Best Dog Trainers in and Near Albuquerque, NM

Adobe Dogs Training Co. is run by Amy G. Rudd, who is certified as a professional trainer through Animal Behavior College and says she has more than nine years of professional experience. The business is based in Albuquerque and trains in your home. Its site describes force free methods built on positive reinforcement and communication. Its site lists three services, priced from $75 for Puppy Groundwork to $95 for Behavior Troubleshooting, without saying whether that covers one visit or a package. It's a fit if you want one on one help at home with a new puppy or everyday manners.

Arie's Dogland is an Albuquerque dog center that pairs training with daycare and grooming. Its site says the business began as a dream more than twenty years ago. Training is reward based and comes two ways: group classes, and private sessions for adult dogs with behavior problems. Puppies can join a puppy playgroup daycare on weekdays, and the site lists a Puppy Jump Start Package without details. Grooming is offered on site too. No trainer names, credentials or prices are posted, so ask who teaches the class you want.

Bark Busters Albuquerque Suburbs is the local office of the Bark Busters in home training company, run by James "Jim" and Lorie Landers. Jim has focused on obedience and behavior work since 2006 and says he has worked with well over 500 dogs. The page shows an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator badge. All training happens in your home. Services cover puppy training and behavior work, from leash pulling and barking to reactivity and separation anxiety. The site describes natural, dog friendly methods and says, "We don't rely on bribes or punishment." The service area listed on the site includes Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Placitas, Bosque Farms and Cedar Crest. A Life of Dog Support Guarantee offers ongoing help at no added cost. Prices aren't posted.

Bright Paws Pet Behavior Specialist is led by Britte Holman, CPDT-KA, who began training service dogs in 1997 and says she has more than 25 years of experience. She is a former behavior specialist at a municipal animal shelter. Training is reward based, and the site says she avoids electronic collars, prong collars and choke chains. Services cover behavior work for leash reactivity and aggression, plus leash and potty training, service dog coaching and cat behavior consults. The site also lists day training and group classes. Prices are listed on their site: a 90 minute behavior consultation at $250, a two week Buddy Bootcamp of ten sessions at $2,000, and a four week Proud Parent Bootcamp at $4,000 that adds group classes.

Catherine Waters is an Albuquerque dog trainer listed in our records as a NADOI Certified Instructor. NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors, offers two membership levels. Its Certified level requires at least five years of experience as a full charge instructor, work with at least 100 dog and handler teams, a minimum number of teaching hours and a passed exam. The Associate level has no exam. We don't have a website on file for her, so this entry sticks to what our records show. On your first call, ask whether she teaches group classes or private lessons, where sessions take place, and what kinds of dogs she works with most.

Green Ribbon Dogs is an Albuquerque business that offers dog training alongside pet sitting. Training covers basic obedience for puppies and adult dogs and behavior modification plans for problem behavior, with private sessions available. The site says it starts with the least intrusive techniques, uses positive reinforcement among other methods, and considers each animal's emotional state and genetics. Trainers are described as certified through accredited schools, and the business says it is certified, insured and bonded, though it doesn't name the certifying bodies. Pet sitting covers farm animals, exotics and reptiles too. No trainer names or prices are shown.

Heeli Dog Training is based in Albuquerque, and its site lists Rio Rancho and Santa Fe as service areas too. Services cover fundamentals training, puppy training with socialization and potty training, behavior solutions for problems such as anxiety and aggression, behavior assessments, and service and therapy dog training. The site describes its methods as positive, force free and science based. Lessons are private and happen in your home, and you train alongside your dog. You start with an initial in home assessment, which the site describes as a free consultation. The site says its trainers are certified instructors and behavior specialists, but no names or prices are posted, so ask who will work with you and how long a service dog program usually takes.

Sit Means Sit Albuquerque is owned by Jori Pollard Carns, who has trained with Sit Means Sit since 2008 and is a Canine Good Citizen evaluator. Manager and head trainer Andrea Fisher has trained there since 2016 and is also an AKC CGC evaluator. Services include private in home obedience, group and puppy classes, and off leash and reactive dog training. Board and train runs 15, 10 or 5 days, and Day Train options run over two or three weeks. Each comes with group classes, and most add follow up lessons. The program uses the Sit Means Sit remote electronic collar, which the site describes as adjustable, low level stimulation to get a dog's attention. Prices are set after a free demonstration. The service area reaches from Santa Fe to Los Lunas.

Know Trick-K9 is based in Bernalillo and serves the surrounding area of New Mexico. Its board and train program works with each dog individually across several sessions a day and includes owner lessons so progress carries over at home. Private lessons happen at your home and teach you to work with your dog. Behavior consulting builds a plan around your dog's physical or behavioral issues and your lifestyle. Service dog training is offered for owners and dogs who meet the trainer's criteria, and the site says the trainer has trained service dogs for more than five years. Boarding without training is available too. The site doesn't name the trainer or list credentials, methods or prices, but it offers a free consultation.

