Professional Dog Training in Dallas-Fort Worth
Better manners. Clearer communication. A happier life together.
At Underdog Kennels, we help puppies and adult dogs build the skills that make everyday life together more enjoyable. Our personalized dog training programs serve families throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, with professional guidance tailored to your dog’s needs, your goals and your lifestyle.
From puppy training and basic obedience to loose-leash walking, coming when called, focus and impulse control, we work on practical skills for life at home and beyond.
Traditional Board & Train
An immersive stay-and-learn experience that combines overnight boarding with consistent daily training. This structured program gives dogs and families across DFW a dedicated opportunity to work toward their training goals.
Private Lessons
Play & Train
Traditional Board & Train Programs in DFW
Underdog Kennels’ Traditional Board & Train program offers an immersive dog training experience for families throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and North Texas. Your dog stays with us while receiving structured, consistent training designed around your goals to build meaningful skills and better everyday behavior. It is an excellent option for busy owners, families seeking more intensive training and dog owners who may live farther away but want the benefits of a professionally managed stay-and-learn program. Results That Come Home With You!
Puppy Start – 2 Weeks
$1,995
For puppies approximately 16 weeks to 6 months old
Give your puppy a strong start during one of the most important developmental periods of their life.
Our two-week Puppy Start program focuses on building the foundational skills and habits that can make life with your growing dog easier. Training includes foundational work with: sit, down, come, stay, place, leave it and loose leash walking along with crate and potty-training foundations, bite inhibition, impulse control.
Puppies also receive twice daily doggy daycare play, offering socialization with appropriately matched dogs.
Our Puppy Training is an excellent balance of learning, playful activity, social experiences, and rest in their private rooms.
Owners receive twice-weekly progress video updates, followed by a 1 hour owner graduation session to help transfer what your puppy has learned back to you. The program also includes 30 days of post-program support.
Obedience Essentials – 2 Weeks
$2,495
Our most popular Board & Train program* | All ages & breeds
Obedience Essentials is designed to create a stronger foundation of communication and dependable everyday manners.
During this two-week program, dogs work on seven core commands both on- and off-leash, loose-leash walking and heel, recall around distance and distractions, the place command and extended stays, and better greeting and doorway manners.
The goal isn’t simply to teach commands—it is to help your dog learn how to respond more consistently even when everyday distractions are competing for their attention.
The program also incorporates twice daily supervised doggy daycare play (if your dog is “dog friendly”, enjoys playing with other dogs and plays appropriately, offering socialization with appropriately matched dogs.
Obedience Essentials also includes two progress video updates each week so you can follow your dog’s development.
At graduation, owners participate in a comprehensive 1.5 hour graduation session focused on learning how to handle, reinforce, and maintain their dog’s new skills at home. You’ll also receive 60 days of post-program support.
An evaluation is required for this program.
Behavior Transformation – 3 Weeks
$3,295
For dogs needing more intensive behavioral work
Some dogs need more than foundational obedience. Our three-week Behavior Transformation program provides additional time and a greater emphasis on behavior modification for dogs dealing with challenges such as leash reactivity, jumping, anxiety, or over-excitement.
This program includes the skills covered in Obedience Essentials while adding a more concentrated behavior-modification component.
Training can include real-world practice in DFW environments (field trips), helping dogs learn to apply their skills outside of the training environment. The program also incorporates twice daily supervised doggy daycare play (if your dog is “dog friendly”, enjoys playing with other dogs and plays appropriately, offering socialization with appropriately matched dogs.
Owners receive twice weekly video updates and a mid-program owner lesson, followed by an in-depth 1.5-hour graduation session. The program includes 90 days of follow-up support to help owners continue implementing the training after their dog returns home.
An evaluation is required for this program.
Elite & Custom – 4 Weeks
Custom Pricing
For complex cases requiring a highly individualized approach
Our most comprehensive Board & Train option is designed for dogs and families whose needs extend beyond a standard training program.
The four-week Elite & Custom program begins with an evaluation and a fully tailored training plan based on the individual dog, their behavior, home environment, and the family’s goals.
This program may be appropriate for more complex behavioral cases, following evaluation and acceptance into the program. Training may also include advanced off-leash reliability, preparation for multi-dog households, managed daycare integration, and other individualized objectives.
