Training notes

What a day-training week looks like

Day training is the program for people who want serious progress without sending the dog away. You drop off between 8 and 10 am, we train all day, and your dog sleeps in their own bed every night. Here is how a Monday-to-Friday week actually unfolds, hour by hour, through to the one-hour go-home lesson that ends every week.

Last reviewed August 26, 2026

Trainer kneeling in a field rewarding a springer spaniel with a toy

The daily rhythm

Short sessions, real rest, repeat.

Mornings start with the drop-off window, 8 to 10 am, which exists so the September school run and your commute do not have to bend around us. Once your dog settles in, the day runs on a structured routine: a focused one-on-one session, then genuine rest, then another session, spaced so the dog is always working fresh. Dogs do not learn well when they are frazzled, so we treat rest as part of the curriculum, not a gap in it. Between sessions there is enrichment and calm socialization, matched to what that particular dog can handle that particular week.

Afternoons are for proofing. Whatever the morning built, the afternoon tests around mild, real-world distractions, because a sit that only works in a quiet room is a party trick. By the 5 to 7 pm pick-up window your dog has worked, rested, and worked again, which is why day-training dogs tend to walk to the car quietly and sleep hard that evening. Then it all happens again tomorrow. Five consecutive days is the quiet advantage here: no weekend-only training, no losing Monday's progress by Thursday, just steady daily reps stacked across a full working week.

  • Drop-off between 8 and 10
  • One-on-one sessions all day
  • Home in their own bed
  • Weekly one-hour go-home lesson

Why it works

The week ends in your hands.

The go-home lesson is the hinge of the whole week. Once a week, for a full hour, we hand you the leash and teach you everything your dog just learned: the cues, the leash mechanics, the timing, the standards to hold at home. Day training without that hour would just be expensive daycare with homework nobody assigned. With it, the weekend becomes practice instead of regression, and Monday's drop-off starts from a higher floor than the week before. Owners who take that hour seriously see the sharpest progress, and we say that as the people holding the clipboard.

At $650 plus GST per week, day training sits between $150 private sessions and a full board and train, and that is exactly the gap it is built for. It suits dogs who fall apart when they sleep away from home, owners who want daily involvement, and anyone testing the waters before committing to two or three weeks residential. It is honest work, not magic: one week builds real skills, several weeks build habits. When the goal is bigger, like off-leash reliability or behaviour rehab, we will tell you straight that a board and train is the better tool.

Trainer holding a leash while a yellow lab offers a paw on a sports field

Asked and answered

The questions people ask us.

How much is day training for dogs in Calgary?

Day training runs $650 plus GST per week, Monday to Friday. That covers one-on-one training through the day, structured rest, socialization, enrichment, and a one-hour go-home lesson each week. Your dog comes home to sleep every night.

What time is drop-off and pick-up?

Drop-off is between 8 and 10 am and pick-up is between 5 and 7 pm, Monday to Friday. The two-hour windows are there so training fits around real work schedules, not the other way around.

Is day training as effective as board and train?

For manners and leash skills in a dog who does well sleeping at home, it is a strong option, and the weekly go-home lesson keeps you involved. For off-leash reliability or serious behaviour work, a board and train gives us more hours and more control, and we will say so.

How many weeks of day training does a dog need?

It depends on the dog and the goal, which is what the consultation sorts out. One week builds skills you can keep practising; most habits take longer. We would rather map it honestly up front than sell you a week at a time.

See if the week fits

Tell us about your dog and your schedule, and we will map out a week. Book a consultation.

From real owners

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