30-Day Basic Obedience Plan
A day-by-day home plan building name response, sit, down, stay, loose-leash walking, recall foundations, leave-it, and polite greetings — six teaching days a week with Sunday recovery.
RI Training Library
Dog Training Guides & Q&A
Straight answers, flexible plans, and safety-first ways to solve common training problems — including our full 30-day basic obedience and 45-day advanced off-leash step-by-step plans, downloadable below.
Full Step-by-Step Plans
Guides & Q&A
High-drive dogsWorking breeds
How to Live With a High-Drive Dog: Work, Recovery, and At-Home Jobs
How to meet a working dog's need for exercise and problem-solving without building an athlete who never learns to switch off and settle.
10 minute read
Read GuidePotty trainingPuppies
Three Levels of Potty Training: Pick the Plan That Matches the Problem
Pick an easy-start, full-reset, or complex-case potty training plan based on what your dog is actually showing you, rather than on their age.
8 minute read
Read GuideBasic obedienceHome training
A 30-Day Basic Obedience Roadmap You Can Practice at Home
A six-days-a-week home training roadmap built around what your dog can reliably do, not a fixed list of commands owed by a fixed date.
9 minute read
Read GuideReactivityAggression
What Should You Do When Your Dog Reacts on a Walk?
What to do the moment your dog barks, lunges, freezes, or escalates at a trigger on a walk, and how to get both of you out of it safely.
7 minute read
Read GuideBoard & TrainPrivate lessons
Board & Train or Private Lessons: Which Format Fits Your Dog?
Compare immersion, owner involvement, transfer work, and timelines to work out which training format actually suits your dog and household.
6 minute read
Read GuidePuppiesSocialization
Puppy's First Month Home: What Should You Train First?
Prioritize safety, sleep, potty routines, handling, social learning, and a few useful skills without overwhelming the puppy.
7 minute read
Read GuideRecallOff-leash training
How Do You Build a Reliable Recall Without Gambling on Safety?
Build recall with staged distance and distraction, a long line, and strong reinforcement, without gambling on an off-leash test too early.
6 minute read
Read GuideScent workEnrichment
Easy Scent Games for Dogs at Home: Five Safe Ways to Start
Turn part of a normal meal into structured nose work, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced setups you can run in a hallway or a yard.
6 minute read
Read GuideCostBoard and Train
How Much Does a Board and Train Program Cost in Phoenix?
A breakdown of board and train costs in Chandler, Tempe, and the greater Phoenix area, including what factors influence the price.
4 minute read
Read GuideBelgian MalinoisWorking Breeds
How to Stop a Belgian Malinois from Jumping on Guests in 3 Steps
Three steps to stop a high-drive working breed jumping on visitors, using what the dog already wants instead of correcting the excitement.
5 minute read
Read GuideBarkingDoorbell
What to Do If Your Dog Barks at the Doorbell (Chandler Dog Trainer Advice)
Why the doorbell sets your dog off, and how to change what the sound predicts so it stops meaning something is about to happen at the door.
4 minute read
Read GuideWorking dogsBehavior science
The Mechanics of the Working Dog
Six decision maps behind how working dogs learn: flow state, drive states, root-cause analysis, behavior chains, thresholds, and repetition.
12 minute read
Read GuideChoosing a trainerBoard & Train
How to Choose a Dog Trainer: What to Ask Before You Book
Seven things worth checking before you hand over your dog and your money, and the answers that should make you keep looking in the Valley.
6 minute read
Read GuidePuppiesBiting
Why Does My Puppy Keep Biting Me?
Teething, arousal, and overtiredness explain most puppy biting. How to tell them apart and settle needle teeth before the habit sets in.
5 minute read
Read GuideService dogsPsychiatric service dogs
Is My Dog a Candidate for Psychiatric Service Dog Work?
What psychiatric service dog work actually asks of a dog, and the honest signs that yours is or is not suited to doing it out in public.
6 minute read
Read GuideProtection dogsSecurity K9
What Does Family & Executive Protection Dog Training Actually Involve?
How a legitimate family or executive protection program is structured: screening, tiers, sourcing, and the maintenance that keeps it holding.
7 minute read
Read GuidePsychiatric service dogsService dog tasks
Psychiatric Service Dog Tasks, Explained: Interruption, Grounding, and Deep Pressure
What interruption, grounding, and deep pressure actually look like in practice, and how each task is trained and proofed in public spaces.
6 minute read
Read GuideExecutive protectionProtection dogs
Why Executive Protection Dogs Need Different Training Than Family Protection Dogs
The specific gaps between a solid family protection dog and one built for a principal who travels constantly and moves through crowds.
6 minute read
Read GuideLeash handlingLoose-leash walking
Why Your Dog Pulls on the Leash, and What Actually Changes It
Why dogs pull on leash, how equipment and reinforcement history build the habit, and what actually changes the walk instead of just containing it.
8 minute read
Read GuideE-collarEquipment
What E-Collar Conditioning Actually Involves
What conditioning an e-collar really means, how a working level is found for an individual dog, and the fit and safety rules that make the tool humane.
9 minute read
Read GuideSeparation anxietyBehavioral issues
Separation Anxiety in Dogs: What It Is, and What It Usually Isn't
How to tell true separation anxiety from boredom or a dog that has never practiced being alone, what makes it worse, and what an honest plan involves.
8 minute read
Read GuideResource guardingAggression
Resource Guarding: Why Dogs Guard, and What to Do About It
Why dogs guard food, toys, beds, and people, why punishing a growl raises bite risk, and how to manage guarding safely while it is properly assessed.
8 minute read
Read GuideCrate trainingPuppies
Crate Training That Produces a Dog Who Wants the Crate
Crate training that works because the dog chooses it: sizing, building value before the door ever closes, and earning duration without rehearsing panic.
7 minute read
Read GuidePlace commandDoor manners
The Place Command: Door Manners and a Real Off Switch
How to teach place for door manners and a genuine off switch, and how to add duration, distance, and distraction without the behavior falling apart.
7 minute read
Read Guide