Just the FAQs

Ask our trainers how we can ensure your happiness and your dog’s success during your free consultation.

Your dog will benefit tremendously from this training! Many behavior issues, such as biting, chewing, jumping, and others, stem from a lack of exercise, structure, and mental stimulation. With this training, your dog will receive high-quality obedience guidance, which helps create a balanced, well-behaved companion.
This approach keeps your dog mentally engaged, physically active, and well-disciplined. By providing your dog with both structure and mental challenges, you’re helping to prevent boredom and destructive behaviors. Not only does this training make your dog happier and healthier, but it also strengthens the bond between you and your family.
Remember, if you don’t give your dog a purpose (through training and consistent guidance), it may find its own ways to stay entertained – and those can lead to costly and frustrating problems.

We believe effective dog training is about clear communication, consistency, and teamwork between dog and owner. We utilize all aspects of operant conditioning and classical conditioning to create a balanced and well-rounded approach tailored to each dog’s individual needs.

Our goal is to make these scientific principles easy to understand and apply in real-world situations, empowering owners to confidently reinforce good behavior and build trust with their dogs. By simplifying the training process and breaking it down into practical steps, we help ensure that what’s learned during training can be seamlessly incorporated into daily life—creating lasting results and a stronger bond between dog and owner.

We specialize in the use of all training tools, including clickers, slip leads, e-collars, prong collars, food rewards, toy rewards, and more. Every dog and owner team is unique, and we believe training tools should be selected based on what best supports effective communication and success for both.

Just like tools in a workshop, each training tool has a specific purpose. Using the wrong one for the job can make progress less efficient, while the right tool can make learning faster, clearer, and more rewarding. Our trainers are skilled in teaching owners how to properly and confidently use each tool to enhance understanding, build trust, and achieve lasting results.

Contact your local OLK9 Certified Trainer for the location of their training.

Generally, we do not like to train dogs inside the house! Why? It is easy for dogs to listen when they are in their own home. It is a familiar environment. If your pet trains in an unfamiliar environment, with countless distractions, they will listen to your commands anywhere.

We recommend dedicating at least one hour per day to working with your dog while going through lessons. This consistent practice helps reinforce what your dog learns during each session and ensures steady progress between lessons. That hour doesn’t have to be all at once—breaking it into several shorter sessions throughout the day can often be more effective and enjoyable for both you and your dog.

If finding that amount of daily time is challenging, we recommend exploring our Board and Train programs, where our professional trainers provide consistent, focused training to help your dog reach their goals efficiently.

We recommend starting training as early as possible. We offer programs for dogs of all ages, from young puppies to adults. The earlier training begins, the easier it is to establish good habits and prevent unwanted behaviors as your pup grows.
While dogs must be at least 6 months old to participate in our Board and Train programs, we strongly encourage owners of younger pups to begin with our Puppy Consultation and Marker Mastery programs. These early sessions lay the foundation for clear communication, confidence, and long-term success.

A marker (or “clicker”) is a small device that makes a distinct “click” noise. This is used to instantly mark the desired behavior. Then, it is immediately followed with a treat! This enables the dog to learn the commands much faster because you are instantly “marking” the correct behavior. In return, the dog knows it has not done what you are asking it to do until it hears the distinct “click.”

Small dogs need and benefit from training just as much as larger dogs do! Training helps build confidence, manners, and communication, regardless of size or breed.

In fact, smaller dogs often gain even more from structured training — it helps prevent behaviors like barking, nipping, or reactivity that can develop when owners unintentionally overlook consistent guidance. Our programs are customized to each dog’s size, temperament, and needs, ensuring your little one learns safely and effectively.

Private obedience lessons start at $745 for Basic Obedience (five one-hour private lessons) and $950 for Basic & Advanced Obedience (eight private lessons). Board and train is $1,695 for the 1 Week Freedom Board and Train and $2,795 for the 2 Week Board and Train. Every program and price is on our Plans & Pricing page.

Payment plans are available. Call us today to learn more about payment options.

Our facility is at 5640 Groveport Rd, Unit 3, Groveport, OH 43125, and visits are by appointment. Our private obedience lessons take place at the facility, which gives your dog a neutral place to focus. Call (740) 400-0236 to set up a time.

We work with dog owners across Columbus and central Ohio, including Bexley, New Albany, Lancaster, Gahanna, Dublin, Westerville and Groveport. See all of our service areas.

Dogs need to be at least 6 months old for our obedience lessons and for both board and train programs. Younger puppies can start with a puppy consultation or Basic Marker Mastery.

Start with our Puppy Training Consultation ($95), a private session on potty training, socialization, confidence building and basic manners. Our Basic Marker Mastery program ($450) is a four-week positive reinforcement course you can add on. See our puppy training page for more.

Basic Obedience is five one-hour private lessons covering come, sit, down, place, loose leash walking, heel and off, plus help with jumping, counter surfing and door manners. Homework is given each week and needs to be practiced every day.

The 1 Week Freedom Board and Train focuses on a full recall, place and sit. The 2 Week Board and Train adds public manners such as loose leash walking and heel in public spaces. Compare both on our board and train page.

Your dog stays at their trainer’s home, which is a calmer, more natural place to learn. Dogs get 2 to 4 hours of active training a day, seven days a week. Read more about a typical day on our board and train page.

At pickup you get a 2 to 3 hour handoff session that shows you how to use the e-collar and keep the training going, plus free refresher sessions whenever you need them. The details are on our board and train page.

Yes. Our Dog Aggression & Reactivity program ($1,100) is nine private lessons for dogs with aggression, reactivity, severe anxiety or trouble around other dogs. Dogs with a bite risk are trained in private lessons at our facility rather than in board and train. Learn more about aggressive dog training.

Sometimes. The wait for board and train can run as long as three months, so please call (740) 400-0236 before you enroll online and we will tell you the current wait time.

Basic Marker Mastery is a four-week program that uses positive reinforcement, markers and a clicker to teach sit, come, place and loose-leash walking while building your dog’s confidence. A clicker, slip lead and 15-foot leash are included. It is $450.