Help is On the Way
Do you and your dog want to learn at your own pace, with a supportive personal coach? Individual attention, personalized training programs, and flexible scheduling make our private training sessions a great choice. We offer both in-home dog training and one-on-one lessons at our facility.
We currently have immediate openings for private training. If your schedule is a concern, you are welcome to call or email us before registering to confirm our availability.
Travel fees will apply for in-home clients outside of the Wichita metro area. These fees are returned directly to your trainer to cover gas costs and vehicular wear and tear.
From 135/Kellogg interchange: $15/visit 20-30 miles away; $30/visit 31-40 miles away.
Private Training Options
We have three tracks for private training. Click the icons below for details.
Not sure which to choose? Contact us and we’ll help you decide.
Manners School
If your dog needs more reliable obedience training, our manners programs are for you. We will coach you and your dog through systematic training plans that have been tested and proven with thousands of dogs. Our training methods are both results-oriented and novice-friendly.
Manners school programs are 6 sessions in length and include a treat pouch and clicker, homework handouts, and email support for the duration of the program. Sessions may be held in your home or at our facility and can be scheduled at your convenience, including evenings and weekends. Multiple dogs in the same household may be included in the sessions at no additional fee.
You can choose to focus on a specific behavior or to follow our pre-planned puppy or adult dog manners course. You can review program examples below to get an idea of what we’ve developed for clients in the past and what we can accomplish in 6 sessions.
If your main concern is your dog displaying aggression or reactivity (lunging, barking, snarling, snapping) at other dogs or humans, contact us before enrolling in a package.
Cost: $625
manners school programs
Basic Manners School
If your dog is all-around unruly, this is the course for you. We begin with a problem solving session to address any urgent behavior issues you’d like to solve, then introduce foundation obedience behaviors including sit, down, stay, leave it, and come when called. As your dog learns these skills, we’ll start to integrate them into real life situations. We’ll also practice leash walking in your very own neighborhood and reinforcing polite greeting behavior at each session.
If your dog is untrained or overwhelming, basic manners school will give you the tools you need to get him under control and listening to what you say.
Puppy Manners School
If you have a puppy under 20 weeks old, you know how distressing the constant nipping, chewing, jumping, and housetraining accidents can be! We’ll help you solve these common puppy problems, plus introduce basic obedience skills so your puppy will have good manners right from the start.
In addition, our puppy program includes a socialization plan for your pup, aggression prevention training, and techniques to teach your puppy to accept grooming and handling without becoming upset. This program has got it all!
Leash Walking Manners School
If your dog walks you, it’s time to sign up for leash manners school. We will teach you and your dog the skills you need to enjoy nice neighborhood walks together, including:
- Selecting, fitting, and using appropriate no-pull gear
- Getting focus outside around distractions
- Left-side walking
We work at your dog’s pace so he stays successful and motivated, and we’ll teach you how to keep walks fun and enjoyable, not a stressful tug-of-war!
Please note: if your problem is on leash aggression or reactivity towards other dogs, this is not addressed in our basic leash manners training. This type of behavior is addressed with our behavior modification services, beginning with an initial consultation; see the section below.
Visitor Manners School
Does your dog jump on, mouth, or bounce off of your houseguests? Our visitor manners program will teach your dog how to greet guests to your home politely. We personalize the program to your dog, but topics we often cover include:
- Developing a consistent visitor routine
- No-jump training
- Sit-stay for greeting and petting
- Sit or down stay while people enter the home
- Go to kennel when the doorbell rings
- Solving door dashing
- Addressing doorbell barking
- Addressing other nuisance greeting behavior (mouthing, nudging, etc.)
Please note that sessions 4-6 will require visitors. We ask you to find friends or family who are willing to drop by. This keeps our program costs down. If you don’t have anyone at all to help, we can add an assistant for an extra $30/session.
Important note: this program is for dogs who struggle with too-friendly or excited greetings. If your dog is aggressive or fearful toward visitors, you need to enroll in behavior consulting instead. If you aren’t sure, we can help you decide which program fits your situation best.
Reliable Recall Manners School
Does your dog have selective hearing? Do you have to chase your dog down to get him in from the yard? Has your dog gotten away and refused to come back? Our come when called program will teach your dog how to come to you quickly and happily. We will cover:
- Building a no-fail recall step by step
- Come when called away from distractions
- Come when called from out of sight
- Sit-stay for collar grab
- Doorway manners
- Handling off-leash emergencies
- How to maintain a strong recall after training
Depending on how quickly your dog progresses, we may have time to practice away from home or with more difficult distractions, like other dogs or people. Our end goal of the basic program is a dog who will come when called reliably throughout your normal daily routines. We can do these sessions using a verbal recall or by training a whistle recall.
If your dog is not friendly to people, he or she must attend a behavior consultation prior to enrolling in manners school.
Behavior Consulting
Are you at the end of your rope with your dog’s behavior? We are experienced with serious behavior problems including fear, aggression, anxiety, leash reactivity to dogs and people, destructive behavior, housetraining issues, and more.
Our behavior consultations include a professional assessment of your dog’s behavior and development of a detailed behavior change program. You will know exactly what changes to make immediately and what you’ll need to do in order to get your dog on the road to resolution.
