Training cost
Dog training cost on the North Shore: from $94 a session, programs by length
We publish one training figure, from $94 a session, and then a plan and a price for your dog after an assessment. That is not evasion; a fearful rescue and a bouncy 12-week-old need different numbers of sessions. This page shows how the programs stack up by length so you can see where your dog's total will land.
Line by line
From $94 a session; the program length sets the total
Every Dogtown training program is built from sessions, and sessions start from $94. Level 1 (Tiny Tails Puppy School for pups 8 to 16 weeks, Bright Beginnings and Brave & Balanced from 4 months) runs 4, 6 or 8 weeks at two sessions a week. Level 2, Calm & Connected and Adventure Academy, covers adolescents, rescues and adults over the same lengths. Level 3 is the behavior work: Focus & Flow, 6 weeks and 12 sessions; React Less, Relax More, 8 weeks and 16; Polished Pup, 10 weeks and 20.
The AKC track has its own lengths: AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is 6 weeks and 12 sessions, Canine Citizen Academy prepares for the Canine Good Citizen test in 4-, 6- or 8-week blocks, and the 1:1 Private CGC Fast Track is 5 weeks and 10 sessions. Canine Campus is Freshman at 2 weeks, Dean's List at 4 and Graduate at 6. Board and train is Foundation for 1 week and Advanced for 2.
| Program | Length | Sessions | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny Tails Puppy School | 4, 6 or 8 weeks | 8, 12 or 16 | Pups 8 to 16 weeks |
| Bright Beginnings, Brave & Balanced | 4, 6 or 8 weeks | 8, 12 or 16 | Pups from 4 months |
| Calm & Connected, Adventure Academy | 4, 6 or 8 weeks | 8, 12 or 16 | Adolescents, rescues, adults |
| Focus & Flow | 6 weeks | 12 | Trigger work, emotional regulation |
| React Less, Relax More | 8 weeks | 16 | Reactivity and sensitivity |
| Polished Pup | 10 weeks | 20 | Complex behavior cases |
| AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy | 6 weeks | 12 | Pups 8 weeks to 6 months |
| Canine Citizen Academy | 4, 6 or 8 weeks | 8, 12 or 16 | CGC prep |
| 1:1 Private CGC Fast Track | 5 weeks | 10 | CGC prep with extra support |
| Canine Campus | 2, 4 or 6 weeks | About 10, 20 or 30 days | Hybrid day training |
| Board and train | 1 or 2 weeks | Daily, with go-home lessons | Foundation or Advanced |
What changes the price
Session count, format and the dog in front of us set the number
Session count is the first factor: at from $94 a session, a 4-week program of 8 sessions and a 10-week program of 20 sessions are different totals, and you can see the range before you ever call. The assessment decides where in a program's range your dog sits; a puppy with no history might finish Bright Beginnings in 4 weeks while a rescue with mild leash reactivity is placed in Calm & Connected for 8.
Format is the second. Private sessions, the hybrid Canine Campus (training and adventure days with pick-up and drop-off, daily reports and homework) and board and train each use trainer time differently, so Canine Campus plans in particular vary with the intensity and complexity of the case. Complexity is the third: significant reactivity, resource guarding or high-arousal behavior lands in Polished Pup or Graduate rather than a shorter block.
A fourth route has a published price. Dogtown Academy is structured daycare with a trainer, $89 for a full day or $69 for a half day, with a training session and one-on-one trainer time every day. It is not a substitute for a behavior program, but for manners, focus and confidence in a young dog it is the most affordable way to add daily trainer time at Dogtown.
- Sessions from $94; the plan and the total are confirmed after a short assessment
- 4-week programs are 8 sessions; 10-week programs are 20
- Dogtown Academy at $89 a day adds daily trainer time without a program
Which to choose
Match the program to the age and the problem, then the format to your week
A puppy between 8 and 16 weeks: Tiny Tails Puppy School, or AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy if you want to work toward the AKC's requirements. Four weeks is enough for a confident pup from a good start; six or eight suits a shy one. A pup past 4 months with jumping, mouthing and no recall: Bright Beginnings. A pup past 4 months who hides from strangers or the vacuum: Brave & Balanced.
An adolescent or a new rescue who pulls, lunges mildly on leash or ignores you outdoors: Calm & Connected. A dog who barks and spins at other dogs from across Eastern Ave: React Less, Relax More at 8 weeks, or Polished Pup at 10 if guarding or unpredictable arousal is part of the picture. Gabriella Pope leads these programs and will say plainly at the assessment which one fits.
Then match the format to your household. Two working adults who commute to Boston cannot do two private sessions a week; Canine Campus, where we collect the dog for training and adventure days, or a 1- or 2-week board and train with go-home lessons fits that week better. A family at home with time to practise daily gets the most from private sessions and homework.
- 01
Send the training form with your dog's age, the behavior you see and where it happens
- 02
We reply within one hour on business days and set up a short assessment
- 03
Gabriella recommends a program, a length and a format, and confirms the total
- 04
The program ends with go-home lessons so the results hold at home
Cape Ann factors
Real-world training here means beaches by date, crowds by festival and trains off-peak
The places we train in are the places you will need the skills. Off-season beaches are the recall classroom: Good Harbor takes dogs on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 and Wingaersheek on odd days through April 30 at the time of writing, and Rockport requires a leash or direct voice control and closes its beaches to dogs from June 1 to September 15.
Downtown Gloucester teaches neutrality. St. Peter's Fiesta in late June, the July 3 fireworks and the Schooner Festival over Labor Day fill the waterfront, and the Rockport line allows leashed dogs only off-peak, never 7 to 10 AM or 4 to 7 PM, and never on seats. Real-world exposure days in Canine Campus and CGC prep are built around settings like these, at the dog's pace.
The fenced Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park, with its separate small-dog and large-dog areas, is where many families first notice the problem they later bring to us. Bring that observation to the assessment: which dogs, what distance, what time of day, and whether it happens on the trails at Ravenswood too. It shortens the program, which is the one lever on cost you control.
- Recall work on Good Harbor (even days) and Wingaersheek (odd days) in the off-season
- Neutrality work around Fiesta, July 3 and the Schooner Festival crowds
- Rockport line: leashed dogs off-peak only, never on seats
At Dogtown
The programs behind the number
Puppy school to board and train with Gabriella Pope, plus Dogtown Academy for daily trainer time at a published price.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Why don't you publish a price for each training program?
How much does puppy training cost at Dogtown?
Is board and train more expensive than private lessons?
Can I use Dogtown Academy instead of a training program?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Tell us about your dog and get a real number.
Send the training form with your dog's age and the behavior you want to change. We reply within one hour on business days and book a short assessment with Gabriella.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
