Best Dog Trainers in and Near Ann Arbor, MI

Beyond the Bark is the Brighton practice of Chelsea Baughman-Campbell, a Pet Professional Guild member. The site says the team covers Livingston County and Ann Arbor, and it also lists Metro Detroit. It describes its staff as certified professional behavior consultants and dog trainers who apply current behavior science.

Private training uses a behavior plan built for your dog, and sessions can happen in your own home. The site also lists puppy classes and reactive dog classes. Beyond everyday manners, the team takes on harder cases such as fear and aggression. The site also posts free lectures and handouts for owners.

The Ann Arbor Dog Training Club formed in 1967, and its building sits off US 23 at exit 49 in Whitmore Lake, a few minutes north of downtown Ann Arbor. Experienced instructors teach owners to train their own dogs in group classes.

Pet owners can start with puppy socialization or household manners. Dogs headed for sport can move on to competition obedience and rally. The club also lists agility and tracking, and scent work and special classes round out the schedule. You need to sign up in advance for any class.

The home page doesn't post prices, so ask about fees and class size before you register.

Abbie Volpone runs Canine Companion Dog Training from Ypsilanti. Our records show the VSA-CDT credential and a VSA faculty advisor role. They also list a seat on the board of the Humane Training Alliance, and she's a Pet Professional Guild member.

Our directory lists private training and group training, along with behavior consulting. Her focus areas include aggression and reactivity, and she also does assistance animal training. Her website gave us no class details or fees, so this write up comes from our directory record. Ask about formats, where sessions meet and what they cost when you call.

Paw Print Inn in Novi is mainly a boarding and daycare business for dogs, with cat boarding and grooming offered on site too. Its website lists obedience training among its services, but the page we opened gives no details on class format or training method.

It suits owners whose dog already boards there. Call to ask whether lessons are private or in a group and who teaches them. The site links to a separate prices page, so check it for current rates before you book.

Belle Creek Kennels in Livonia has cared for pets in southeast Michigan since 1989, and its training services sit alongside boarding and daycare. The site lists obedience classes and puppy socialization classes. It also runs AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy classes with testing, plus Canine Good Citizen evaluations.

In Kennel Training is also on the list, and the kennel offers private consultations too. Show dog owners will notice conformation classes on the list, which no other trainer in this guide mentions. The site doesn't describe training methods or post training prices on its main page, so ask about both when you call.

The Humane Society of Huron Valley runs group dog classes at its Ann Arbor shelter, and its class page doesn't limit enrollment to adopters. Most classes meet for six weekly sessions. Puppy Preschool takes puppies from 10 weeks to 6 months, and Basic Manners starts at 6 months.

Reactive Rover is for dogs that are friendly with people but bark or lunge at other dogs, with no more than four dogs per class. The shelter says it trains with positive reinforcement, and it doesn't recommend choke chains or prong collars.

Puppy Preschool is listed on their site as $219 and Reactive Rover as $259. Dogs that are reactive to people need private help instead.

Fred Bigliardi is a dog trainer based in Brighton, in Livingston County, and our records list him as an associate member of NADOI. NADOI calls itself the world's oldest organization dedicated to promoting excellence in dog training and instruction. It has set standards for trainers since 1965, and it says its members are committed to humane, effective and ethical methods.

Our listing for Fred doesn't include a website, so this write up comes from our directory record alone. We can't confirm his class formats or fees. On your first call, ask whether he teaches group classes or private lessons and which tools he uses.

Tanya Bigliardi trains dogs in Brighton and is listed in our directory as an associate member of NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. The group has set standards for dog trainers since 1965 and posts a code of ethics on its site.

We didn't find a website for her listing, so we can't tell you whether she teaches classes, private lessons or both. Ask when you call what kinds of dogs and problems she works with most. It's also worth asking whether her sessions happen in Brighton or at your home, and what a first lesson costs.

Suzi Bertrand trains dogs from Northville and holds the CPDT-KA. According to the CCPDT, that certification requires at least 300 hours of dog training experience in the past three years and passing a 200 question exam.

She's also a Pet Professional Guild member. PPG says it promotes positive training methods, and its members recommend against tools meant to interrupt or redirect behavior through fear, force or pain. Our records list private and group training for her, with aggression and reactivity as a focus.

We didn't find a website for her listing, so this summary comes from our directory. Ask where classes meet and what sessions cost when you reach out.

K9 AdvantEDGE is a family run training business in Romulus that comes to your home across Wayne County, with Dearborn and Brownstown among the towns on its list. Puppy training is for puppies under eight months, and in home training for older dogs includes coaching for the owner.

Behavior work covers reactivity and anxiety. The Stay and Train program runs four or six weeks and is open to clients across Michigan. Self paced online courses are also offered.

The site describes a balanced approach that mixes rewards and clear boundaries with corrections when needed, and an electronic collar is included in the six week Stay and Train. Three puppy sessions are listed on their site as starting at $500, and the four week Stay and Train as $2,800.

