05/06/2026
WHY WE WILL NEVER RECOMMEND A BOARD-AND-TRAIN FACILITY FOR A DOBERMANN
As a Dobermann rescue, people often ask us whether we recommend sending a dog away to a board-and-train facility.
Our answer is simple:
No.
Not for Dobermanns.
Not for obedience.
Not for reactivity.
Not for aggression.
Not for anxiety.
Not for behavioural problems of any kind.
Not for any reason.
In fact, one of the most common themes we encounter in rescue is owners contacting us after a board-and-train programme has gone wrong.
The story is often the same.
The owners were promised a quick fix.
They were told their dog would come back obedient.
They were told the behavioural issues would be solved.
The dog was sent away.
The dog came back appearing calm and compliant.
Then the problems started.
The dog became fearful.
The dog became shut down.
The dog became anxious.
The dog became less trusting.
The dog stopped giving clear warning signals.
Or, in most cases, the dog escalated to biting family members, visitors, or other animals.
By the time the owners contact rescue, they are often frightened of the very dog they were told had been "fixed."
This is one of the reasons we are fundamentally opposed to the board-and-train model, especially for sensitive, intelligent breeds like the Dobermann.
Training is not something that happens to a dog.
Training is a relationship between a dog and its owner.
A Dobermann does not need a stranger to build that relationship.
A Dobermann needs you.
Dobermanns are exceptionally intelligent, emotionally sensitive, and intensely loyal dogs. They form deep bonds with their families and are highly affected by how they are handled. Their greatest strength is their willingness to work with and trust their people.
That trust is not something that can be outsourced.
Many board-and-train facilities advertise quick results.
"Two weeks and your dog is obedient."
"Guaranteed results."
"Aggression solved."
"Reactivity eliminated."
But behaviour is not a machine that can be repaired and returned.
Behaviour is communication.
When a dog growls, barks, lunges, avoids, freezes, or reacts, it is communicating an emotional state.
Fear.
Stress.
Anxiety.
Frustration.
Conflict.
Uncertainty.
Those emotions do not disappear simply because the behaviour is no longer visible.
This is where the science becomes important.
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) states that reward-based methods should be used for dog training and behaviour modification and warns against the use of aversive methods because of the risks they pose to animal welfare and the human-animal bond.
Multiple scientific studies have found that dogs trained using aversive methods experience poorer welfare outcomes than dogs trained using reward-based methods.
Research published in PLOS ONE found that dogs trained with aversive methods displayed more stress-related behaviours and experienced poorer welfare both during training and outside of training situations.
Research published in Scientific Reports found that dogs exposed to aversive training methods showed more negative emotional states and a more pessimistic outlook when faced with unfamiliar situations.
In other words:
These methods do not simply change behaviour.
They change how dogs feel.
That matters because a dog that is afraid to communicate is not a safer dog.
A dog that is punished for growling may stop growling.
A dog that is punished for showing discomfort may stop showing discomfort.
The warning signs disappear.
The underlying emotion often does not.
Veterinary behaviour professionals have warned for years that suppressing warning signals without addressing the underlying emotional cause can create significant welfare concerns and increase risk.
The dog appears "fixed."
The fear is still there.
For a breed like the Dobermann, that can have devastating consequences.
Dobermanns are powerful dogs. They are intelligent enough to learn quickly, sensitive enough to be deeply affected by poor handling, and strong enough that the consequences of behavioural fallout can be serious.
As rescuers, we have seen the fallout firsthand.
Dogs that return shut down.
Dogs that return fearful.
Dogs that return confused.
Dogs that return less trusting than when they left.
Dogs that have lost confidence.
Dogs that have become bite risks.
Dogs that return severely injured, a lot of them dying within days.
And perhaps most importantly:
The owners return having learned absolutely nothing.
Because while the dog was away, the people were not being trained.
No trainer lives in your home.
No trainer manages your visitors.
No trainer handles your children.
No trainer supervises your interactions.
No trainer lives your daily life.
You do.
That is why owner education is every bit as important as dog training itself.
The best training teaches both ends of the leash.
A truly trained Dobermann is not one that obeys because it fears making a mistake.
A truly trained Dobermann is one that understands what is being asked, trusts the person asking, and willingly chooses to respond.
That kind of relationship cannot be bought.
It cannot be rushed.
It cannot be outsourced.
And it certainly cannot be achieved by shipping your dog away for a few weeks.
The strongest Dobermanns are not those that have been made compliant.
They are those that have been understood.
If you are struggling with your Dobermann, find a qualified positive reinforcement trainer who will work with you and your dog together.
Learn together.
Train together.
Build trust together.
Because no board-and-train programme can ever replace the bond between a Dobermann and its owner.
Sources:
• American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
• Vieira de Castro et al. (2020), PLOS ONE — Welfare consequences of aversive versus reward-based training methods in companion dogs
• Vieira de Castro et al. (2021), Scientific Reports — Aversive training methods associated with poorer welfare and more negative affective states in companion dogs
• Ziv (2017), Journal of Veterinary Behavior — Review of the effects of aversive training methods on dog welfare and behaviour
Thank you Koven Moodley - Smart Pet Behaviour for the poster!
