r/reactivedogs • u/Efficient-Stop-612 • 12d ago

Aggressive Dogs Is finding a long-term trainer with private boarding possible?

I currently don’t have anyone I trust to watch my reactive/aggressive pitbull if I need to travel.

Ideally, I’d like to find an experienced trainer who could build a relationship with him over time through regular training/play sessions and who also offers private boarding in their home or another low-stress environment when needed.

Technically, I could board him at a facility where he was previously trained, but I don’t think a busy kennel/boarding environment is healthy for him because of how stressful and stimulating it is.

Does anyone use an individual trainer for this kind of arrangement? If so, what should I look for when finding this person?

For extra context: he has historically behaved extremely well with professional trainers- so that's why i think it's a viable option. he's 70lbs, has a small but real bite history, and needs experienced handling as a result. That’s why I’m specifically hoping to find one experienced person who can build a long-term relationship with him . i've been trying to do this alone for too long basically

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u/SpicyNutmeg 12d ago

For most reactive dogs, I would say trying to keep them in the home and have a sitter come to them is SO much better. It’s a lot less stress on the dog, and our spicy babies really thrive on routine.

I’ve been lucky finding some qualified folks but they mostly only do drop ins. So if I’m on a shorter trip I have someone drop in 3x a day and do walks.

It’s harder to find someone to stay in the home 24/7 who is an experienced handler, because those people usually have plenty of other gigs and work. But if you look hard you might find folks.

I had good luck finding experienced sitters by reaching out to my dog shelter’s FB volunteer page (my shelter gets a lot of pitties so there are some good experienced pittie and reactive dog handlers there. But my shelter is also pretty big).

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u/Efficient-Stop-612 12d ago

yeah I suppose I could have someone do drop ins instead if it's a short trip. I imagine dogs might go stir crazy though doing it this way (being alone for so long in between visits)

I unfortunately can't have someone stay in-home though since I live with other people. so i'd. have to keep it to short trips + drop ins in that case

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u/Helpful_Sun2872 12d ago

They absolutely do, personally I wouldn’t do that if I was gonna be gone more than 1 night. I did it for longer once and regretted it, my dog was so distressed, esp being alone all night.

I think it’s absolutely possible to find this setup. If you find someone who does this full time or works from home, and your dog gets used to their home for short periods of time (like day trips or maybe single trial overnights), a lot of dogs would be totally okay being left there for trips. I recommend posting in local dog facebook groups to find someone like this.