I have never used/paid a trainer but the majority of ones I see online rely extensively on treats and for quite awhile.
What do you feel you're not able to over come?

 

That isn’t really the issue. I have several things I would prefer to work on with someone else. My new dog has not learned to walk on a leash and he pulls strongly on any collar I’ve tried. He also gets it tangled up around my legs. I’m usually very good with leash work but for some reason I have not been able to get him moving while he’s attached to a leash. That is not all but it’s the biggest. I need to start walking him. I can’t keep him in the yard forever just because he doesn’t know what a leash is for. I should add I’m using a harness temporarily and getting impatient because we are not getting very far.

I also want someone to help me get him onto a training box. I can’t lift him and I just need to get him up there a few times to teach him it’s safe and he can do it. I can get him halfway up but he won’t sit or stand on it. I don’t really need anyone to show me what to do. I’m using treats and I can get him around my yard in a heel position using treats but without the leash. I just need someone else to help me hold the treats while I slowly get him accustomed to a leash or to hold the leash while I treat because I can’t manage both myself and keep him in position. But my friends aren’t trainers and I want someone who won’t make it worse and who knows how to use a training box. Most of my friends have badly behaved dogs because they don’t train at all. I also want to get him off treats as quickly as possible.

edited to add what I really want is a training partner.

 

The original question still stands. We here can all train most things on our own. However I realized I’m always telling people here who have problems to get a private trainer without knowing what I was sending them to. If private trainers have become that expensive, most people can’t afford them.

 

I just asked two friends…. because they offer discounts through packages as well, 1:1 sessions range from $115-$175/hr. One works primarily in Marin Co.

 

The trainer I've gone to charges between $150 to $175 depending on what type of training it is that is for a 5-6 week course once a week for an hour. She does ask you to bring treats or if you dog is more motivated by a toy then bring that. She also does private lessons for an hour that are $40.

 

holy smokes!!! That's a crazy price! Do you need a trainer? or a training group? the most I've paid was 100-150.

 

I've been out of the game for 6 years but that's really expensive in my opinion.

My goal was to make 500 a day.

 

The trainer Willow and I used was $30/session, but that was a "friends and family" price because she was married to a friend (and then became my friend ).

 

also @LuvShepherds are we ever going to get to see pictures???

 

We used Dave Kroyer in the past, that was a while back. Looks like the cost for private lessons has doubled since then. Services | Dave Kroyer - Handling, training and coaching in the areas of IGP, Ring Sport, Police K9, AKC Obedience, Nosework, Agility, SAR, and AKC Tracking

 

When I was a member of the local AKC training club, they had individual instructors that would do lessons for (I think) $30/hour for members.

 

My experience is that the more treats they use, the more expensive the training sessions are with the least results. In our area the fur baby % is high and the fancy trainers are the most popular. I work without certification titles and will use a method that works for that one particular dog. Result? My business remains small, I don't charge an arm and a leg, which is fine.

 

My experience is that the more treats they use, the more expensive the training sessions are with the least results.

This isn’t a treat training or PO facility. They train all levels including police and military dogs and use a balanced approach. They use the best tool for each dog whether it’s treats or an ecollar or somewhere in between.

 

The prices there are about double what most trainers are charging in other areas. Their facility is in a low rent area so I’m surprised anyone living nearby can afford that. They seem to be doing very well, so that must be a price people are willing to spend.

 

That is some Hollywood pricing. I think about 150 is the most I’d reasonably expect to pay.

 

You may be right, actually. I follow their social media and they have some big contracts with various organizations as far away as your old area. I have a call in to another trainer I know who is younger and less established but gets good results. I took a class with her and will again once I get him moving.

 

I have a friend who's an ex-military handler/trainer (not David) and pretty popular in our area. Very balanced with good results. He charges $100 for a private and does a follow up the next time for $50.