The program also incorporates twice daily supervised doggy daycare play (if your dog is “dog friendly”, enjoys playing with other dogs and plays appropriately, offering socialization with appropriately matched dogs.
Owners receive 2 weekly progress videos and 2 mid-program owner lessons (typically, after week 2 and week 3). At graduation, we provide an extensive 2-hour owner training session plus in-facility coaching, because successfully transferring the training to the owner is an essential part of the process.
Elite & Custom also includes six months of follow-up support and two complimentary follow-up sessions.
Pricing begins at $4,200, with final pricing determined following your dog’s evaluation.
An evaluation is required for this program.
Private Dog Training Lessons in Dallas
Sometimes the most effective way to improve your dog’s behavior is to train together.
Our Private Lessons provide personalized, one-on-one instruction for you and your dog with a professional trainer. Rather than simply teaching your dog new skills, private training is designed to help you become a more confident and effective handler.
Your trainer can work with you to identify what is happening, understand why certain challenges may be occurring, and show you practical techniques you can use in everyday life. Because these sessions are individualized, training can be tailored around your dog’s current skill level, your priorities, and the situations that matter most to your family.
Private lessons can be especially valuable for working on basic obedience, leash walking, focus, impulse control, manners, consistency, and communication between dog and owner.
You’ll have the opportunity to practice with your dog while receiving real-time coaching and feedback from your trainer. That means you’re not only working toward better behavior during the lesson—you’re learning how to continue making progress between sessions and at home.
Private Lessons May Be a Great Fit For:
- Owners who want to be actively involved in the training process
- Puppies or adult dogs learning foundational skills
- Families who need help creating consistent expectations
- Dogs who need focused work on specific skills or everyday manners
- Owners who want professional guidance, feedback, and hands-on coaching
- Anyone who wants to better understand and communicate with their dog
Great training isn’t simply about getting a dog to follow commands. It’s about developing clear communication, consistency, confidence, and a stronger working relationship between you and your dog.
Private Lesson
$165/session
4 Private Lessons$150 per session$600
6 Private Lessons$137.50/session$825
Play & Train: Dallas Dog Daycare With Professional Training
Daycare Fun Meets Productive Training.
Your dog already loves coming to daycare—why not add some learning to their day?
Play & Train combines the fun and enrichment of Doggy Daycare with dedicated training sessions incorporated between periods of play. While your dog enjoys their regular daycare experience, our trainers can spend focused one-on-one time reinforcing important skills and encouraging better everyday manners.
It’s an easy and convenient way to add professional training to a day your dog is already spending with us.
Throughout the day, your dog can alternate between social play, activity, rest, and focused training, giving them opportunities to have fun while also practicing productive behaviors. Training sessions can focus on skills such as basic obedience, leash manners, attention and focus, impulse control, and reinforcing behaviors your dog is already learning.
Play & Train can also provide an especially useful opportunity to practice around the sights, sounds, smells, activity, and excitement associated with a daycare environment. Learning to listen and engage even when exciting things are happening nearby is an important part of helping dogs develop reliable everyday skills.
Play & Train May Be a Great Fit For:
- Current Doggy Daycare dogs who could benefit from additional training
- Owners who want to make their dog’s daycare day even more productive
- Dogs who need additional practice and reinforcement of existing skills
- Busy owners who want professional training incorporated into their dog’s normal routine
- Dogs who benefit from practicing focus and manners around everyday distractions
- Owners who want an ongoing way to reinforce their dog’s training
The best part? You don’t have to choose between a fun daycare day and a productive training day.
With Play & Train, your dog can enjoy both.
Add Play & Train to your dog’s Doggy Daycare experience and turn play day into an opportunity to learn, too.
Play & Train Add-On
$65
Play & Train 5-Pack$60/session$300
Play & Train 10-Pack$55/session$550
More Than Training Your Dog
One of the most important parts of Board & Train happens when your dog comes home.
Dogs thrive on clarity and consistency, which is why every program includes dedicated owner education and post-program support. We’ll show you how to communicate with your dog, reinforce the behaviors they’ve learned, and maintain the structure that helped them succeed during training.
We don’t simply want to send home a better-trained dog. We want to send home a dog and owner who understand how to work together.
Which Board & Train Program Is Right for My Dog?
Not sure where to start? That’s exactly what we’re here for.
Your dog’s age, current behavior, training history, temperament, and your goals all help determine which program will be the best fit. Our team can help you evaluate your needs and recommend the appropriate training path.
