Charleston's Premier Board & Train Academy — Citadel Alumni & Veteran Owned

We train in a balanced, rewards-based dog training system. What this means is that we teach through rewards. Typically, we use food rewards to build focus, engagement, and teach the dog obedience behaviors. 

After a dog fully understands their expected behaviors, we will then begin to randomize rewards and hold the dog accountable for disobedience with a leash. 

Once a dog understands accountability with a leash, we’ll condition them to a remote collar which allows you to control your dog’s behavior from a distance and off-leash. 

When these steps are complete, we’ll proof their training through distraction work by taking them to a wide variety of places like a hardware store, park, restaurant, coffee shop, farmer’s market, and beach to ensure they understand the training even with distractions present.

All dogs enrolled in a board and train program will stay at our Lead Trainer’s home for the duration of training. He has converted an entire area of the home for the dogs to remain at. Your dog will be fed twice a day (unless special dieting requires more or less feeding), exercised a minimum of twice per day, and be trained throughout the day.

Anytime the Lead Trainer, other trainers, or caretakers are not present, or the Lead Trainer is asleep at night, your dog will remain in a kennel. Dogs that have had previous bad experiences with kennels are rehabilitated to view the kennel as a good place to be.

Once a dog is taught all expectations and obedience work we will condition them to a remote collar to support off-leash and distance obedience training. We don’t believe that a remote collar (electronic collar) should be the backbone of any training system. However, we do believe it’s a valuable training tool when used correctly with a dog who has been conditioned to the sensation of a remote collar. 

The sensation from a remote collar is very similar to a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit—which humans actually use to treat pain! But since dogs have never experienced this sensation, we know it can be surprising to them.

We have an extremely thorough process to teach the dog what the sensation from the remote collar means and how to respond to it that the dog clearly understands.
We do not endorse the use of remote collars without thorough and appropriate conditioning for the individual dog. Remote collar conditioning should only ever take place after the proper relationship building, teaching of expectations, and training have occurred.

If your dog has already mastered all obedience commands and behaviors, you must be able to demonstrate this on a level that is equal to the obedience that we train. We typically ask to meet with you in a distracting environment like a market, hardware store, outlet mall, or park. Your dog must be able to demonstrate the following obedience behaviors:

• Heel (left side of body)
• Stay (down position) for 20 minutes with varying distances between you and your dog
• Recall from a minimum of 15 yards away

If your dog can demonstrate these obedience behaviors successfully, we’ll evaluate your dog and can provide a lower rate to treat specific undesirable behaviors.

Yes — and that’s a good sign. Our Board & Train programs consistently book out 4–8 weeks in advance. We keep enrollment intentionally limited because we only accept serious students and families. If you’re serious about getting your dog into a program, the best move is to book a discovery call now to secure your spot in the queue. The sooner you reach out, the sooner your dog starts.

Our Board & Train programs start at $4,726 and vary based on program length and your dog’s specific needs. We believe in complete pricing transparency — no surprise fees, no upsells at pickup. The investment reflects professional daily training, around-the-clock supervision, structured curriculum, all equipment that you and your dog needs (including the exclusive DogTra PRO series remote collar and needed accessories), and the lifetime alumni support that comes after your dog goes home. Most of our clients tell us it’s the best investment they’ve ever made. Financing options are available with Klarna and Affirm. Book a discovery call and we’ll recommend the right program for your dog and your budget.

Our programs run 4 to 6 weeks, depending on your dog’s current behavior and your training goals. Dogs with reactivity, aggression history, or more complex behavioral challenges will need to enroll in our Behavior Modification and Rehabilitation program. During your discovery call, we’ll ask the right questions and recommend the program that’s actually right for your dog — not the one that’s most convenient or least expensive. We’re not interested in setting your dog up for failure.

Yes, we offer financing through Klarna and Affirm.  Addtionally, we offer an in-house payment plan of 50% of tuition due at training pick up, and 50% of tuition due at training return.

Return home day is one of our favorite parts of the process — you’ll see your dog demonstrate everything they’ve learned before we leave your house. We walk you through exactly how to maintain the training at home so nothing gets lost in the transition. Depending on your program, you’ll also have access to follow-up sessions, alumni group classes, and our alumni community. We don’t disappear after pickup. The transformation your dog made here is designed to last a lifetime — and we’re committed to making sure it does with our lifetime support for your dog and family.

In 9+ years and hundreds of dogs trained across the Charleston Lowcountry (and across the United States), we have not met a dog we couldn’t transform — including dogs with severe aggression, biting histories, and anxiety that other trainers had already turned away. We don’t say that to impress you. We say it because it’s true, and because we want you to stop wondering if your dog is ‘too far gone.’ They’re not. If we accept your dog into a program, it’s because we’re confident in the outcome. We don’t take cases we can’t handle — and we don’t make promises we can’t keep. When your dog completes our training program, we will detail the exact protocols your family needs to follow to maintain training at home. When you Join the Revolution, you are part of the Revolution, for life.

There is no need to euthanize your dog. We’ve rehabilitated many dogs with a biting history and have yet to encounter one that couldn’t be trained or rehabilitated. The process isn’t easy and many other trainers aren’t up to the challenge—but we are. And our training methods work.

We use a proven process that follows this progression: build trust, build engagement and focus, teach obedience behaviors, socialization, and proof all behaviors in distraction work.

Once your dog has completed training and returns home, you must maintain your dog’s training, but we will be here to support you every step of the way through training sessions, follow-up sessions, our alumni online resource, alumni community group, alumni group classes. And we’re always a call, text, or email away.