RIOS Canine Institute
Obedience, Advanced & Behavior Modification

Board & Train

Immersive, structured training with our team

2–7 weeks, depending on the evaluated planEvaluation-led recommendation
(520) 839-5124

Board & Train puts your dog in our care for daily, structured work — the consistency that's hard to replicate around a normal home schedule. We build toward off-leash reliability and solid public-access manners, then spend dedicated handler transfer sessions with you before pickup so the training comes home with both of you, not just the dog.

Who this is for

  • Owners who want faster, more consistent progress than a weekly-session pace allows
  • Dogs suited to a boarding environment and ready for the evaluated training goals
  • Households willing to do handler transfer sessions to maintain results at home

What's included

  • Off-leash reliability and public-access manners
  • Daily structured training and consistency
  • Handler transfer sessions before pickup
  • Ongoing support after your dog comes home

What you get

  • Daily structured training while your dog is in our care
  • Handler transfer sessions before your dog comes home
  • Ongoing support after pickup as you settle back into your routine

Frequently asked questions

What happens during handler transfer?
Before pickup, we run sessions with you and your dog together so you learn the exact cues, timing, and structure we used — the goal is that the training holds up in your hands, not just ours.
Is my dog a fit for Board & Train?
Reach out and tell us about your dog. Aggression cases are currently handled through private lessons, not boarding; reactivity and fear cases are assessed individually for the safest fit.
How long will my dog stay?
Two to seven weeks, depending on the evaluated plan. The length follows the goals rather than the other way around, which is why we talk about the dog before recommending the format.
Will my dog forget everything when it comes home?
Only if home goes back to the old rules. Dogs are highly contextual learners: return a trained dog to the same environment with the same absence of structure and it reverts. That is exactly why handler transfer sessions happen before pickup, and why they are the part of the program that decides whether the rest of it lasted.
Can I pay over time?
Eligible Board & Train packages allow at least 50% down with weekly or biweekly invoices ending by completion. Other package types are paid upfront, and payment in full receives a 5% discount where offered.
Can I visit my dog during the stay?
Weekly, and it is an option rather than an expectation. The one condition is that your own homework is current: a visit is part of the handover, not a break from it, and a handler who turns up out of step with where the dog has got to can undo a week in an afternoon. You will already have what you need to handle your dog correctly before the first visit, so the visit is for practising it rather than for learning it.
What if you decide partway through that my dog is not a fit?
Then you owe the boarding fee for the nights already used, and not the undelivered portion of the plan. We would rather stop and tell you than continue training that is not working.

Other programs

Obedience & Behavior

Basic Obedience & Public Access

Calm, clear behavior where real life happens

Everyday obedience, leash skills, neutrality, and handler communication built for the home, neighborhood, patios, stores, and other dog-appropriate public spaces.

  • Reliable everyday cues
  • Loose-leash walking and settling
  • Neutrality around people and dogs
  • Owner homework and handler transfer
Knowledge guideLessons or Board & Train, based on evaluation
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Service Dogs

Service Dog Foundations

Assessment-led foundations for disability-mitigating work, including psychiatric service dogs

Temperament screening, public-access foundations, handler skills, and task-building support built around what the handler actually needs day to day — mobility, medical alert, or psychiatric service dog work like PTSD and anxiety tasking.

  • Temperament and suitability assessment
  • Public-access foundation skills
  • Handler coaching and task foundations
  • Psychiatric service dog tasking (interruption, grounding, deep-pressure work)
  • Honest checkpoints with no certification guarantees
Knowledge guideIndividual plan after evaluation
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Family Protection

Family Protection & Security K9s

Five tiers, from a calm deterrent to a high-travel executive protection companion

Five tiers of protection training, from presence-based deterrence up to executive protection for a principal who travels. We evaluate every dog, yours or one we source, before agreeing to train it.

  • Five defined tiers, deterrent through executive protection
  • Every dog is temperament- and health-screened before we accept it
  • I'm personally involved in evaluation and selection at Tier 2 and above
  • All-inclusive sourcing available if you don't already have a candidate dog
  • A decoy and maintenance trainer lined up for every graduate
Knowledge guide6 to 12 weeks of training, depending on tier
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Single & Dual Purpose

Working Breeds & Advanced Obedience

Give drive a clear, useful job

Advanced engagement, neutrality, control, and real-world reliability for high-drive dogs and handlers who want more than household basics.

  • Advanced obedience around pressure and distraction
  • Drive management and purposeful outlets
  • Neutrality, clarity, and reliable outs
  • Aligned Lessons, Hybrid, and Board & Train goal tracks with format-specific responsibilities
Knowledge guideLessons, Hybrid, or Board & Train
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Single & Dual Purpose

Scent Work & Tracking

Purposeful mental work for capable dogs

Introductory scent games, odor work, tracking foundations, and advanced enrichment for owners who want a productive outlet beyond obedience.

  • Structured nose-work foundations
  • Tracking and search-pattern basics
  • Confidence and handler observation
  • A continuing outlet for high-drive dogs
Knowledge guideLessons, workshops, and continuing training
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Obedience & Behavior

Puppy Foundations

Start the relationship off right

Early socialization, crate and potty routines, and the first building blocks of obedience for puppies just getting started.

  • Socialization and confidence building
  • Crate, potty, and household routines
  • Name recognition, sit, and basic recall
  • Bite inhibition and settling skills
Knowledge guide4–6 weeks, weekly sessions
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Obedience & Behavior

Private / Handler Lessons

One-on-one coaching for you and your dog

In-person sessions focused on real-world obedience, leash manners, and handler skills so training holds up outside the training room.

  • Leash manners and loose-leash walking
  • Obedience commands built for daily life
  • Handler technique and communication
  • Flexible scheduling at your location or ours
Knowledge guide45–60 min per session
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Obedience & Behavior

Behavior Rehab

Assessment-led lessons for reactivity, fear, anxiety, and aggression

Assessment-led private lessons for dogs working through reactivity, fear, anxiety, or aggression, with boarding considered only for appropriate non-aggression cases.

  • Starts with a behavior assessment call
  • Customized lesson plan for reactivity, fear, anxiety, or aggression
  • Counter-conditioning and desensitization work
  • Close coordination with you throughout
Knowledge guideVaries by case; private lessons begin after assessment
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124

Want to know whether Board & Train is the right fit?

(520) 839-5124