Costs & pricing
How much should you spend on dog training?
Most pricing questions are really matching questions. The right amount to spend on dog training depends on what the problem is, how much of your week you can give it, and whether your dog needs to be home at night. Those three answers do more to set the figure than the budget does. Here is the published price ladder and the questions we ask before pointing at any rung of it.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Three kinds of spend
Coaching, volume and change each carry a different price.
The cheapest spend is coaching. Private Training is $150 plus GST for one hour and a plan written around your home, and it fits when the problem is specific, you can practise through the week, and you want to do the handling yourself. The next kind of spend buys volume. Day Training is $650 plus GST per week, Monday to Friday, with drop-off from 8 to 10 am and pick-up from 5 to 7 pm, one-on-one daily work, and a weekly one-hour go-home lesson.
The third kind of spend buys a live-in program, and the ladder is published. On-Leash Foundations is two weeks at $1,865. Puppy Fundamentals is three weeks at $2,775. Functional Off-Leash is three weeks at $3,030 and Advanced Off-Leash four weeks at $3,940. Behaviour Rehab, for anxiety, reactivity and aggression, runs five to six weeks at $4,850 to $5,760, set after a full assessment. All prices are plus GST. The rungs are set by what each program works on, not by appetite to spend.
- Coaching from $150 a session
- Daily volume at $650 a week
- Live-in programs from $1,865
- Behaviour change priced after assessment
Deciding questions
Four questions to answer before you pick a rung.
First: is the problem one thing or the whole picture? Leash pulling is one thing; coaching can target it. A dog who ignores you everywhere is the whole picture and usually calls for volume. Second: who has the hours? If nobody in the house can practise, a plan on paper will sit there, and Day Training or a live-in program supplies the daily work instead. Third: does the dog need to sleep at home? Some do, and Day Training exists for that household.
Fourth: is there fear, growling, lunging or a bite in the history? Then the spend starts with an assessment, not a program, and the Behaviour Rehab range is set only after it. The consultation ends with a recommendation, and where a cheaper format does the job, that is the one you will hear. As arithmetic, a $1,865 program is a little over twelve private sessions at $150; the two are not interchangeable, since one buys your hours and the other buys ours.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
How much does dog training usually cost?
Published Northline K9 prices run from $150 plus GST for a one-hour private session to $4,850 to $5,760 plus GST for five to six weeks of Behaviour Rehab. Day Training is $650 plus GST per week and the live-in obedience programs run from $1,865 to $3,940 plus GST. The figure that fits you depends on the problem, not the menu.
Is it better to spend on private lessons or a program?
Private lessons fit a specific problem and an owner with time to practise between sessions. A program fits a dog who needs daily repetition, or a behaviour that needs a controlled environment and an assessment first. The consultation decides which, and a smaller choice is recommended whenever it is enough.
Should you spend more on a puppy or wait until problems show up?
Puppy Fundamentals is built for the key learning window, and the published guidance is plain: when a pup is already practising habits you do not love, sooner is better. Waiting tends to hand the habit more practice, not less. If a puppy is in the house, that is the stage to spend on.
How do you know if you are overspending on dog training?
You are overspending if the program does more than your problem requires, or if you are paying for daily work you could supply yourself. Ask what the program works on and whether a smaller format fits your situation. An honest recommendation should sometimes be the cheaper one.
Keep reading
Match the spend first
Book a consultation. Tell us the problem and the household, and we will name the rung that fits, cheaper one included.
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