Lori Hamilton Dog Training

LHDT offers Private Lessons as one-on-one sessions with a trainer, focusing on unwanted behaviors like barking, aggression, leash pulling, jumping, and anxiety. Lessons target behavior where it happens, on sidewalks, in parks, on family outings, and at home, training both the dog and the owner in high-distraction environments. Standard and Advanced lesson packages are available, covering everything from foundational work to more complex behavior challenges. Private lessons are for dogs over four months old.

Board + Train places the dog in a supervised environment on a customized daily plan of training, enrichment, socialization, and supervised play. Four-week and six-week options are offered, with extensions available for more complex cases. Private sessions with the owner are included and must be completed during the stay so the training transfers home.

Puppy Smart Start is for puppies under four months. It combines one 1.5-hour in-home session covering household routines, crate training, boundary setting, and socialization with three 45-minute private lessons at the training facility. Puppies must complete their third round of vaccines before attending in-facility lessons.

Group classes at the facility and partner locations build obedience and confidence at basic and intermediate levels, teaching commands including sit, down, stay, come, leave it, and place around people, distractions, and other dogs. Pack walks are reserved for current and past Board + Train and Private Lesson clients and reinforce leash manners, social skills, and confidence in real-world environments. Boarding is available to LHDT and Back to Balance graduates and current training clients. Every program begins with an evaluation.

Pricing Summary

An evaluation is required before any training program. It runs 45 minutes, costs $120, and is payable prior to the appointment. Private training is offered in Standard and Advanced lesson packages. Board + Train comes in four-week and six-week options, with extensions available for more complex cases. The Puppy Smart Start package is $700 and includes one 1.5-hour in-home session plus three 45-minute private lessons at the facility. Pack walks cost $25 per person for one dog and $15 for each additional dog, with proceeds supporting local canine organizations.

Policies

Every training program begins with an evaluation, which determines both the program and the trainer matched to the dog. Lasting results depend on the owner: LHDT emphasizes that owners are responsible for practicing and following the techniques taught at home. Boarding is reserved for LHDT and Back to Balance graduates and current training clients, and pack walks are open only to current and past Board + Train and Private Lesson clients. Puppies must have completed their third round of vaccinations before attending in-facility lessons.

Lori Hamilton Dog Training (LHDT) provides comprehensive dog training services aimed at creating well-behaved companions that can be taken anywhere. They specialize in addressing unwanted behaviors such as barking, aggression, leash pulling, jumping, and anxiety, and also offer general obedience training.

The business offers various training formats including one-on-one private lessons, group classes, and board and train programs, plus a Puppy Smart Start program for puppies under four months. Training happens both at their Los Gatos facility on Los Gatos Blvd, which has a main training area, a socialization yard, and treadmills, and in everyday, high-distraction environments like sidewalks, parks, and family outings. They emphasize empowering owners with tools for both praise and appropriate corrections, preparing dogs for real-life situations.

LHDT is led by founder and lead trainer Lori Hamilton, who has more than twenty years of professional experience and thousands of dogs trained. The team also includes trainers Amy Gist, Chelsea Ruiz, and Danielle Meliker, associate trainer Linda Badarie, and training technician Rob Fair. They work with dogs of any size and breed. LHDT also organizes pack walks for current and past clients, which serve as opportunities to practice loose leash skills and provide positive experiences around new dogs and people, with proceeds supporting local canine organizations.

Accomplishments

Featured on This is SF, Lori Hamilton Dog Training has trained dogs for notable clients such as pro hockey player Joe Pavelski. Founder and lead trainer Lori Hamilton has more than twenty years of professional experience and thousands of dogs trained, and is regarded as one of the Bay Area’s most trusted experts in dog behavior.

LHDT is committed to community involvement, having matched funds from a pack walk to donate a total of $730 to ASPCA, and it continues to direct pack walk proceeds to local canine organizations. They specialize in training dogs of any size and breed, aiming to create well-behaved companions that can be taken anywhere.

How to Get Started!

To begin, an evaluation is required for all training packages. It lasts 45 minutes and costs $120, payable prior to the appointment. During the evaluation a trainer meets you and your dog, observes behavior, and recommends the best program for your dog’s needs.

Request one through the evaluation form on the LHDT website, or call the Los Gatos office. Owners of puppies under four months start with the Puppy Smart Start form instead. Boarding dates and group class spots are requested through the website’s contact page.