california's original
homeschool program
Daily training for your dog in their own home
and neighborhood in Carlsbad, all while you're at work.
homeschool: how it works
96% of people choose the Homeschool program.
1: customize your training agenda
Schedule a consultation with our dog trainers in Carlsbad to build your custom-tailored training plan specific to your lifestyle and your dog's personality.
Following your phone consultation, you'll receive an email package with everything you need to get started in one place. A signed training agreement and a $199 deposit officially reserve your training dates.
2: complete a 3-week program
Monday through Thursday each week consists of one-on-one training sessions between dog(s) and trainer in your Carlsbad home and neighborhood. This minimizes distractions for both dog and trainer so learning can efficiently take place. You do not need to be home.
Friday each week consists of a private coaching session with the family. Your trainer will explain what and how your dog learns, demonstrate their new skills, and coach each owner through using the new skills in the real wor.
3: plan continued education
Following your 3 week program, your dog has lifetime priority access to our Petsitting Program, our Varsity Subscription, and After-School Programs like agility, nosework, rally obedience, trick training, and more!
The Varsity Subscription covers one session with your trainer monthly to tweak, improve, and add on to your dog's skills.
In addition, the Homeschool program includes 2 free follow-up sessions.
pricing
homeschool program
3 week program with four 1:1 training sessions and one coaching session with the owner(s) each week.
Includes 2 free follow-up sessions & priority access to Petsitting and After-School programs.
Best for people who want superior results or have busy schedules.
$2495
tutoring program
4 week program with one 1:1 training session and one coaching session with the owner(s) each week.
Includes intial in-person consultation.
Best for people who want to be hands-on in achieving results. Homework is required.
$1495
private lessons
Individual private coaching sessions with the owners.
Best for people who want training touch-ups or have some training experience.
Not available for off leash or behavior training.
$165
View pricing for the Petsitting Program,
CONTINUED EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Available to Graduates of the Homeschool & Tutoring Programs
meet the trainers
mara soo
lion, bear & elk trainer
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Trained upper-level competitive sport horses across the US, working with trainers up to the Olympic level
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Trained mountain lions, bears, elk, bald eagles, otters and owls professionally
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Competes in APPDA and PSA (protection and patrol dogs)
tina chavez
ne po po® gold school graudate
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Trained directly by Bart Bellon, inventor of many modern dog training methods, as a Certified Electronic Collar Trainer for Martin Systems Technology
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Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen, S.T.A.R., and Trick Dog Evaluator
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Competes in APPDA, PSA, and American Schutzhund (protection and patrol dogs)
will coggins
special ops, swat, & fbi k-9 trainer
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Certified MWD Handler in obedience, patrol, and narcotics and explosives detection
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Graduated Marine Corps K-9's intensive training course in long range off leash training
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Conducted dog training seminars for the FBI, Naval Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Homeland Security, ATF, NCIS, and NPD
eric knierim
air force k-9 handler
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Certified Air Force MWD Handler in obedience, patrol, and narcotics and explosives detection
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Led the use of K-9 security dogs on 10 US Presidential Secret Service missions and for protection of the Air Force Chief of Staff and Chief of Space Operations
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Held K-9 obedience training seminars for the US Secret Service, German Air Force, and US Navy
service area & faq
Service Area & Out-of-Service-Area Protocols
Our service area includes any address within a 15 minute commute from 3401 College Blvd, Oceanside, CA 92056.
If you are outside this area, no worries!
You can meet us in Carlsbad for training, or pay extra fees and we'll come to your home anyway.
Schedule a phone consultation to get an exact quote if you are outside our service area.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I enroll more than one dog in a training program?Yes, although in most situations the length of each training session as well as the price of each program increases by 50%. This allows ample time to be spent with each dog without doubling the price of the program. We offer a detailed consultation to determine the best approach for training your dogs together.
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What training methods do you use?Our trainers are skilled in multiple science-backed training methodologies and apply any methods that will be safe and effective for your dog. Most training programs primarily rely on positive reinforcement training and will be supplemented with balanced dog training methods. View a detailed outline of our training methods here, and specific approaches to different goals from the menu of our website.
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Do you offer payment plans?Yes. You will have the option to choose a payment plan through Affirm after signing up for a program. Affirm offers payment plans from 2 to 36 months long. Learn more about payment plans through Affirm here. Varsity members simply pay $95 or more per month for training with no upfront costs.
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Could my dog be too young or too old for training?We find that old dogs are the easiest to teach new tricks! However, we recommend that puppies under 16 weeks of age train on Varsity and complete a more intensive training program when they’re over 16 weeks of age. This ensures you have a sound plan for potty training, crate training, socialization, and preventing bad habits from day one. Schedule a phone consult with a trainer to get started today.
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Can I cancel Varsity at any time?Yes! You can pause or cancel your Varsity membership at any time.
schedule a free consult
What Happens Next?
Complete your 3-5 week Custom Training Program
Reserve your Program Dates by Paying a $199 Deposit and Signing our Training Agreement
Enjoy our Petsitting, After-School, and Varsity programs, Lifelong!
The Traction Dog Training Club was born in 2020 in Boulder, Colorado by business and animal enthusiast Mara Soo. Mara combined multiple past businesses, from green technology to employment services, with an unavoidable love for animals. She had left jobs training sport horses and zoo keeping for new business ventures, but after starting professional dog training in 2019, she knew it was the "click" she'd been waiting for. More importantly, she noticed several enormous inefficiencies in modern dog training in the US. Traction and its unique training models was instantly successful, hiring its first five full-time team members and expending to 3 cities in the first 6 months.
Traction's training techniques are uniformized across the team, the result of a rigorous screening process and strong culture of constant collaboration and communication among trainers. Many programs are inspired by the unique skills of Traction trainers, whether it's Will Coggins' 10 years experience training narcotics and exposives detection leading to nosework classes, or Tina Chavez's insatiable quest for continued education leading to the Sampler Course.
Thus far, every Traction trainer shares a background in training patrol and protection K9s.
Thank you for joining the Traction Dog Training Club!