 

I'm a very low maintenance owner and just need my dogs to do things in a way I live with them 95% of the time.
1/ Non-negotiable "come!"
2/ Down, sit, stay, stand, wait, jump, look at me, not for you (something not to focus on or chase).
3/ Heel occasionally, 20 foot formal heel rarely.
4/ Have fun, run around, love life, fetch or tug and don't bite anyone unless absolutely necessary.

Even #1 makes me a Master Trainer from what I see from the dogs around here
They have mastered number 4 which makes me happy.

 

Facility I work at charges $100 for hour/$55 for half hour private lessons. Discounts for multiple lessons purchased up front. We also have classes and board/train. Training is at all levels and we train and maintain police K-9.

Looked at some websites of trainers in my area that work out of their homes and they ranged from $75 to $150 an hour.

That price ($300-$400) for a one hour lesson seems outrageous to me.

 

The prices can be location dependent. Where I am that is a normal going rate for trainers - especially trainers who compete and have a bit more working dog experiences. Some trainers are worth every penny and more and some you go away wishing you've never paid a penny.

 

Are there no AKC Obedience Clubs close by? If there are, enroll in a basic obedience class, less expensive, and they'll train you to train your dog. I've never had a bad experience, using an AKC club for basic training. Never did do any advanced AKC obedience, never had/have the time.

 

Yes and I’m going to enroll him but I need to get him there first and I don’t want to wait unti the next class begins to get him walking. Today I got out the treat bag, a very elaborate clicker that wraps around a wrist and has a finger loop so you can click it while holding a leash. I put on his nice harness with a drag leash. I got him in heel position and then we walked. He stays right next to me as long as I keep shoving treats at him. He was doing so well, I picked up the leash and he immediately walked away from me until the leash was tight and then pulled. He would not come back for treats until I dropped the leash. He will heel off leash for treats. He pulls whenever he senses I am holding the leash. It has to be a learned behavior.

 

I spent about double that for multiple sessions, an e-collar (a good Dogtra!), and lifetime support even after training sessions are done.
And she was good at this. I contacted her years after we had ended, and she was able to give me advice.
She is/was a really good trainer!

So I would just be careful; expensive doesn't always mean better, and cheaper doesn't always mean bad.

 

$300-400 pretty normal here for a balanced trainer…cutesy trainers are cheaper.

 

I found someone in my current price range and I’m delighted with the results. We’ve already had a session. Not only is my dog learning so quickly I’ve decided he’s a genius, I’m learning new skills too. Because my last high drive dog wasn’t food motivated, I had to learn methods that worked for him. Both my dogs now are highly motivated by food, so he responds fast and learns quickly. The first lesson was all off leash. He has excellent recall and eye contact. He’s already learned heel position without the word and will learn it soon. The main benefit of working with a trainer is getting tips on my work, where to treat from, critiques on how I could do things better, and being able to keep him moving fast and rewarded fast.

 

The one trainer here is $200 an hour. And their training methods are along the lines of your dog is reacting to someone walking down the street, choke them out. So I never tried them. Other that it's pet smart and pet Co which are also not worth trying so I didn't even look at prices. But the private ones are completely unaffordable in this economy.

 

It’s been awhile I taken obedience classes, nose work class, sheep herding private classes and my daughter did some private agility classes with our chihuahua. The private classes are more and probably around $50 a class the group is sold in packages. It’s been while glad you found a trainer the watch our timing and there are always things to learn. Glad you’re happy with your new dog and trainer super exciting. Max is super food driven and even more so ball driving just really highly intelligent dogs who I feel can learn just about anything. He was the one that pushed me to learn more out of all the dogs who I all loved the same but he is just different. Sorry writing this fast.

 

I’d expect around here to pay between 100-200 for an hour. I was paying 80 for our tracking lessons, private and worth every penny. We’ve paid roughly 170ish for a series of scent classes, I get way more done on my own but the opportunity to have him work amid other dogs and distractions is worth it.