Training a dog feels like a roller-coaster ride. **Many dog owners** hire trainers to hit those training milestones.
You may try to train your canine to behave well but end up soon due to many reasons like your dog is not cooperating, you have long working hours, you have a new baby, or you are suffering from injury or other health issues that you do not have enough energy to engage in long hours with your pet for training.
You will prefer a professional dog trainer to train your pet in all these situations. But before hiring a training, you end up with this thought, what does dog training costs?
Professional dog training costs a considerable amount of money, but it all depends on the type of class, type of training, behavioral history, dog age, dog breed, location, and budget.
Types of Dog Training and Cost
Professional dog trainers offer a variety of services to meet the different needs of dogs nowadays. Training usually involves fun and engaging activities.
Dog training requires behavior improvement, tasks completion, and interaction with the world. Professional dog trainers now opted the “punishment-based system” for training with a “reward-based system” where required goals are obtained satisfactorily and positively.
Standard training classes include puppy/dog obedience, training for fearful dogs, training for aggressive dogs, and training for behavior problems.
For example, standard obedience training usually involves responding to commands in a specific way. In contrast, behavior training is about discipline, like how to behave when greeting guests or other dogs, acting on the leash, behaving when excited, etc.
Several options to train your dog include private training, service training, group training, and obedience training. Private dog training classes are expensive compared to group classes.
Virtual or online training courses are also available due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Let’s break down the list of training methods:
Private Dog Training
Private dog training classes can be held at home or in the training facility. You can directly discuss and work with your pet trainer on which kind of behavior needs improvement and which skills you want your dog to master.
Private or one-to-one training sessions are suitable for fast learning when you are short on time or your dog needs behavior improvement like excessive barking, compulsion, etc.
Private lessons are also good for shy dogs, who feel anxious about meeting new people or going to new places and having aggression problems. You will also learn how to understand your dog’s cues and how this will facilitate him learning sit, stay, wait, and other manners. Private classes usually focus on basic obedience training for dogs.
Due to the private nature of these classes, there are costly, ranging from $ 50 to $ 100 per class. If your dog has behavior issues and needs more expertise and dedicated work to train him, the price will be at the high end, definitely to $ 250. Behavioral training classes usually last for weeks, with an hour of class every day.
Prices also vary with the degree of expertise and location of your residence. Many private trainers offer courses in several sessions in the form of packages with discount prices but in the end, what matters is what you need and what works best for your pet.
Group Dog Training
Group training is one of the best ways to minimize the cost of dog training. These classes are usually held in small groups of 6-10 dogs and happen at community facilities, pet stores, or pet daycares. Dog owners also have the opportunity to join these classes.
It will make the pet owner relationship stronger, and you will better assess your pet’s goal accomplishment for group classes. Sometimes there is a difference in price in classes like puppy training classes are cheaper than adult dog classes, but this is not always true for each center.
Group training classes are usually based on basic command training like “sit,” “stay,” “lie down,” “come,” and “go.” Socialization is great for puppy training and social interaction with other puppies, dogs, and humans.
Other advanced classes are focused on aggression management of furious dogs or anxious. Some are also designed for sports activities like agility and other skills like scent recognition.
The group classes usually cost $120 to 500 for a six to eight weeks course length. Each class costs around $25 to 50, depending upon each class’s training nature.
Dog Board Training Camps
If you feel that your dog has severe behavior issues that need training, you need to consider board training camps. It’s also called boot camp kennel training.
Board training is usually for a day boarding and evening pickup with obedience training, or it needs boarding for several days to weeks for desired behaviors. As your dog will be away from home for long periods, you must discuss all needs and goals for training with the trainer.
Once your pet comes back home, you need to practice those skills they have learned at training camp; it will reinforce those skills for desired behavior.
Board and training might not be the cheapest option for training but are worthy for special behavior issues. The cost of training depends on how long your dog will stay at boarding with a trainer.
A day’s cost usually ranges from $45 to $75 per day with an approximation of $1000 to $3000 for two-week boarding.
Online Dog Training
During the global pandemic situation of Covid-19, online training classes are a good option for you and your dog. These classes are usually based on audio and video interaction material to help you train your dog. You can participate in classes through auditing, forums, and working spots.
On working spots, you have to upload videos of your pet and get feedback from the trainer. However, online dog training is not a good option for puppies who need socialization because these classes usually focus on specific skills. Online classes usually cost $80 to $350.
Professional Dog Training Cost
Petco
Petco Private Class
Petco offers positive reinforcement classes. These classes teach basics such as sit, stand, lie down, stay, etc. Ther also offers 10 min playtime with the puppy and asks the owner to repeat all the skills at home. Training is $ 120 for six-week training programs. They also offer deals where you can find a class that costs $80.
Petco Group Class
Petco offers different classes for puppies and dogs. Each class costs according to the level of the course. For example, puppy level 1 (2-4 months old) and puppy level 2 (4-6 months old) has the same cost of $12o. These classes also include puppy playtime and provide opportunities for the socialization of puppies.
Adult level 1 (over six months of age), adult-level two after completion of level 1, and canine good citizen class after completing level 3, each level costs $120.
Petsmart
Petsmart Private Classe
These classes cost around $45 for 30 minutes. These classes are designed for special behavior modification and breeds that need more attention.
These classes are usually held at the owner’s home; the trainer’s dog also takes part in training for assistance and actual tricks.
