Best Dog Trainers in and Near Boston, MA

The Animal Rescue League of Boston holds its dog training classes at its Dedham campus while construction on its Boston building finishes. Introductory courses run six weeks and include Puppy Kindergarten for puppies 8 weeks to 5 months, foundation behaviors and an introduction to nosework. Later courses include Canine Good Citizen prep and rally obedience. Three week workshops cover coming when called, loose leash walking and reactive dog skills. Six week courses are listed on their site as $240 and workshops as $140. ARL also runs a free pet behavior helpline for basic questions like barking or crate training.

Sit Pretty Dog Training serves Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury and nearby Boston neighborhoods, and its trainers come to your home. Our records list Aubrey Sperry with the CDBC, CNWI and CPDT-KA credentials and Pet Professional Guild membership. The site offers private training for basic obedience, confidence building and newly adopted dogs, plus behavior consultations for aggression and resource guarding. It also runs group classes, a reactive dog program for lunging and barking, and separation anxiety help. The site describes the aim as keeping your relationship with your dog positive and fun.

Auntie Dog Training Studio works from a training facility in Tewksbury. The class list covers the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program, group obedience, rally drop in classes and therapy dog workshops. For one dog at a time there are private lessons and behavior modification. A four week Camp program and a Day Academy add more structured options. The site says it doesn't use a one size fits most approach and offers a free evaluation with a demonstration before you sign up.

This Bark Busters office in Acton is run by Bonnie Ober, who the site says has worked with Bark Busters for over five years. Every lesson happens one on one in your home with no other dogs present. Her listed towns include Lowell, Newton, Lexington, Waltham and Concord. Puppy work covers potty and crate training, and behavior work covers issues such as barking and separation anxiety. The site says she never uses physically or mentally harsh methods and that treats are never the primary motivator. A Life of Dog Support Guarantee keeps the trainer available at no added cost.

Creature Connections Behavior Alliance runs group and private training from a facility in Billerica. Candace Dryden lists the CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT and CERT-CN on the site, and our records add Fear Free certification. Group classes include basic and advanced manners, reactive dog classes, nose work, rally and tricks. A Train & Play program handles day training with transportation for busy households, and online lessons are offered too. The site describes a force free, science backed approach, and lists a travel fee of $50 per half hour for private lessons past its 5 mile radius.

The Charles River Dog Training Club is a nonprofit founded in 1941, and its site calls it one of the oldest dog training clubs in Massachusetts. Its stated purpose is teaching owners to train their own companion dogs. Basic puppy and obedience classes meet indoors at the Weston Community Center. The class list also covers competition obedience, obedience skills, tricks and Good Citizen training, plus special classes and members only classes. The club also promotes obedience trials for owners who want to compete.

Sit Means Sit Massachusetts is a franchise location led by Dave Skoletsky, who the site says started training dogs in 2001 in Denver. Programs are one on one and include day training and puppy training. Behavior work is listed for aggressive and reactive dogs, plus off leash goals and socialization. Its town pages include Boston and Quincy. The site offers a free evaluation. Our listing places this business in West Bridgewater, while its site places it in South Easton, so confirm where sessions happen when you call.

Rover Rehab Dog Training focuses on fearful and reactive dogs, and our records list Elizabeth Knight with Pet Professional Guild membership and Fear Free certification. The site offers virtual training worldwide, and it also lists group classes and behavior consulting. Training uses rewards without force or punishment. The head trainer also looks at gait, posture and movement and works with your vet when pain may be behind a behavior change. Private spots open only now and then, and the site has a waitlist.

Everdog Training and Behavior is a Somerville business with a clear stance in its headline: force free training for people who love their dogs. Separation anxiety has its own page on the site, and our records list Erica Gennaro with the CSAT and SAPT-BC separation anxiety credentials plus the CTC from the Academy for Dog Trainers. The site also shows Fear Free and Pet Professional Guild badges. If your dog can't be left alone, this is one of four trainers here with a separation anxiety credential.

Bark n' Roll works from North Reading, and its site says Francine Coughlin teaches with rewards, not punishment. Our records list her with the CPDT-KA and CDBC. Group options include puppy courses, walking courses and enrichment workshops, and the business also offers daycare and boarding. The site lists IAABC and Certified Service Dog Coach badges among its certifications, and our records note private training, behavior consulting and assistance animal work. Active military members and veterans get a discount through the Vets ROCK program.

Theresa Giannino runs Gone to the Dogs from a training center in Peabody on the North Shore. She graduated from the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional program in 2015 and holds the KPA Certified Training Partner title. Clicker training is at the center of her work. You can choose group classes, private lessons at the center or in home lessons at a time that suits you. Board and train is also offered: your dog stays at her home and trains daily, then two follow up lessons teach you to keep it going.

PAWSitively Obedient offers private training, group classes and drop off day training on the South Shore. Group classes include puppy classes, Foundations & More, AKC title classes, agility for fun and K9 Nose Work. A Reactive Rover program and behavior modification are listed for harder cases. The site describes positive reinforcement and teaching dogs what to do rather than only correcting what they get wrong. Our records list Janice Gifford as a Pet Professional Guild member. Our listing says East Bridgewater, while the site gives Pembroke as its location.

Four Leggers Pet Supplies & Services is in Beverly, and training is one of its services along with daycare. The site says its methods use all positive reinforcement and science based training, with no force or aversive tools. Day training dogs get daily enrichment and reinforcement, and the menu lists a Puppy Jump Start Program. Our records list Jenn Frankavitz with a long set of credentials, including the CPDT-KA, CSAT, CTDI and AKC CGC evaluator, along with private training, group training and behavior consulting for separation anxiety and reactivity.

