Private training
How many private training sessions does a dog need?
It is the question everyone asks and the one nobody can answer honestly from a distance. A dog that pulls on the leash and a dog that panics at the vet are not the same job, and an owner who practises every evening has a different week from one who practises on Sundays. So rather than a number, here is what shapes the count, and how to tell whether the work is moving.
Last reviewed September 29, 2026
Thinking it through
Match the count to the job, not the calendar.
Start by naming what you want. A single, specific problem, such as counter raiding or barking when guests arrive, is a narrower job than teaching a young dog the whole obedience set, and the two tend to ask for different amounts of coaching. Either way, a session is one hour at $150 + GST, split between troubleshooting, obedience work and coaching you. You leave with a written plan for your house, and the practice between sessions is yours.
A goal is layered work: a solid stay, then a stay with a ball rolling past, then a heel that holds past another dog. How quickly the layers stack depends on where the dog starts and how much of the plan gets worked between sessions, and neither is visible from a web page, which is why no universal count exists. What you can watch is the plan: an exercise that was hard last week coming easily, the same behaviour holding in a new room.
- A named problem or a bigger goal
- One hour, one written plan
- Practice between sessions counts
- Progress you can observe
Beyond the hour
The hour is the lesson; the week is the practice.
One hour with us is not the whole week's training. The plan is written to be practised at home in short pieces, so a dog whose household works it daily gets far more repetition than the session alone provides. That is also why the session count is not the useful measure. A behaviour may temporarily increase after the rules change. If it persists or escalates, that is a reason to reassess, not to push through.
Some households cannot find practice time, and some dogs and goals suit a different format. Day Training runs Monday to Friday at $650 + GST per week, with drop-off 8 to 10 am, pick-up 5 to 7 pm and a one-hour go-home lesson with you each week. Board and train programs run from two to six weeks. The program is recommended at the consultation, and a smaller one is recommended when it covers the goal. The recommendation follows the dog, not the price list.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
How many private training sessions does a dog need?
There is no universal number. The count depends on the goal, where the dog starts and how much of the written weekly plan gets practised at home, and none of those can be read from a website. Each session is one hour at $150 + GST and ends with a plan for your house.
How many dog training sessions does it take to see a change?
That varies with the dog and with the practice between sessions, so no honest page can give a number. What you can watch for is the plan's exercises coming more easily and holding in new places. If a behaviour persists or escalates instead, that is a reason to bring it back to a professional.
How many lessons does a dog need to learn basic obedience?
Basic obedience is a set of skills rather than one problem, and each skill gets built and then proofed in new places, so there is no single count to give. What sets the pace is the dog's starting point and how much of the weekly plan gets practised. If a different format would suit the household better, the consultation will say so.
Can one private session be enough?
No one can honestly promise that before meeting the dog. Every session is a full hour of troubleshooting and coaching that ends with a written plan you can practise all week, plus honest guidance on which program fits if more help would help. Whether you book again is a decision you make with that plan in hand.
Keep reading
Start with the goal.
Book a consultation. We will look at your dog and your goal, then recommend a format no bigger than it needs to be.
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