Dog Training
for a better best friend
Why Work With Bark to Basics?
Expert guidance you can trust. Support to make training work in real life.
Want a dog who listens when it matters—not just when you have a treat in your hand or the house is quiet?
Whether you’re working on leash walking, recall, jumping, impulse control, better manners or simply want everyday life with your dog to feel easier, training should give you practical skills you can actually use.
At Bark to Basics, training goes beyond teaching cues. We’ll build clear communication, strengthen the skills your dog needs for everyday life, and help those skills hold up around the distractions and situations that matter to you.
As a certified behavior consultant and trainer, I use science-backed, positive training tailored to your dog, your goals and your lifestyle. Rather than following a one-size-fits-all training plan, we’ll focus on the skills that will make the biggest difference in your life together.
The goal is simple: a dog you can enjoy doing more with—and the confidence to know how to keep building on your training long after our sessions end.
Why Support Matters
Learning doesn’t stop when a training session ends. Questions often come up when you start practicing in real life, where distractions, routines and everyday situations can make things look very different than they did during a session.
Ongoing support gives you a place to ask questions, troubleshoot challenges and make adjustments as you put new skills into practice.
Many of my clients tell me that knowing they can reach out when something isn’t going as expected is one of the most valuable parts of working together.
Everyday Essentials
$350
What You’ll Gain:
- Build Better Habits for Easier Days Together
Perfect for dogs who are doing well overall but could use some focused help with one or two everyday training goals. Get personalized, practical guidance to help you build better habits and make daily life together easier
Package Includes:
- Personalized training plan to get you started
- 90-minute, in-home, coaching session
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30 minute virtual support session
*If you choose to move forward with a puppy package within 30 days $150 will be credited towards the package of your choice.
Everyday Essentials fully virtual package - $300
Dog training can help with:
Not Sure where to start?
Questions about the training process or which option is right for you?
Schedule a Free 15-Minute Discovery Call
Pricing & Packages
Everyday Elevated
$1100
What You’ll Gain:
- Comprehensive Coaching and Continued Support to Build Reliable Skills for Life Together.
For families looking for a more comprehensive training experience with plenty of time to work toward multiple goals. More coaching, practice and ongoing support help you build reliable skills that carry over into everyday life.
Package Includes:
- Expert coaching to give you the confidence to build skills that matter in real life
- 5.5 hours of private, in-home coaching time
- Extended Support For Problem Solving Between Sessions
- Two 30-minute virtual follow ups
- 10 weeks text and email support
- Access to twice-monthly virtual Office Hours during program PLUS 1 month after
- Notes and homework after each session
Everyday Elevated fully virtual package - $900
Everyday Excellence
$700
What You’ll Gain:
-
Turn Everyday Frustrations Into Everyday Success
Everyday Excellence provides private coaching for adult dogs who could use a hand with learning better manners, obedience cues, life skills and confidence in real-world situations to help you create a better best friend.
Package Includes:
- 3.5 hours of private, in home coaching time
- 30-minute virtual support session
- 6 weeks text and email support
- Access to twice-monthly virtual Office Hours during program
-
Notes and homework after each session
Everyday Excellence fully virtual package - $500
Additional Dogs: $75 per in-home session. Sessions are extended by 30 minutes when working with an additional dog.
Please note: Dog Training packages are not appropriate for aggression, significant fear or anxiety, or other complex behavior concerns. Please see Behavior Consulting for these concerns.
See what people are saying about Bark to Basics
Highly recommend Melissa at Bark to Basics for a personal, tailored approach to training that uses positive reinforcement. Melissa was able to help us with our 7 y/o mixed breed dog who was very reactive on leash whenever any other dog was in sight. She gave us great strategies to work with our dog, and we have seen great improvement! Brittany with Jasmine – Hillsborough Separation anxiety Highly recommend Melissa at Bark to Basics for a personal, tailored approach to training that uses positive reinforcement. Melissa was able to help us with our 7 y/o mixed breed dog who was very reactive on leash whenever any other dog was in sight. She gave us great strategies to work with our dog, and we have seen great improvement!