Paws and Stripes is an Albuquerque nonprofit that provides service dogs to veterans living with service connected trauma. Our records list it as an Assistance Dogs International accredited member program, and its site says it has more than 16 years of experience serving veteran and military families. In its Veteran Service Dog Program, each veteran is paired with a rescue dog and trains that dog themselves, with one on one training at the office plus group classes. The program runs 12 to 24 months and is free to the veteran. Applications open only during grant cycles and include an interview and an in home visit. This isn't a pet obedience service, though the site also lists a Polite Paws program.

Sandia Dog Obedience Club is an all volunteer AKC member club in Albuquerque that says it has taught people and their dogs for more than 70 years. Classes cover obedience, agility, rally, scent work, tracking and conformation, and the club says they're open to all dogs, purebred or mixed breed. It suits owners who want to move past manners into a sport. The main page doesn't list a puppy class, prices, or whether you need to join the club to take classes, so ask about membership and class fees when you call.

Shepherds In Training is a Rio Rancho business that also lists Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Lunas and Bernalillo as service areas. Its site lists basic and advanced obedience, behavior modification consultations, puppy socialization, recall work, crate training help and AKC Canine Good Citizen prep, with both group classes and private in home sessions. Training is described as reward based. A Veterans Service Dog Program covers needs such as PTSD and mobility, and the site says it's also open to retired police, firefighters, EMS and other first responders. Prices are listed on their site, including obedience at $150 a month on a month to month basis and Puppy Basics, which includes AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, at $100. No trainer names are posted.

Southwest Canine Ethology is the Rio Rancho practice of Page Lynn Potter, listed in our records with an M.S. in Animal Behavior and NePoPo Silver certification. Our records list behavior diagnostics and rehabilitation, reactive dog training and behavior consulting, plus agility, service dog foundations and Canine Good Citizen evaluations. Its website, under the name K9CreationsNM, describes the team as canine behaviorists and trainers whose work with dogs began more than a decade ago in rescues across New Mexico. It explains two leash handling methods it uses: backwards pressure for strong pullers, and a loop leash that sits over the dog's snout like a head halter. Prices aren't posted, and the site says texting is the fastest way to reach them.

Canine Zen is the practice of Stephanie Barger in Rio Rancho. Our records list her credentials as CSAT, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA and FFCP Trainer, along with Pet Professional Guild membership. Her site centers on separation anxiety and dogs that struggle home alone. It also covers destructive chewing, barking, lunging, growling, pacing, howling, soiling and fear during thunderstorms. Training is remote, so you work with her from home, and the site steers away from class settings. It describes finding out why a dog struggles and then teaching you how to help. No prices are listed. Reach out with a description of the problem to start.

Tail Town Pet Resort in Rio Rancho runs dog training classes alongside boarding, daycare and grooming. Donna Johnson teaches Beginner Obedience, a six week course on Monday evenings that uses positive, reward based training and covers sit, down, stay, recall, loose leash walking and polite greetings. It's listed on their site as $150, with the next course starting November 9, 2026. She also teaches Beginner Agility for $150, for dogs that already know sit, stay and recall. Cathy Hyatt teaches six week Scent Work courses at $175. Tail Town also offers Hydro Fitness, listed as $55 for a 45 minute session with a trainer in the water after a required $75 introduction. Call ahead to confirm current class dates.

The Academy of Canine Excellence in Albuquerque says it has trained specialty dogs for more than a decade. Its service dog work covers seizure response, diabetic detection, anxiety and PTSD support, mobility and light mobility, autism, gluten detection and depression assistance. The Service Dog Monthly Training Package includes eight private lessons and four group classes, and graduates can join a yearly membership to keep training. The Academy also runs a Reactivity Course for dogs that lunge, bark or growl, and a Raise A Service Puppy program in which volunteer puppy raisers take in puppies from about 10 weeks old. Training is positive reinforcement and force free. Our records also list obedience and puppy preschool. The site says prices vary.

The Canine Coach is Susan Hawk's Albuquerque training business, and she says she has more than 12 years of hands on experience with dogs of every age and breed. Her core approach is called the Relationship First Method, built on positive reinforcement and calm, clear communication, and the site says she never uses shock, prong collars or intimidation. Services cover puppy training, obedience, behavior work for reactive or anxious dogs, and Off Leash Freedom for recall. Training happens in your home or wherever daily problems show up, starting with a free in home consultation. Most programs run six to twelve weeks of coaching, and graduates can join a Dog Nanny membership. No prices are posted.

VigilantK9 is an Albuquerque trainer serving the surrounding area. Its site lists basic to advanced obedience, behavior modification for dogs with existing problems, and Competition K9 work to prepare dogs for sport. The business also breeds Malinois for sport and service work and as pets, though its available dogs section was empty when we checked. The trainer is described as a certified dog trainer, but the site doesn't name the certifying group, and training methods and prices aren't listed. Ask about methods and tools and how a typical program is structured.