Private dog training gives you one-on-one support with your dog, usually in the places where everyday life actually happens. That might mean working in your home, on your usual walking routes, or in a nearby park where you’re running into the situations you’d like help with.

For some families, that individual attention is simply a better fit than a group class. You might have a new puppy and a long list of questions, an adolescent dog whose skills disappear the moment you leave the house, or an adult dog who could use some help with walks, greetings, recall or settling.

Private sessions can also be appropriate when fear, reactivity, anxiety or other behaviour concerns make a group environment difficult. In those cases, the work may include much more than teaching skills. We’ll look at the circumstances around the behaviour, what your dog may be experiencing, and practical ways to make everyday life easier and safer.

One of the biggest advantages of private training is that we can focus on your dog, your household and the situations that matter to you.

If leash walking is difficult on your street, we can work there. If your puppy is struggling to settle while you make dinner, we can look at the actual routine. If your dog is comfortable practising at home but finds the neighbourhood overwhelming, we can adjust the environment and build from a level they can manage.

Private training also allows us to change the pace as we go. Some dogs need more time to observe and settle into a situation before they’re ready to learn. Others pick up a skill quickly and are ready for a greater challenge. We can adapt the session instead of keeping everyone on the same lesson plan.

That can be particularly useful for puppies, adolescent dogs and dogs who need more space from other dogs or people.

Private training can cover a wide range of everyday skills and challenges.

For puppies, that might include nipping and chewing, potty training, settling, recall foundations, leash skills, handling and cooperative care, and helping them have positive experiences with the world around them. You can learn more about Belle & Bark’s private Puppy Fundamentals course.

With adolescent and adult dogs, we might work on pulling on leash, recall, jumping up, greetings, settling at home, responding around distractions, or making everyday routines easier. These are covered through Belle & Bark’s Everyday Skills programs.

Some behaviours need a different kind of support. Fear, anxiety, reactivity, aggression, separation-related concerns, handling difficulties and significant changes in behaviour often involve looking more closely at the dog’s health, environment, history and emotional experience. Belle & Bark’s Behaviour Solutions service is designed for those concerns.

You don’t need to know which category your dog belongs in before getting in touch. If the picture is less clear, I can help point you towards an appropriate starting place.

Private training is collaborative. I’ll want to understand what you’re seeing, when it tends to happen, what you’ve already tried, and what you’d most like to improve.

We’ll also look at the dog in front of us. Their body language, environment, routines, health, previous learning and current ability to cope can all affect what makes sense to work on.

From there, we’ll practise useful strategies together. That could involve teaching a new skill, changing part of the setup, adjusting the difficulty of an exercise, trying a management strategy, or finding a better way for your dog to get something they need.

The goal is for you to leave the session knowing what to work on in everyday life. Between sessions, you’ll have specific things to practise or try rather than a generic training checklist.

When we meet again, we can look at what happened. What went smoothly? What was harder than expected? Did the behaviour change? Does the plan need adjusting? Training is an ongoing learning process for both the dog and the people supporting them.

If you’re interested in the learning science underneath that process, How dogs learn explains how reinforcement, associations and everyday consequences shape behaviour.

Most Belle & Bark private sessions begin in your home or nearby neighbourhood, depending on what you’re working on.

Home sessions are especially useful when the issue is connected to household routines or when a puppy or sensitive dog learns more comfortably in a familiar environment. We can also move outside when the skills need to work on walks, around neighbourhood distractions or in other real-life situations.

The location should support the work we’re doing. Practising in the middle of an overwhelming situation rarely gives a dog their best opportunity to learn, so we may begin somewhere easier and gradually add difficulty as the dog is ready.

Virtual behaviour consultations are also available when they make sense for the concern, including some home-based behaviour issues and situations where having an unfamiliar person enter the home could affect what we’re trying to assess.

Belle & Bark uses positive reinforcement alongside thoughtful management, environmental changes, enrichment and clear teaching.

Behaviour also gets looked at in context. If a dog is struggling, I’m interested in more than whether they know a particular cue. Physical comfort, emotional state, sleep, environment, routines, relationships, previous learning and opportunities to make choices can all be relevant.

That doesn’t mean every session turns into an exhaustive behaviour assessment. For an adolescent dog who needs help with leash walking, we may spend most of our time walking and practising. For another dog, changing the setup or reducing the difficulty may be the thing that makes learning possible.

You’ll be actively involved in the process. The aim is to help you understand what you’re seeing, practise useful skills and make decisions that continue to make sense once I’m no longer standing beside you.

Private training can be a good fit if you want individualized coaching, would like to work on skills in your own environment, or have a dog who would benefit from learning at their own pace.

A group course can also be valuable when the dog is comfortable learning around others and the class format matches your goals. Neither format is inherently better. The useful question is which environment gives you and your dog the best opportunity to work on the things that matter.

Belle & Bark offers private puppy training, everyday-skills programs and individualized behaviour support in Montreal and nearby neighbourhoods.

Tell me a little about your dog, what’s happening and what you’d like help with. I’ll point you towards the Belle & Bark service that makes the most sense.

Find the right service or send a booking request.