RIOS Canine Institute
Obedience, Advanced & Behavior Modification

Puppy Foundations

Start the relationship off right

4–6 weeks, weekly sessionsEvaluation-led recommendation
(520) 839-5124

Puppy Foundations is built around the window where habits form fastest. Weekly sessions walk you through the routines that make the rest of your dog's life easier — how to introduce new people, places, and dogs safely, how to make crate and potty training a non-issue, and how to lay down the first obedience cues before bad habits get a chance to set in.

Who this is for

  • Puppies roughly 8 weeks to 6 months old
  • First-time dog owners who want a clear routine to follow
  • Households still working out crate, potty, or settling habits

What's included

  • Socialization and confidence building
  • Crate, potty, and household routines
  • Name recognition, sit, and basic recall
  • Bite inhibition and settling skills

What you get

  • Weekly in-person coaching sessions
  • A routine you can keep running between sessions
  • Direct access to your trainer for questions as they come up

Frequently asked questions

What age should my puppy start?
Most puppies start around 8 weeks, once they've had their first round of vet-cleared socialization. Reach out and we'll confirm timing for your pup.
Do you cover potty training?
Yes — crate and potty routines are a core part of this program alongside socialization and early obedience.
Is my puppy too young to be around other dogs?
The window between roughly 8 and 16 weeks is when socialization matters most, so waiting until a puppy is old enough usually costs more than it protects. The answer is controlled exposure once your vet has cleared the first round: chosen dogs and chosen settings, not a dog park.
When can we start real obedience or a training collar?
Formal obedience and tool conditioning typically begin around five to six months, depending on the dog's maturity. Before that the work is socialization, environmental exposure, marker training, and engagement through play and food, which is what makes the later work straightforward.
My puppy bites everything. Is that normal?
Normal, and worth shaping now rather than waiting out. Bite inhibition and settling are part of the program alongside socialization and the first obedience cues. A puppy that learns what its mouth is for early does not have to unlearn it later.

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

Private / Handler Lessons

One-on-one coaching for you and your dog

In-person sessions focused on real-world obedience, leash manners, and handler skills so training holds up outside the training room.

  • Leash manners and loose-leash walking
  • Obedience commands built for daily life
  • Handler technique and communication
  • Flexible scheduling at your location or ours
Knowledge guide45–60 min per session
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 Puppy Foundations is the right fit?

(520) 839-5124