In some cases, your dog will need ongoing training in order for you to see the results you want. We offer follow-up behavior modification packages so we can walk you through resolution every step of the way.
behavior consulting services
Cost: $225
Your trainer will come to your home and perform a professional assessment of the behavior issue you’re experiencing. In most cases, we have time to begin training right away and demonstrate a foundation training skill or behavior modification technique.
We offer a judgment-free environment and work collaboratively with owners to develop realistic behavior plans that you can follow to address your dog’s behavior. We can also help you make decisions on re-homing or euthanasia in severe cases.
What happens next?
After the consultation, you will receive a written behavior plan that includes our professional assessment of the behavior issue along with with recommendations on prevention, handling the behavior in the moment, and any training needed to resolve the behavior.
We are very committed to your success.
If you choose a DIY program, you’ll receive homework recommendations, a month of follow-up support by e-mail or phone with your trainer, and a final 30 minute remote follow-up by phone or video chat. Please note that not all issues are suitable for a DIY program, and a hands on program may be recommended.
If you choose a hands on program, you’ll receive the above support after completion of your hands on program.
**For clients whose dogs struggle with fear or aggression towards humans – please contact us at info@handsfulldogtraining.com with some details of your dog’s behavior including a history of any bites or snaps before enrolling online. We may ask you to begin with an online consultation instead of an in-person consultation.**
Cost: $190
We offer housetraining-only visits at a reduced consultation fee. You, the owner, will be responsible for carrying out the housetraining program. We will help you figure out the plan and the logistics.
Your visit will be 1.5 hours long and will include:
- a full assessment of your dog’s potty training problems
- in-depth explanation of the housetraining process
- printed color handouts explaining the protocol in detail
- on the spot problem solving and individual recommendations for your home
- a follow-up email with your personalized program
- weekly check-ins for one month
- …a housetrained dog!
This program is also available as a virtual consultation. The online format allows for more flexibility, with a 1-hour initial session and a 30 minute follow up any time during your month-long program.
If you own a dog who has been accident-free for the past several months and has suddenly started pottying in the house, we will recommend a vet visit before beginning our program. Many times, these issues are due to medical problems and the behavior change is just a symptom. These cases will not resolve with behavior modification only.
Cost: $625/6 sessions
After your program has been developed, you may need additional assistance to carry out the training. We will meet every 1-2 weeks to ensure sustained progress.
What’s included?
The fee for the package is comprehensive and includes ongoing email and phone support during the program plus the cost of additional training assistants during sessions requiring other dogs or people.
How long will it take?
Many behavior issues will be resolved satisfactorily within 6-12 sessions, with homework in between. We will recommend a program length at your initial consultation.
If your dog suffers from fear or aggression, he or she will require ongoing support and dedication from you. Some problems have biological components that may never fully resolve.
For all cases, we can’t predict a dog’s learning curve or an owner’s compliance with the program, so we can’t offer a guarantee on a certain number of sessions to resolution. Behavior just doesn’t work like that!
Virtual Training
Not all cases require an in-home visit, and some types of training can be fulled addressed without us ever meeting your dog. In fact, for specific types of cases, virtual lessons are actually a better option!
You’ll provide us detailed observations of your dog’s behavior, and we’ll ask a series of questions to hone in on the issue. Based on this information, we will explain what is happening, lay out your options, and make a recommendation on your course of action.
In some cases, we may request video of the behavior issue. Please only take video if requested – don’t put anyone in a dangerous situation just for the camera!
Can you guarantee you'll fix my dog's behavior?
Actually, no. Offering a guarantee is a red flag if you are searching for a dog trainer. It is unethical to guarantee training results, and therefore it is against the code of conduct of Association of Professional Dog Trainers.
Want to know why? Read on.
Wellness Services
What’s wellness training? It’s thinking beyond obedience and helping your dog learn to accept routine care procedures such as grooming and vet visits without becoming unruly, fearful, or aggressive.
We offer proactive training for puppies so that these procedures don’t become a struggle, and we offer rehabilitative training for dogs who are already experiencing problems with handling or husbandry.
Our training sessions are sold in sets of six. The number of packages an individual dog needs will vary based on the dog’s rate of learning, the severity of the issues, and the amount of homework you choose to do yourself. Some owners are diligent students and happily take over training on their own once they feel confident; others are more comfortable stepping back and letting the professionals perform the technical work. We are happy to accommodate your preference.
Cost: $625
wellness programs
Grooming Cooperative Care
Did you know that routine care procedures can be mutually enjoyable instead of a struggle? We can help your dog learn to willingly accept the following. We use positive reinforcement training and build pleasant associations with care procedures via systematic training plans.
- nail trimming
- brushing
- dematting
- scissoring
- clipping
- blow-drying
- toothbrushing
- accepting ear and eye drops
- wearing a muzzle
Vet Visits
Going to the vet can be stressful for dogs. We offer preventative and rehabilitative training for owners who would like their dogs to behave politely at the vet office. Services include:
- muzzle training
- accepting restraint
- staying still for veterinary procedures
- overcoming fear of the clinic
We offer these services with your veterinarian’s approval only, as they will require limited use of an exam room.
Behavior Wellness Program
We offer vet clinics the opportunity to participate in our behavior wellness program. We provide free presentations on behavior topics as well as new client folders and behavior handouts.
If you are in veterinary medicine and your clinic supports positive training and low fear & stress handling, you may be interested! Find out more here: