I'm not sure what a good rate for obedience training would be. I am involved with an organization that teaches all sorts of obedience for obedience titles. Novice, Rally, and utility training and even tracking are some of the courses they teach. Now for a 6 week puppy basic course it was $110. Then the next pre-novice course was 6 weeks for $95 and the classes ran about that much for each class following. They were an hour long and basically the handlers were taught how to instruct the dogs to perform and exercise and that included a heal position and heal forward on a loose lead, sit, stay, come, down, short and long finishes but keep in mind this was all for obedience competitions and it's a bit more formal. Though I do not compete as Gracie just does not have the energy level I think is necessary (I think it bores her)for a good competition I personally think that obedience is ideal and helps to reinforce the bond but consistency is the key. I don't think to put a time frame on the activity to learn is appropriate. You or the dog may not quite understand right off the bat and that is where repetition will be the key. So if it takes 5 minutes, 2 hours or one year that will be up to you and the dog understanding each other and walking on a leash correctly in your opinion. Oh and if it were me who was considering his service I might get a reference from this person and watch how he interacts with your pet before you commit to anything. Good luck with the training and keep us posted on how it goes.