Highly recommend Melissa at Bark to Basics for a personal, tailored approach to training that uses positive reinforcement. Melissa was able to help us with our 7 y/o mixed breed dog who was very reactive on leash whenever any other dog was in sight. She gave us great strategies to work with our dog, and we have seen great improvement! Brittany with Jasmine – Hillsborough Separation anxiety it is in our message thread Melissa is an incredibly knowledgeable and helpful dog trainer. My dog was attacking my partner's dog at, what seemed like, complete random. Melissa helped us understand that these attacks were coming from a place of severe anxiety. In addition, she taught us how to better determine when and why these attacks could happen and how to prevent them. I am thrilled to share that after our sessions with Melissa, we are all living in one home together and are so happy with the progress that our good boy has made. Our dogs (and we) are happier and more confident thanks to Melissa! She is simply the best and can't recommend enough!
Melissa helped me with my 3-year-old pit that I adopted in Oct. She was full of energy and had no rules. After 4 weeks of training, I can say that she now listens to me and is a much calmer dog. I can now take her on walks and at home she has learned to use the doggie door all on her own. The training was the best thing I could have done for me and my dog.
More than 5 stars! Melissa is a lifesaver! Our two dogs, initially wonderful together, began to aggressively react once the younger started her heat cycle. Melissa is a consummate professional who understands dogs, people, and the behavioral dynamics of both. She has a keen eye for assessing each situation and has provided us with positive yet realistic goals and expectations. She spends time asking great questions and providing guidance in supporting our dogs in a positive-only environment and training techniques. She follows up with homework, written reports, and sends them to our vet to keep everyone updated. We don't know how we could have managed to get our dogs back together without her incredible knowledge as an animal behaviorist and trainer!
We adopted Aiyla, a 2.5-year-old, 70-pound former street dog who was extremely reactive when on a leash; if she saw or heard another dog while out walking, she would lunge, bark and snap at the leash. Reactivity is a notoriously hard behavior to break; we had already worked with two other trainers on this problem without success and were beginning to get discouraged when we called Bark to Basics. Melissa did an excellent job explaining the root of the reactivity, made practical suggestions such as a different harness and more motivational treats and came up with a clear training plan. We signed up for four training sessions over a couple of months and did a lot of homework with Aiyla in between and she has improved greatly. Melissa met us where we were and made us feel like we could succeed, she is very calm, patient and knowledgeable about dog behavior. While reactivity was the main issue, Melissa also helped us improve basic obedience skills that have made our lives much easier. She provided clear feedback and good notes after every session and reached out to reschedule when the weather looked questionable, knowing that Aiyla hates being out in the rain. While we still have work to do, thanks to Melissa we have the foundation and skills to keep making progress.
I can't speak highly enough about Melissa at Bark to Basics. She was nonjudgmental, friendly, very responsive, and highly knowledgeable about dog behavior. We had 4 sessions together, and each time she listened closely to my training goals, problem-solved with me, and provided relevant, actionable steps to work on. She also sent an email with notes after every session, which was extremely helpful to refer back to throughout the following week. With her help, my dog's location guarding and fear of the woods improved a lot, and I'm so grateful!
Calle is a very shy and timid rescue dog, approximately two years old when we adopted her one year ago. We enlisted the help of Melissa based on reviews we read online. That was the BEST decision we made for Calle AND for us! Melissa took time on the first visit to get to know Calle and customize the training, taking into consideration Calle’s fears and timid personality. Melissa did not try to fit us into five basic step training but formulated a plan based on what she observed and what we wanted to accomplish. Melissa’s knowledge of training was soon realized when we saw almost immediate progress. We worked through issues of socialization, house training, walking on a leash in a park. We could never have made such progress without the help of Melissa. Melissa was very reliable (always on time and good follow-up), professional, kind, and had such a gentle, loving manner with Calle AND with us – we received some much-needed training as well!
Training For a Better Best Friend
Virtual Sessions
Virtual Sessions are fully customized, one-on-one video sessions so you can get the help you need no matter where you are!
The Support you need
Ongoing support doesn't have to end when your training package does. Office Hours are included with select Bark to Basics programs and available afterward through our client-only monthly memberships.
Payment
Credit cards, checks, Venmo and cash are accepted. Packages are paid in full at the first session.
Cancellation/Refund Policy
48-hour notice is required for cancellations to reschedule the appointment. There are no refunds on packages as your commitment to working consistently with your dog is key to reaching your training goals!