Rebecca Najarian runs Dogs Plus Love from Dexter. She offers behavior consultations in person in Dexter and nearby communities, and virtual consultations for owners anywhere.

The process starts with a free 15 minute discovery call. After that come in person or virtual sessions, then ongoing support while you keep practicing. Her site describes positive and humane methods based on current science.

Our records list her as a Family Paws Parent Educator and a Pet Professional Guild member. She also runs Cats Plus Love for cat owners, so a household with a dog and a cat can work with one consultant.

Always Faithful Dog Training of Ann Arbor is a local franchise led by owner Leanna, with Michelle and Becky listed as Level 1 IDTA dog trainers. The location's page lists Ann Arbor along with towns such as Novi and Northville.

Packages move from a puppy starter up through beginner and intermediate levels to a pro level. Beginner work covers loose leash walking and manners like not jumping, and intermediate adds off leash training. The company says its trainers use no treats or clickers and no shock collars.

The puppy package is listed on their site as $200 and the beginner package as $600. The Ann Arbor page also lists board and train and a therapy dog package, with pricing by phone.

Northfield Dog Training holds weekly classes and private lessons in a 12,000 square foot building in southwest Ann Arbor, built in 2001 for dog training and competition. Owner Adele Yunck teaches the obedience and rally classes, and several other instructors teach agility.

Beyond basic and advanced obedience, the class list includes scent work and tricks, and there's a retriever training class. Northfield also runs online classes, and Adele teaches seminars. Class prices aren't on the main page, so check the current classes page or ask about registration.

The Dog Wizard Huron Valley is a franchise location based in Chelsea. Its service area runs from Dexter and Saline east to Canton and Northville, and it includes Ann Arbor. Training can happen in your home or at a facility, and the location also offers mobile sessions.

Services include private lessons and group classes, and the location lists puppy programs too. Aggression rehab and board and train also appear on its page.

The trainers describe balanced training and say they use tools ranging from food to remote collars, with the owner choosing the tool with the trainer's guidance. Programs are listed on their site as starting at $250, with the final cost set after a free evaluation.

BreedAbove launched in Ann Arbor in September 2011 as a dog daycare and boarding business, and its training program goes by the name DogLife Training. The same business also offers grooming and a pet taxi.

Our records list day training and day camp, along with group classes that include puppy programs and Canine Good Citizen prep. Private lessons and stay and train sessions are listed too.

The training page didn't load for us, so ask about methods and prices directly before you enroll.

Pro K-9 has trained dogs in southeast Michigan since 2001 and serves Ann Arbor as well as Metro Detroit. Most work starts with an evaluation in your home, followed by private sessions there. Obedience covers basics such as come and heel, and advanced dogs work off leash. Behavior help includes jumping and barking, as well as aggression.

The puppy program takes puppies from 8 weeks to 5 months, at home or in class. A behavior consultant is on hand at weekly Socializing Groups. Pro K-9 also tests for the AKC Canine Good Citizen title and its Community Canine and Urban Canine levels. The site says trainers use positive reinforcement and don't use shock collars or clickers.

Jane Wolff is a dog trainer based in Ypsilanti and a member of the Pet Professional Guild. The guild says it promotes positive training methods, and its members recommend against equipment meant to interrupt or redirect behavior through fear, force or pain.

Our listing for Jane has no website or specialty details, so this summary comes from our directory alone. We can't tell you whether she teaches classes, private lessons or both. On a first call, ask what kinds of problems she works with most and where sessions take place. Ask too whether she'll come to your home and what a first session costs.

It Is Pawzable Dog Training works out of Walled Lake in western Oakland County. Its website blocked our check, so this summary comes from our directory record.

Our records list group classes and drop in classes, plus private training. The trainers also work with aggressive dogs and other behavior problems. Evaluations and temperament tests are on the list too.

Our record doesn't say where classes meet or how the drop in schedule works, so ask about both. Ask about training methods and prices on your first call too, since we couldn't confirm either.

Danny Davis founded K-9 Behavior Rehabilitation in Belleville in 2008 after starting out with shelter and rescue dogs. He has spent nearly two decades working with dogs that show fear or aggression, and with reactive and anxious dogs.

Sessions are one to one and by appointment, and the work happens where problems show up, such as on walks and around visitors. His site sums up the approach as exercise and leadership first, then affection, with a focus on calm leadership and consistent boundaries. He coaches the person holding the leash as well as the dog.

Eligible past clients can join Saturday pack walks in Belleville, listed on the site as $20.

Judi Hales runs Trust Obey Pawsitive Dog Training in downtown Plymouth and serves Plymouth and nearby towns such as Novi. The school calls its training positive and force free, and it rejects hitting and pack leader approaches.

Puppies can start in Puppy Preschool or Puppy FUNdamentals, and older dogs move through Firm Foundations and Advanced Behaviors. Fun With Fido covers pre agility and tricks for dogs that may move on to agility. See Spot Sniff is on the class list too.

A one hour Training Center Consultation is listed on their site as $125. In home training is offered as well. Judi signs her notes with the ABCDT credential.