Comparisons
One board and train or a year of private sessions
This is the closest price match on our list. Twelve private hours and one two-week board and train land within $65 of each other before GST, and they buy different things. In one, we coach you while you handle your own dog. In the other, the dog trains with us daily and comes home with a lesson, a follow-up and your practice still to do. The numbers first, then the differences.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026
The arithmetic
Twelve coached hours against fourteen live-in days, priced exactly.
Private Training is $150 + GST per one-hour session, so twelve sessions come to $1,800 + GST. On-Leash Foundations is $1,865 + GST. The gap is $65 before GST. Twelve sessions spread one a month make a year, which is where this page's title comes from, but that spacing is only a way to picture the spend. It is not a package we sell, and it is not a schedule we recommend for any particular dog.
Inside the program: two weeks of daily one-on-one training and a structured routine, working on loose-leash walking, heel, sit, stay, down, place and everyday distractions. It ends with a handover lesson and includes a free follow-up session, lifetime phone and email support, and a slip lead and training collar to take home. Inside the sessions: twelve hours of us coaching you with your own dog, each with a written weekly plan customized to your home.
- Twelve sessions: $1,800 + GST
- Two weeks: $1,865 + GST
- Monthly spacing is only an example
- Both end with your practice
What each buys
Who handles the dog, and what happens after the invoice.
The clearest difference is who holds the leash while the skill is taught. In Private Training it is you, with us reading over your shoulder, and the written plan is what you practise until the next session. It is built for hands-on owners who want to do the training themselves. In On-Leash Foundations it is us for the two weeks, and the handover lesson is where the handling passes to you, along with the tools the dog learned on.
Neither route removes daily owner practice; it changes when it starts. After the program, the routine, the markers and the leash work still need to happen on your street, and the follow-up session and lifetime phone and email support exist for exactly that. After a session, the plan is the week's work. Which route we recommend is decided at the consultation, from the dog in front of us and how you want to be involved.
| On-Leash Foundations | Private sessions | |
|---|---|---|
| Price + GST | $1,865 | $150 per session |
| Same money buys | 2 weeks of daily one-on-one training | About 12 one-hour sessions (arithmetic) |
| Who does the daily work | We do, then hand over | You do, with a written weekly plan |
| Time to results | Concentrated | Spread across months |
| Best for | Habits that need volume | Coaching and specific problems |
The programs
Programs and prices
W · One-hour session
Private Training
One-on-one coaching with you on the other end of the leash.
Includes a written weekly plan to work from
NE · 2-week board & train
On-Leash Foundations
If every walk is a wrestling match, pulling, barking, zig-zagging, this two-week program rebuilds the walk from the ground up with foundational on-leash obedience..
Includes handover lesson, follow-up session, lifetime support, slip lead + collar
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
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Is board and train cheaper than private training?
Per invoice, no: a private session is $150 + GST and On-Leash Foundations is $1,865 + GST. Twelve sessions come to $1,800 + GST, $65 less before GST than the program. Past twelve sessions the program is the cheaper total; below it, the sessions are.
Board and train or private lessons: how does the cost compare?
On-Leash Foundations is $1,865 + GST and includes two weeks of daily one-on-one training, a handover lesson, a free follow-up, lifetime phone and email support, and a slip lead and training collar. Private Training is $150 + GST per one-hour session with a written weekly plan. Twelve sessions cost $1,800 + GST.
Private sessions vs board and train: which is better value?
Value depends on what you want to buy. The sessions buy coaching while you handle your own dog, for owners who want to do the training themselves. The program buys two weeks of daily one-on-one training done by us, handed over with a lesson and a follow-up, and your practice continues from there.
Can I do private sessions after a board and train?
Yes. A private session is $150 + GST at any point, and it comes with a written weekly plan customized to your home. Graduates of a board and train also have the included follow-up session, and On-Leash Foundations adds lifetime phone and email support.
Keep reading
Compare the two on paper
Bring the habit and your week. We will walk through both routes and what each includes. Book a consultation.
From real owners
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Real Northline dogs