Comparisons
Puppy Fundamentals vs day training for puppies
Three weeks without the puppy can feel like a lot to hand over, and a weekday format where the puppy sleeps at home every night is the obvious alternative. Both are one-on-one; neither is a group class. We set the two formats side by side: what Puppy Fundamentals works on over its three-week stay, how Day Training's weekday schedule runs, and what each includes and costs. The recommendation itself waits for the consultation.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
Stay or commute
A three-week stay on one side, a weekday commute on the other.
Puppy Fundamentals is a three-week stay with us. The curriculum is crate comfort, name recognition, leash manners, sit and stay, down and stay, the place command, socialization, and meeting new sights and sounds calmly. It is built for puppies in their key learning window and includes an owner handover lesson, so the habits are handed to the person who will keep them, plus one free follow-up session. Every hour of it is one-on-one.
Day Training is a weekday commute. Drop-off is between 8 and 10 am and pick-up between 5 and 7 pm, at $650 a week plus GST. The day covers one-on-one training, obedience development, structured socialization, supervised play and enrichment, and manners reinforcement, and each week includes a one-hour go-home session. It is built for dogs who need consistent work and owners who want them home every night, not specifically for puppies, so the consultation is where we say whether it fits a particular puppy.
- Three-week stay, $2,775 plus GST
- Weekdays, $650 a week plus GST
- Handover lesson or weekly go-home session
- One-on-one either way, no group classes
Nights and lessons
Where the puppy sleeps changes what the week looks like.
In Puppy Fundamentals the puppy lives the structured routine it is learning, in clean, comfortable accommodations with fresh water, daily exercise, enrichment and individual care. Visits during the stay are gently discouraged because they interrupt that routine, so updates come by social media and by phone or email. In Day Training the puppy is with us by day and at home by night, so evenings and weekends happen at home, and the weekly one-hour go-home session is where we show what was worked on.
Socialization appears on both lists and looks different in each format. Puppy Fundamentals lists socialization and meeting new sights and sounds calmly as part of a three-week routine that runs morning to night. Day Training lists structured socialization alongside supervised play and enrichment inside a weekday. Pricing differs too: Puppy Fundamentals is one total, $2,775 plus GST, while Day Training is priced per week at $650 plus GST. The consultation is where we recommend one route, including the smaller one when it is enough.
| Puppy Fundamentals | Day Training | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | 3-week board and train | Weekdays, home every night |
| Price + GST | $2,775 | $650 per week |
| Owner's job | Handover lesson, follow-up | Weekly go-home lesson, nightly practice |
| Built for | Crate, name, leash basics, socialization in the window | Manners and focus with the puppy home at night |
| Includes | Handover lesson, follow-up, slip lead and collar | Weekly one-hour go-home lesson, daily structure |
The programs
Programs and prices
SW · Weekdays, drop-off 8–10 am · pick-up 5–7 pm
Day Training
Professional training all day, your couch at night.
Includes weekly one-hour go-home lesson, daily structure
N · 3-week board & train
Puppy Fundamentals
Your puppy's first months decide the habits of a lifetime.
Includes handover lesson, follow-up session, slip lead + collar
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Puppy Fundamentals vs day training: what is the real difference?
The format. Puppy Fundamentals is a three-week board and train at $2,775 plus GST that works on crate comfort, name recognition, leash manners, sit, down, stay, place and socialization, with a handover lesson and a free follow-up session. Day Training is a weekday program at $650 a week plus GST, drop-off 8 to 10 am and pick-up 5 to 7 pm, with a one-hour go-home session each week.
Is there day training for puppies in Calgary?
We run Day Training in Calgary on weekdays, drop-off between 8 and 10 am and pick-up between 5 and 7 pm, at $650 a week plus GST, one-on-one with a weekly one-hour go-home session. It is built for dogs who need consistent work and owners who want them home every night rather than for a particular age. Whether it suits a specific puppy is something we say at the consultation.
Should my puppy do board and train or day training?
That is what the consultation is for: we meet the puppy and recommend one of the two. Puppy Fundamentals is built for puppies in their key learning window and covers crate comfort, name recognition, leash manners and socialization over three weeks. Day Training is priced per week, keeps the puppy home each night, and is built for dogs who need consistent work rather than for an age group.
Puppy day school vs board and train: which gets faster results?
We do not quote speed for either, because how far an individual puppy gets depends on the puppy and on what continues at home. What differs is the format: Puppy Fundamentals is three weeks of daily training and structured routine lived with us around the clock, while Day Training is one-on-one work on weekdays with the puppy home each evening. Both include an owner lesson, a handover lesson in one and a weekly go-home session in the other.
Keep reading
Which route for your puppy?
Book a consultation. We will meet the puppy, then recommend one route, and say so when the smaller option is enough.
From real owners
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