Proper Paws Dog Training in Concord runs a leveled group program, and its site says most classes have no more than 6 dogs. Puppies 8 to 16 weeks can start in Puppy Nursery School, and dogs over 6 months with no prior training start in Level 1 Beginner Obedience. Optional classes include fun agility, tricks, an off leash Adventure Class, rally and Canine Good Citizen levels. Most group classes are listed on their site as $250. Judy Bernard holds the CPDT-KA and Fear Free certification. Private lessons happen in your home or at the training center, but not for dogs that bite or are aggressive toward people, and the site offers referrals for aggression cases.

The Bark Lab lists daycare, boarding and board and train, and its site says training classes are coming soon. Board and train is listed on their site as $390 per day. The stated specialty is evidence based behavior modification, and the site says training is force free and fear free, with no prong or shock collars. Our records list co owner Laura Frizzell with the IAABC CDBC, the CPDT-KA and a PhD. Our listing says Revere, but the site gives a Saugus address, so ask where your dog will stay.

Leader of the Pack Dog Obedience Training is based in Quincy and serves Quincy, Milton, Braintree and Boston. Founder Ida Lyons Geering teaches a long list of group classes, including basic obedience, Canine Good Citizen, cooperative care, K9 nosework, recall and leash reactivity, plus a puppy socializing hour for puppies under 6 months. Private lessons happen in your home. Packages include The Right Start, a 90 minute session for first time owners, and a two session housebreaking program. The site says she uses positive fear free training methods.

Meeting Post Farm in Dover teaches herding lessons and hosts clinics on ducks and sheep. Carol Donnelly has been a licensed AKC herding judge for over 15 years, and her Pembroke Welsh Corgis have reached advanced levels. She now trains a Border Collie for open field trials. The site says she works with all breeds and teaches handlers as partners with their dogs. Duck work continues indoors in winter, while sheep work depends on footing and weather. This is a specialty option for herding, not a place for basic manners classes.

Om Obedience teaches private lessons in your home or at The Om Studio, and group classes from Puppy Preschool through Advanced Canine Good Citizen. The site also lists day training and comfort dog certification. Its tagline is positive reinforcement for a peaceful home, and the site says its trainers are Fear Free certified. Our records list Michaela Anne Collins with the CPDT-KA, as an AKC CGC evaluator and as an instructor for Dog B.O.N.E.S. Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts. West Bridgewater is a mailing address only, and the business rents space at partner locations such as Quincy and Hingham.

Off Leash K9 Training Boston is a franchise location that serves the Greater Boston area. Basic obedience is four private lessons covering recall, sit, place, heeling and down, and advanced obedience is eight lessons with more distraction work. A two week board and train camp targets off leash obedience, and a three week board and train targets aggression and reactivity. There's also an eight lesson therapy dog program. Founder Nick White is described as a former Marine and Secret Service agent. Prices are on a separate page of the site.

Pampered Puppies runs dog training from a private training studio at its shop in Wellesley. The site lists private and group sessions that you book online, and it has a separate board and train page. Owners Michael and Kim have more than 35 years of experience working with dogs, according to the site. The site lists affiliations including the CCPDT and APDT. Because the training sits inside a pet care shop, ask which trainer will lead your sessions and what methods they use.

Empawthy Dog Training is run by Sarika Desai, a certified professional dog trainer with the CPDT-KA. Our records also list the CSAP-BC separation anxiety credential and Fear Free certification. The site describes experience with training service dogs, excitement and fear based reactivity, aggression and basic obedience. Training uses science based, humane methods, with the goal of meaningful change for you and your dog. The site doesn't list prices or a service area, so ask about both when you reach out through the contact form.

Gentle Giant Dog Training is run by Scott Bacheller, who says he has over a decade of experience. He's a certified service dog coach and Fear Free certified, and our records add the ABCDT certification. Services cover on leash reactivity, service dog coaching for public access and task work, loose leash walking and obedience. A Stay & Train option has him train in your home twice a day. He serves Boston and towns within about 10 miles, such as Malden, Medford and Melrose, and a travel fee past that is set case by case.

Fresh Start Canine Behavior offers behavior consulting for reactivity, anxiety, destruction and fear, with virtual and hybrid options. Our records list Sophia Oldsman with an M.S., the CDBC and the CSAP-BC, and the site names a master's in behavior analysis from Simmons University. Separation anxiety is treated as a panic disorder rather than a training problem. Puppy programs happen in your home, and day training includes a custom plan with weekly video reports. The site says no corrections, no punishment and no dominance theory, and it offers a free 15 minute intro call.

Walden Dog Training serves Greater Boston and Metro West. Its site describes balanced training and says it specializes in remote collar training, and its equipment list includes a prong collar. Programs include a private puppy orientation for puppies 12 to 20 weeks, a five session private lesson program in person or virtual, board and train and day school. Reactive dog versions are offered, and Walden Walks are group maintenance classes. Prices are listed on their site, for example the private lesson program at $995 at their location, with training equipment extra.

Zen Dog Training is based in Somerville and lists six trainers on its site. It runs group puppy classes and in home training that can cover shy or fearful dogs, separation anxiety, agility, therapy dog prep and off leash obedience. Online options include a video library and a free puppy course. The site describes its methods as Fear Free, Force Free and LIMA, short for least intrusive, minimally aversive, and says it has used them since 2005. A free 10 minute phone consultation is offered.