Book a free consultation to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Board & Train, and how does it work?
Board & Train is an immersive dog training program in which your dog stays at Underdog Kennels for a scheduled period while professional training is incorporated into their daily routine. This allows our trainers to provide the repetition, structure and consistent communication needed to establish new skills and improve everyday behavior.
Depending on the program, training may focus on basic obedience, loose-leash walking, recall, place, extended stays, impulse control, greeting manners or more challenging behavioral concerns. Owners receive progress updates during the program and participate in a hands-on graduation lesson before their dog returns home. Follow-up support is also included to help maintain the training in your home and everyday life.
When appropriate, dogs who enjoy playing safely with other dogs may also participate in twice-daily supervised doggy daycare play. Board & Train establishes an important foundation, but long-term success still depends on the owner consistently reinforcing the training after graduation.
2. Is Board & Train or private dog training better for my dog?
Neither option is automatically better for every dog. The right choice depends on your dog’s age, temperament, training history, behavior, your goals and how involved you would like to be throughout the process.
Board & Train may be the better choice when your dog would benefit from an immersive, highly consistent training environment or when you want to establish a stronger obedience foundation within a concentrated period. It can also be helpful for busy owners and for dogs needing more intensive work with distractions, impulse control or certain behavioral challenges.
Private dog training lessons may be ideal when you want to participate in every step of the training, improve your own handling skills or work on specific everyday concerns alongside your dog. Private lessons allow you to practice while receiving immediate coaching and feedback from a professional trainer.
Some families benefit from combining the two approaches. A free training evaluation can help determine which option is best for your dog and your household.
3. How much does dog training cost in Dallas?
Dog training prices in Dallas vary based on the type of training, program length, trainer experience, the dog’s needs and the amount of owner instruction and follow-up support included. Published Dallas–Fort Worth pricing commonly falls around $125 to $200 per private lesson, while multi-week Board & Train programs frequently range from approximately $2,000 to $6,000 or more for longer or more complex programs.
Underdog Kennels offers transparent dog training pricing:
Private Lesson: $165
Four Private Lessons: $600, or $150 per lesson
Six Private Lessons: $825, or $137.50 per lesson
Play & Train Add-On: $65, with discounted five- and ten-session packages
Puppy Start Board & Train: $1,995 for two weeks
Obedience Essentials Board & Train: $2,495 for two weeks
Behavior Transformation Board & Train: $3,295 for three weeks
Elite & Custom Board & Train: Starting at $4,200
When comparing Dallas dog training programs, consider more than the price alone. Program length, progress updates, owner education, graduation instruction and post-program support can make a significant difference in the overall value of the training.
4. At what age should puppy training begin?
Puppy training should begin as soon as your puppy comes home, which is often around eight weeks of age. Early training should be short, engaging and appropriate for the puppy’s developmental stage. Initial priorities can include responding to their name, potty and crate-training routines, bite inhibition, handling, recall games, calm behavior, basic impulse control and safe exposure to new people, sounds, surfaces and environments.
Starting early helps prevent unwanted habits from becoming firmly established. It also gives puppies a foundation for communication, confidence and good manners as they mature. Always follow your veterinarian’s recommendations regarding vaccinations and public exposure.
Underdog Kennels’ two-week Puppy Start Board & Train program is designed for puppies approximately 16 weeks to six months old. It combines foundational obedience with crate and potty-training foundations, bite inhibition, impulse control, social experiences, play and appropriate rest.
5. Can you help with leash pulling, jumping and poor recall?
Yes. Leash pulling, jumping and unreliable recall are among the most common concerns addressed through professional dog training.
For leash pulling, training can help your dog develop better engagement, loose-leash walking skills and a more consistent heel. Jumping can be addressed by teaching alternative behaviors such as sit, place and calmer greeting routines. Recall training begins in controlled situations and gradually introduces greater distance and distractions so your dog learns to respond more reliably in everyday settings.
The best program depends on the cause and severity of the behavior. Private Lessons or Play & Train may be appropriate for targeted coaching and practice. Obedience Essentials provides a more comprehensive obedience foundation, while Behavior Transformation offers additional time for concerns such as leash reactivity, anxiety, over-excitement or more deeply established behavior patterns.
