Start here
Questions First. Decisions Second.
Owners tend to compare prices when they should compare answers. The pages below give you the questions, explain why each matters and describe what a thoughtful response sounds like.
Choose your path
Six Paths. One Dog.
A stay is one of several ways to get help. Look at each path, then use the quiz to see which sounds closest to your situation.
Board and Train Stays
A stay rolls lodging, daily lessons and coaching for you into one price.
$1,500 to $2,500+ for 2 to 3 weeksRead the guide →
Private Lessons First
One or two private lessons show you how a trainer works before you hand over your dog for weeks.
$75 to $150 per lessonRead the guide →
Training at Home
When the trouble spots are in your own house and yard, visits there can beat time away.
$100 to $200 per visitRead the guide →
Obedience Packages
Lessons spread over weeks build the basics at a gentler pace than a stay, and you join each session.
$500 to $1,200 per packageRead the guide →
Behavior Coaching
Fear, reactivity on leash and trouble with being alone tend to ease through patient work, often in the places where they occur.
$600 to $1,800 per programRead the guide →
Puppy Lessons
Young puppies need sleep, routine and family time, so lessons that include you are the usual first step.
$150 to $350 per packageRead the guide →Treat every figure as a general estimate. Trainer, dog and market all change the real price.
A quick check
Is a Stay Your Best Next Step?
Three questions, and a suggestion for which path to read about first. It is a starting point for talking with a trainer, not a diagnosis.
Question 1 of 3
What is the main thing you want to change?
Question 2 of 3
How old is your dog?
Question 3 of 3
How would you rather spend your time?
Your best fit
Trainer availability
Looking for a Trainer's Name?
We are lining up professional trainers in Austin, and nobody is taking requests from this site yet. This handbook cannot point you to a person, but it can help you judge anyone you meet.
- No accounts and no forms
- Question lists to bring to any tour
- Notes on eight Central Texas towns
How it works
Ask. Tour. Compare.
- 01
Ask the same questions
Use one list with every trainer so the answers line up.
- 02
Tour with a purpose
Look at where dogs rest, how they are handled and how the day is organized.
- 03
Compare the whole offer
Weigh the schedule, the lessons for you and the price together.
What you are hoping to see
A relaxed dog is the goal.
A good program ends with a dog that is comfortable, tuned in and easy to live with. These are the sorts of calm moments to look for.
About the handbook
Built around questions.
Most owners shop for a stay with very little to go on: a website, a price and a hunch. This handbook gives you a way to ask better questions and read the answers.
Town pages add local detail from public sources such as Wikipedia. They contain no reviews, rankings or advertising.
About this guide →How the handbook works
Questions, not sales pitches.
K9PN operates this handbook. See the Disclaimer.
Service areas
Eight Towns. Eight Sets of Notes.
Each page ties the stay questions to the way dogs actually live in that town.
Good questions
Before you begin.
What should a stay cost?
Most estimates fall near $1,500 to $2,500, sometimes higher, for two to three weeks, and each trainer sets the price.
What is the most important question?
Ask what a normal day looks like for your dog. The answer tells you a lot.
Can I see where my dog will sleep?
Ask. A trainer who says no should have a clear reason.
Will I get updates?
Ask what kind and how often, before you commit.
Is a stay a quick fix?
No. Habits learned there need practice at home.
Can this site find me a trainer?
Not yet. It takes no requests.