Dog Training FAQ

Book a free intro call first. We'll talk through what's going on with your dog, answer your questions, and tell you honestly whether we're the right fit. If we are, we'll schedule an in-person consultation where we assess your dog and map out a plan.

Yes — most of our training happens in your home and neighborhood, because that's where the behavior actually lives. We serve the Greater Sacramento area, including Sacramento, Folsom, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, and Arden-Arcade. Not sure if you're in range? Just ask.

That's what the consultation is for. Broadly: puppies start with foundations, dogs who bark or lunge start with reactive and fearful training, and owners who need faster progress look at board and train. We'll tell you which one your dog actually needs — even if it's the cheaper one.

Private in-home lessons, puppy training, reactive and fearful dog behavior work, board and train immersion programs, group classes, and in-home boarding. Every program is built around your individual dog after an assessment — we don't run a fixed curriculum.

The day it comes home — or before. Best case, you call us before you pick up your puppy so we can help you set up your home, then a trainer meets your puppy the day it arrives and comes back a week later to build on it. You don't have to do it that way, but earlier is always easier, and it's the difference between preventing habits and undoing them. See our puppy training page.

Honest answer: forever. You're always training your dog, or your dog is training you. Working with us, though, has a shape to it. We start with a single session to assess your dog and figure out what's actually going on. From there, most families do a four-session private package. For board and train, a complete, thorough program is about 30 days. It depends on what you purchase and what your dog needs.

We always start with one. That first session tells us how much you already know, how much you need to learn, and how much work your dog needs. Our beginner package is four lessons, and you can do fewer if you'd rather. The perk of a package: you have a trainer on retainer who can help you between sessions, not just during them.

Sessions are scheduled for one hour. Some run over — an hour and a half isn't unusual depending on what's going on. Occasionally your trainer will shorten a session if your dog has had enough, and we'll make up that time another day.

For private lessons, absolutely. This is about training you to train your dog — everything depends on the human. For board and train, no. Your dog lives with the trainer, so you can take a whole vacation.

A full belly for you and an empty one for your dog — a hungry dog is a motivated dog. (A couple of snacks so they're not miserable is fine. We won't judge.) Bring a leash, collar, and treats. If we're meeting somewhere other than your home, please be on time and let us know if you're running late; arriving more than ten minutes late comes out of your session time.

Once training has begun, packages are non-refundable. A package can be transferred to another dog in your household. The full details are on our policies page.

Our pricing is public — no mystery quotes. Consultations run $150–$200 for one hour in person. Four private sessions run $650–$800 depending on which trainer you work with. Board and train programs run about $150 per day ($2,100 for two weeks up to $4,200 for four). In-home boarding is $85 per night. Full details are on each program's page.

You're paying for a professional's time, judgment, and years of experience — not a product. A good trainer is reading your dog in real time, adjusting the plan as they go, and teaching you to do the same after they leave. Cheaper training that doesn't stick costs more in the end.

A big one. Boarding is keeping your dog happy, healthy, and safe while you're out of town. Board and train is keeping your dog happy, healthy, and safe while it learns new things — an immersion program where your dog lives with the trainer and comes home with new skills.

Yes. If your dog boards with Terra, training is part of the stay — every dog in her home is working on something. What that looks like depends on the dog: thirty days of training for a brand-new dog is a different thing from an alumni dog boarding for a week and brushing up on manners. If you want a full, structured training program, that's board and train.

With the trainer, in their home. Talk with your trainer about their household before you book — that's where your dog will be living. Sometimes we take boarding dogs along on adventures, like a camping weekend or a training seminar, and that's always discussed and approved with you ahead of time.

Neither label. Our training is reward-based at its core, and we choose each dog's approach after an assessment — not before. Picking a label means picking a method before meeting the dog. Read the full explanation on our training methods page.

Sometimes — only when they're appropriate for that individual dog and that owner's goals, and never as a default. We start with a leash and a martingale collar. We won't keep using any tool that's causing unnecessary distress or getting in the way of learning. More on our training methods page.

No, and be cautious of anyone who does. Dogs aren't appliances, and progress depends on genetics, learning history, and how consistently your family works the plan between sessions. What we do guarantee is an honest assessment, a clear plan, and that we'll tell you the truth about what's realistic for your dog.

Terra is a Licensed Family Dog Mediator® (LFDM) and a Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI). Worth knowing: dog training is unregulated in the United States, so certifications are private credentials, not government licenses. We wrote a full guide on what dog trainer certifications actually prove.

A veterinary behaviorist is a licensed veterinarian with a residency and board exam in behavior — a genuine medical credential, ideal for diagnosis and medication. Trainers and behavior consultants do the week-over-week, hands-on work in your home. We explain the distinction fully on our certifications page.

Yes — it's a large part of what we do. Barking, lunging, and growling are usually fear wearing a loud costume, and we start by finding out why rather than silencing the symptom. See our reactive and fearful dog training page for how it works.

Yes. True dog-to-dog aggression is usually a board and train situation — it needs immersion and a controlled setup. Reactivity toward other dogs is different: a dog that barks and lunges on leash but isn't trying to do harm can absolutely be worked through in private lessons. The consultation is where we tell you which one you've got.

Yes. The first job is figuring out what's actually going on. "Separation anxiety" has become a catch-all — what looks like it is often confinement anxiety or something else entirely, and each one gets handled differently. Call us and we'll sort out which it is.

Absolutely. Walking together is one of the hardest parts of dog training, and it's rarely the dog that struggles to figure it out. A walk is a team exercise — constant, two-way communication. Walk your dog the way you'd have a conversation while checking your phone half the time, and your dog stops checking back in with you and does whatever it wants. We teach you both how to stay in the conversation.

In most cases, yes — bite history doesn't scare us, and you won't be judged here. Start with a consultation so we can assess safely and honestly. The one boundary: dogs must be safe enough to work with, and we'll tell you truthfully if your dog needs a different kind of help.

No. Older dogs learn perfectly well — they often focus better than puppies do. What changes with age is physical comfort and how long a behavior has been rehearsed, so we adjust the plan accordingly. We've worked with dogs at every life stage, from eight weeks to senior.

Constantly. Rescue dogs often arrive with unknown learning history, which is exactly what our whole-dog assessment is built to untangle — we look at learning, environment, genetics, and the individual dog in front of us. If you've just brought one home, earlier is always easier than waiting.

If walks are stressful, if you're arranging your life around your dog's behavior, if you've said "he's fine, he just doesn't like ___" more than once — that's enough. Earlier is always easier. Book a free intro call and we'll tell you honestly whether training makes sense yet.

We currently run Monday and Tuesday night group classes, taught by Jade, at two different Pet Food Express locations. We occasionally mix up the venue, so the current schedule is always on our group classes page and training calendar, where you can book directly.