The same as every program at Best Dog University, because every program is in the home: $1,500 for one week, $2,500 for two, $3,750 for three and $10,000 for the six-week VIP. Transport is $250 unless you choose VIP, and a $250 reservation deposit holds your dates.
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Ask our team what your dog's weeks in the house would look like.
Begin with the free phone consultation, a direct call with our trainers about what happens at your house. Then a $250 reservation deposit holds your dog's dates in ours and is applied toward the program.