Comparisons
Functional Off-Leash vs Advanced Off-Leash
Off-leash means different things to different owners. For some it is a dog that comes back when called on a river path. For others it is a dog that walks at heel with no leash and drops on a command given from a distance. Functional Off-Leash teaches the first. Advanced Off-Leash teaches the second. The published difference is one week, $910 plus GST, one extra follow-up, and a different set of skills.
Last reviewed September 24, 2026
Two kinds of freedom
Coming back is one skill, staying in position is another.
Functional Off-Leash runs three weeks and costs $3,030 plus GST. The syllabus covers recall worked around distractions, manners for a loose dog in the house, socialization, distraction training and basic behaviour modification. A Micro or Mini Educator remote collar is included, and so is owner education on using every tool properly, so the household is taught the equipment rather than handed it. One free follow-up session is included, along with the handover lesson that comes with every board and train.
Advanced Off-Leash runs four weeks at $3,940 plus GST. Its syllabus is off-leash heel, advanced recall, sit, stay and down at a distance, public manners and advanced distraction training. A remote collar is included, along with owner education and handover lessons, and there are two free follow-up sessions rather than one. The extra week and the extra $910 sit on the price list beside those extra skills and the second follow-up. Both are daily one-on-one work for the length of the stay.
- Recall taught in three weeks
- Off-leash heel taught in four
- Remote collar in both
- One follow-up or two
Telling them apart
Where the two syllabuses part ways.
The overlap is recall. Functional teaches reliable recall around distractions; Advanced lists advanced recall alongside sit, stay and down at a distance. The divergence is position work. Off-leash heel and commands given from a distance appear only on the Advanced syllabus, as do public manners and advanced distraction training. Functional, for its part, lists off-leash house manners and basic behaviour modification, which the Advanced syllabus does not name. Reading the two lists side by side is the most honest comparison, because both are published.
Functional's published audience is a dog whose manners are already decent and who is ready for real freedom. Advanced's is an owner who wants the dog along everywhere, and a dog who can handle that with calm confidence. Neither description sets a prerequisite or an order, and we do not add one here. At the consultation we hear what off-leash means to that household, look at the dog, and recommend one program, including the three-week one when it is enough.
| Functional Off-Leash | Advanced Off-Leash | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Price + GST | $3,030 | $3,940 |
| Built for | Reliable recall and off-leash manners | Off-leash heel, distance commands, public manners |
| Typical owner | Hikes, river paths, off-leash parks | Wants position control anywhere |
| Includes | Handover lesson, follow-ups, Educator e-collar | Handover lesson, follow-ups |
The programs
Programs and prices
E · 3-week board & train
Functional Off-Leash
Everything in the on-leash program, then the next level: reliable off-leash recall even around distractions.
Includes handover lesson, follow-ups, Educator remote collar
SE · 4-week board & train
Advanced Off-Leash
The full four-week build: from functional foundations to advanced reliability in public environments and around higher-level distractions.
Includes handover lesson, 2 follow-ups, Educator remote collar
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Which off leash program is the right one?
That depends on what off-leash is meant to cover. Functional Off-Leash teaches reliable recall around distractions and off-leash manners over three weeks; Advanced Off-Leash teaches off-leash heel, distance commands and public manners over four. We recommend one of them at the consultation, and three weeks is what we recommend when three weeks is enough.
3 week or 4 week off leash board and train?
Three weeks is our Functional Off-Leash: recall and off-leash manners, $3,030 plus GST, Micro or Mini Educator collar included, one free follow-up. Four weeks is our Advanced Off-Leash: off-leash heel, distance commands and public manners, $3,940 plus GST, remote collar included, two free follow-ups.
Off leash heel vs recall training: what is the difference?
Recall is the dog coming when called, from wherever it happens to be. An off-leash heel is the dog holding position at the handler's side with no leash attached. We teach recall in Functional Off-Leash and the heel in Advanced Off-Leash, along with sit, stay and down given at a distance.
Functional off leash vs advanced off leash: does one come before the other?
The published programs do not set an order, and we do not invent one. Each is its own board and train with its own length, price and syllabus. Which one fits a particular dog is what we work out at the consultation, and the shorter program is what we recommend when it is enough.
Keep reading
Freedom, sized to the dog
Describe where the dog walks and how far it should range, and we will name the program. Book a consultation.
From real owners
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Real Northline dogs