RIOS Canine Institute
Obedience, Advanced & Behavior Modification

Private / Handler Lessons

One-on-one coaching for you and your dog

45–60 min per sessionEvaluation-led recommendation
(520) 839-5124

Private lessons put the focus on you as much as your dog. Each session works through real-world obedience and leash manners while coaching your handling and timing, so the training holds up on your street and in your house — not just in a training room.

Who this is for

  • Owners who want to be hands-on in the training process
  • Dogs that already know some basics but are inconsistent outside the house
  • Households that prefer flexible, one-on-one scheduling over a group format

What's included

  • Leash manners and loose-leash walking
  • Obedience commands built for daily life
  • Handler technique and communication
  • Flexible scheduling at your location or ours

What you get

  • 45–60 minute one-on-one sessions
  • Coaching on handler technique, not just commands for the dog
  • Sessions at your location or ours, scheduled around you

Frequently asked questions

How many sessions will we need?
It depends on your dog's starting point and your goals — we'll talk through that on your first call before recommending a session count.
Can sessions happen at my house?
Yes, in-home sessions are available alongside sessions at our training location — whichever fits your schedule and goals better.
How long is a session?
45 to 60 minutes, one-on-one, at your location or ours. The time goes into your handling and timing as much as into the dog, which is what makes the training hold up on your street rather than only in a training room.
Should I do lessons or Board & Train?
It depends on how much daily implementation you can reliably provide. Lessons give you instruction, feedback, and homework, and you carry out the training. Board & Train gives us concentrated responsibility for the training phase. Lessons do not carry the same service assurances as Board & Train for that reason.
What if I have never trained a dog before?
That is who this format suits best. The coaching is on handler technique and communication, not just cues for the dog, which is the part a first-time owner has no way to pick up alone.

Other programs

Obedience & Behavior

Basic Obedience & Public Access

Calm, clear behavior where real life happens

Everyday obedience, leash skills, neutrality, and handler communication built for the home, neighborhood, patios, stores, and other dog-appropriate public spaces.

  • Reliable everyday cues
  • Loose-leash walking and settling
  • Neutrality around people and dogs
  • Owner homework and handler transfer
Knowledge guideLessons or Board & Train, based on evaluation
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Service Dogs

Service Dog Foundations

Assessment-led foundations for disability-mitigating work, including psychiatric service dogs

Temperament screening, public-access foundations, handler skills, and task-building support built around what the handler actually needs day to day — mobility, medical alert, or psychiatric service dog work like PTSD and anxiety tasking.

  • Temperament and suitability assessment
  • Public-access foundation skills
  • Handler coaching and task foundations
  • Psychiatric service dog tasking (interruption, grounding, deep-pressure work)
  • Honest checkpoints with no certification guarantees
Knowledge guideIndividual plan after evaluation
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Family Protection

Family Protection & Security K9s

Five tiers, from a calm deterrent to a high-travel executive protection companion

Five tiers of protection training, from presence-based deterrence up to executive protection for a principal who travels. We evaluate every dog, yours or one we source, before agreeing to train it.

  • Five defined tiers, deterrent through executive protection
  • Every dog is temperament- and health-screened before we accept it
  • I'm personally involved in evaluation and selection at Tier 2 and above
  • All-inclusive sourcing available if you don't already have a candidate dog
  • A decoy and maintenance trainer lined up for every graduate
Knowledge guide6 to 12 weeks of training, depending on tier
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Single & Dual Purpose

Working Breeds & Advanced Obedience

Give drive a clear, useful job

Advanced engagement, neutrality, control, and real-world reliability for high-drive dogs and handlers who want more than household basics.

  • Advanced obedience around pressure and distraction
  • Drive management and purposeful outlets
  • Neutrality, clarity, and reliable outs
  • Aligned Lessons, Hybrid, and Board & Train goal tracks with format-specific responsibilities
Knowledge guideLessons, Hybrid, or Board & Train
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Single & Dual Purpose

Scent Work & Tracking

Purposeful mental work for capable dogs

Introductory scent games, odor work, tracking foundations, and advanced enrichment for owners who want a productive outlet beyond obedience.

  • Structured nose-work foundations
  • Tracking and search-pattern basics
  • Confidence and handler observation
  • A continuing outlet for high-drive dogs
Knowledge guideLessons, workshops, and continuing training
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Obedience & Behavior

Puppy Foundations

Start the relationship off right

Early socialization, crate and potty routines, and the first building blocks of obedience for puppies just getting started.

  • Socialization and confidence building
  • Crate, potty, and household routines
  • Name recognition, sit, and basic recall
  • Bite inhibition and settling skills
Knowledge guide4–6 weeks, weekly sessions
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Obedience & Behavior

Board & Train

Immersive, structured training with our team

Your dog lives and trains with us — consistency, leadership, and off-leash reliability built through daily structured work, then transferred back to you.

  • Off-leash reliability and public-access manners
  • Daily structured training and consistency
  • Handler transfer sessions before pickup
  • Ongoing support after your dog comes home
Knowledge guide2–7 weeks, depending on the evaluated plan
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124
Obedience & Behavior

Behavior Rehab

Assessment-led lessons for reactivity, fear, anxiety, and aggression

Assessment-led private lessons for dogs working through reactivity, fear, anxiety, or aggression, with boarding considered only for appropriate non-aggression cases.

  • Starts with a behavior assessment call
  • Customized lesson plan for reactivity, fear, anxiety, or aggression
  • Counter-conditioning and desensitization work
  • Close coordination with you throughout
Knowledge guideVaries by case; private lessons begin after assessment
Read the training guide
(520) 839-5124

Want to know whether Private / Handler Lessons is the right fit?

(520) 839-5124