The habits you build before 12 months decide the next decade.
Most of the dogs we're hired to fix at two years old were fine puppies with nobody teaching them what "right" looked like. Puppy training is the cheapest, fastest work we do — potty and crate routines, bite inhibition, socialization done properly, and a leash relationship that doesn't turn into a two-year fight.
Free 30-minute consult · No sales script · Mon–Fri 8a–6p, Sat 8a–12p
Puppy training isn't a watered-down version of adult obedience. It's a different job with a hard deadline attached to it.
We take puppies from about 10 weeks. The primary socialization window closes around 16 weeks — after that, you're not shaping a blank slate anymore, you're renovating.
The second window people miss is adolescence, roughly 6–12 months, when a well-raised puppy suddenly acts like it forgot everything. It didn't. It's testing whether the rules are real. Families who did the foundation work coast through it in a few weeks. Families who didn't tend to be the ones calling us at 18 months about a dog that pulls, jumps, and won't come back.
For most puppies under about five months, we recommend private lessons. The reason is simple: the routine is the training. Potty schedules, crate placement, where the puppy sleeps, who feeds it — those live in your house, and it's more effective to build them there with you than to build them at our house and hand them over.
Board & train makes more sense for a puppy when the household genuinely can't run a consistent schedule right now, when a puppy is already rehearsing a problem behavior daily, or when there's a hard deadline — a new baby, a move, or travel coming up.
None of that requires a perfect dog. It requires a routine your household can actually run on a Tuesday night, which is what we build.
Every package includes the training sessions, a plan built around your dog, the owner handoff, homework, and trainer availability during your program. Payment plans available on all packages.
Three in-home lessons. We build the routine into your household, with you handling from day one.
More runway for socialization reps and the adolescent-proofing that prevents the 8-month regression.
For families who want the foundation built for them, then handed over cleanly.
Not sure which tier? Call (423) 321-4207 — we'll point you to the smallest package that actually solves your problem. Compare every option on the full pricing page.
We sent our pup to Elizabeth for the 3-week board and train and we could not be happier with how well he has done. Not only did he come back with a strong foundation of all the essential basics, but Elizabeth takes the time to make sure you as the owner are also up to speed.
We are very happy with the training our golden doodle, Smokeybear, received at K9 Ambitions. Elizabeth did a fantastic job. We could tell she loves dogs and is very capable of training them. I am now comfortable with taking Smokeybear on walks.
Our retriever was having some issues jumping on guests and pulling really hard for my daughter and K9 Ambitions gave us a game plan and put us on track. We bought private lessons at first but ended up also doing a board and train.
Free 30-minute consult. We'll hear your dog's story, tell you honestly which program fits — even if it's the cheapest one — and give you a realistic timeline. No sales script, no pressure.