Petsmart Group Class
Petsmart group classes include puppy (10 weeks to 5 months old), intermediate, and advanced stage classes. Each class costs $120, whereas costs vary from $90 to $105 with coupons.
Special Dog Training Costs
Special dog training programs are actually for a puppy to be a service dog. In these classes, special skills are taught to dogs. For example, your dog learns how to answer the special need of its owner.
In service dog training, dogs are trained to support people in difficult conditions like anxiety, provide the needed objects to the owner, recognize low sugar levels, protect the owner from a head injury during an epilepsy attack. On average, a particular dog training class costs $120.
What Do Service Dogs Do?
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is a special dog trained individually to meet the needs of his disabled owner, either physical or mental.
Special service training includes therapy, diabetic alert, protection, emotional support, and commercial (movie or TV) purposes.
Guard Dog
Guard dog training costs an average of $120 per hour. Protection service dogs assist in recognizing the low blood sugar levels of diabetic owners and protecting the head of an epileptic owner from injury during seizures.
Therapy Dog
This service dog is different because it provides comfort to the owner during stress, anxiety, and comfort. Therapy dogs are usually offered services in hospitals or children’s homes. Cost training such a dog is $250 per 8-session, with each session costing $ 30.
Search and Rescue Dogs
Usually, 600 hours are needed to train a dog for search and rescue purposes. It costs around $2500 to $5000 for basic training for such a long duration. For the full instruction program, the cost ranges from $15000 to $20000. Search and rescue dogs are used to search for missing adults and children.
Dogs trained to search in the wilderness are certified for tracking, air scent, and trailing. Additional training s includes disaster training, avalanche, and search in the water.
Hearing Dog
Hearing dog training costs $1000, but the recipient gets it free from a non-profit, and credit all goes to funds and sponsorships.
Such dogs are trained to sensor sounds like doorbells, crying babies, smoke alarms, and take the hearing owner to the source of the sound. If you want to train your dog for hearing service, it costs about $6000 to pay by yourself.
Guide Dog
Guide dogs are accessible to visually impaired or blind people and lead them outside or at home. Cost is $50,000 to breed and train a guide dog, but this all cost is borne by non-profit organizations.
Autism Support Dogs
Autism spectrum in children is the most talked about topic nowadays than past. Autism support dogs facilitate the child in social settings.
They play a great role in schools if child trouble making friends and interacting with them. They provide support when children are in a stressful state and keep them busy to prevent loneliness. These dogs are trained to prevent the child from running away and, if do so, help to track the child.
Difference Between Behaviorists and Trainers
There is no remarkable difference between a dog trainer and a behaviorist except that they are certified by independent organizations/ associations such as Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB) or Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) group. Pet parents usually consult with behaviorists if their dog has special behavior issues like anxiety/ depression, fear, shyness.
The cost of consulting a behavior depends on the level of expertise, education, and consultation hours. It also depends on your location, and the cost usually ranges from $80 to $350.
The consultation usually includes a special training program for the dog. Sometimes they offer courses themselves. They also provide to check your pet at home; it requires a year’s consultation.
How to Find a Certified Dog Trainer?
when you find that your dog needs training and set goals for training, the next step is to find a professional trainer for your pet. You can also search on the internet by writing”Dog trainers near me.” Be sure you can contact, research, and visit them.
Also, makes sure your pet trainer has particular expertise to train your dog. For example, many trainers offer the owners to visit their training facility and see how they work with pets during training; others offer to observe classes from glass doors.
Be sure that the trainer meets all the needs your dog needs for training; if you want to focus on positive reinforcement, his expertise matches this goal. Some trainers also use shock collars to train dogs. But remember, it’s your pet, and your trainer has to train him in a way you want.
Additional Costs of Having a Dog Trained
Few things require dog training and cost not so much. A leash ($10-30) for leas training, a clicker ($4-20) for clicker training, and the owner must buy his clicker to go through the training.
A pack of treats ($30-400 per year) for rewards in training because nowadays, trainers reinforce reward-based training rather than punishment-based training.
Required Dog Vaccinations Before Training
Before joining any training facility for any class, your puppy needs to fulfill the vaccination course before meeting other dogs. Before attending socialization class, your puppy needs first vaccination and treatment for deworming.
Next, they must complete their 6, 12, and 16 weeks vaccination against adenovirus, rabies, parvovirus, measles, distemper, and parainfluenza. Optional vaccinations include Lyme disease vaccination and leptospirosis, coronavirus, and kennel cough.
You need to bring your vaccination card, especially on the first visit to the training facility. If you bring an older dog for training, he must have a current shot against rabies.
The Best Age for Training a Dog
Puppy training can be started as early as seven weeks old. The early you start, the easier it is for your pup to get trained. They can easily learn the basic commands like “sit,” stay”, “lie down,” etc. Early age training at a training facility also help them in socialization with other dogs and prevent behavior issue like fear.
These classes also focus on training dogs for early behavior problems like barking and biting. Obedience classes usually start after six months of age and make them how to behave off-leash and when greeting people.
It’s All Worthy of Paying for Dog Training
Training your dog/puppy is an essential and overwhelming journey that leads to a healthy pet. Such training makes the bond stronger between pet and owner.
Consider which training suits your pet and your pocket. Whatever the costs, it is all worth it if you and your dog are comfortable with each and credit goes to these classes. Have patience and enjoy the journey of training with your furry pet.
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