Continued owner practice is essential, particularly for recall. The goal is not simply for a dog to perform during training, but to respond more consistently to the owner at home and around real-world distractions.
6. What happens during a private dog training lesson?
A private dog training lesson provides personalized, one-on-one instruction for you and your dog with a professional trainer. Your trainer will discuss your concerns and goals, observe how your dog currently responds and help identify the skills or behavior patterns that should be addressed first.
The trainer will demonstrate practical techniques and then coach you while you practice with your dog. Depending on your needs, a lesson may address basic obedience, loose-leash walking, recall, place, focus, impulse control, greeting manners or clearer communication between you and your dog.
Because private lessons are individualized, the training can be adjusted as your dog progresses. You will also receive guidance about what to practice between appointments so that improvement continues at home. The objective is not only to improve your dog’s behavior during the lesson, but also to help you become a more confident and effective handler.
7. Can my dog receive training while attending daycare?
Yes. Underdog Kennels’ Play & Train program allows eligible daycare guests to receive focused, one-on-one dog training during their regular doggy daycare day.
Your dog can alternate between supervised social play, activity, rest and individual training sessions with a professional trainer. Play & Train sessions can focus on basic obedience, leash manners, attention, impulse control and reinforcement of skills your dog is already learning.
The daycare environment also provides opportunities to practice listening around controlled distractions, including other dogs, people, sounds, movement and excitement. This makes Play & Train a convenient option for busy owners who want to make their dog’s daycare day even more productive.
Play & Train is especially useful for practicing and reinforcing everyday skills. Dogs with more significant behavioral concerns may benefit from Private Lessons, Behavior Transformation or a customized training program following an evaluation.
8. Does the owner receive instruction after Board & Train?
Yes. Owner instruction is an essential part of every Underdog Kennels Board & Train program. A dog may learn new skills with a professional trainer, but those skills must successfully transfer to the owner and home environment to create lasting improvement.
Each program includes hands-on graduation instruction and post-program support:
- Puppy Start: One-hour graduation session and 30 days of support
- Obedience Essentials: Comprehensive 1.5-hour graduation session and 60 days of support
- Behavior Transformation: Mid-program owner lesson, 1.5-hour graduation session and 90 days of support
- Elite & Custom: Two mid-program owner lessons, an extensive two-hour graduation session, six months of support and two complimentary follow-up sessions
During owner instruction, we explain the commands, communication system, handling techniques and daily structure your dog has learned. You will practice with your dog while receiving coaching so that you understand how to reinforce the training at home.
9. How long does dog obedience training take?
A dog can begin learning a new skill during the first training session, but dependable obedience around everyday distractions generally requires consistent practice over a period of weeks or longer. The total training time depends on the dog’s age, temperament, previous training, behavioral history, learning pace, environment and the owner’s goals.
Underdog Kennels offers several training timelines:
- Private training through individual lessons or four- and six-lesson packages
- Two-week Puppy Start for early puppy foundations
- Two-week Obedience Essentials for comprehensive everyday obedience
- Three-week Behavior Transformation for more intensive behavioral work
- Four-week Elite & Custom training for complex or highly individualized goals
Completing a program is not the end of the training process. Continued practice, clear expectations and consistent reinforcement at home are what turn newly learned skills into dependable long-term habits.
10. Which Underdog Kennels training program is right for my dog?
The right program depends on your dog’s age, current behavior, previous training, temperament, your lifestyle and the results you would like to achieve.
Puppy Start is designed for puppies approximately 16 weeks to six months old who need foundational obedience, crate and potty-training foundations, bite inhibition, impulse control and age-appropriate social experiences.
Obedience Essentials is a strong choice for puppies or adult dogs needing better everyday manners, loose-leash walking, recall, place, stays, greeting manners and more reliable responses around distractions.
Behavior Transformation provides additional time and behavior-modification work for dogs dealing with concerns such as leash reactivity, anxiety, jumping or over-excitement.
Elite & Custom is intended for complex cases or families with highly individualized and advanced training goals, following an evaluation.
Private Lessons are best for owners who want to train alongside their dog and receive direct, hands-on coaching.
Play & Train is a convenient option for current daycare dogs that would benefit from focused training and ongoing reinforcement during their daycare day.
Because dog training is never one-size-fits-all, Underdog Kennels offers a free evaluation to help identify the most appropriate and effective training path.
Please contact our owner,