Best Dog Trainers in and Near Columbus, OH

Adventure Unleashed Dog Training works out of Reynoldsburg on the east side. Puppy Day School and Puppy Sports School lead the program, and enrollment starts with an online puppy evaluation. Older dogs can join group classes or the Adventure School program, and online classes are listed as well. Sports classes include agility and flyball, plus dog parkour. The business also rents out a fully fenced woodland it calls the Branch Campus for private hikes. The site doesn't name its trainers, so ask who teaches your class.

All Purpose K-9 runs its programs from a facility in downtown Columbus. Paige Clark and Jordan Hickle lead the training, and the site lists both as Certified Master Dog Trainers and Canine Behavior Specialists. Board and train stays last several weeks, while Day School sends your dog home each night. Private lessons can happen at your house. A Puppy Imprinting Program covers house training and crate training, plus leash walking and early socialization. Behavior cases include aggression and separation anxiety as well as fear and reactivity. The team calls its method balanced, pairing positive reinforcement with structure and boundaries.

Boop K9 Dog Training is Andrew Kurtz's business in Columbus. Our directory record shows he completed the National K9 Master Trainer Program. His listed focus is puppy raising and reactivity, plus training meant to bring more calm into a busy home. That fits a new puppy or a dog that lunges at other dogs on walks. We couldn't open the Boop K9 website when we checked, so we can't say whether Andrew trains in your home or at a facility. Ask him about lesson format and the tools he uses before you book.

Brittany Tate holds a certification from the National K9 School for Dog Trainers and runs Brittany's K9 Training in Columbus. Her site describes her methods as reward based and balanced. Reactive dogs are welcome, and dogs with aggression get an assessment first. Group lessons keep classes to four to six dogs over six weeks, listed on her site as $40 a lesson or $200 for the series. Board and train stays run five to ten days with daily updates and are listed from $500. Private lessons at your home are listed from $100 an hour. She also takes applications for custom service dog programs.

Bryan Hazelbaker owns Buckeye Dog Training and does his work in your home. His site says he uses reward based training and builds skills at home before your dog faces triggers outside. His services run from potty training for puppies to leash reactivity work. He also takes on separation anxiety and dogs that are fearful or aggressive, and he has a program for families expecting a baby. His travel list covers much of the metro, from Upper Arlington and Hilliard out to Newark and Granville.

Canine Unlimited in Sunbury has offered professional dog training since 1989, according to its site. The business teaches obedience both on and off leash, along with problem solving and behavior modification. New owners can book a puppy consultation and temperament evaluation. In the Residency program your dog stays at the Sunbury facility for focused training, and in the Private Program the trainer works with you at your own location. Current vaccines are required before any service. The site doesn't describe its training methods, so ask about tools and rewards on your first call.

Capital Canine in Columbus centers its business on board and train. Its site says the programs draw on behavioral psychology to teach both dog and owner. It starts with leash pulling and jumping, plus barking and play biting, and goes on to reactivity and aggression as well as separation anxiety. Every program includes lifetime access to public training sessions and in person follow up coaching after your dog comes home. Ask which tools it uses and how corrections work during the free consultation.

Central Ohio K9 trains from a facility in Johnstown, northeast of Columbus. Its trainers describe themselves as balanced, mixing reward based methods with corrective techniques. Private lessons happen in your home or at the facility, and the business also lists group lessons. Board and train and boarding are both available. Service dog training covers psychiatric and medical alert work, and mobility tasks are listed too. For fun, the facility offers dock diving and Barn Hunt classes, and private lessons can focus on agility foundations.

CleverDogs is a training center in Dublin that teaches with reward based, positive reinforcement methods. Group puppy classes take puppies 16 weeks and younger, and general classes start at 16 weeks. The behavior program is for dogs that are excitable or shy, or that bark and lunge. A Day Training Program lets staff work with your puppy while you're busy. Sports classes cover agility and scent work along with rally and competition obedience. Instructor Lisa holds the CPDT-KA from the CCPDT and has taught for nearly 10 years. Private lessons can happen at the center or in your home.

Columbus All-Breed Training Club has taught dog owners since 1953, and it calls itself central Ohio's only AKC licensed dog training club. Purebred and mixed breed dogs are both welcome. New handlers usually start in Puppy Kindergarten or Beginning Obedience. Members then join ongoing classes in obedience and agility, and rally and conformation classes run too. The club says it has 75 instructors. Membership covers unlimited classes for the annual dues, with no extra class fees. It also hosts AKC and Barn Hunt events, from Canine Good Citizen tests to trick dog titles and Fast CAT.

CynoCentric in Grove City describes its approach as reward based training grounded in behavior science. Group classes come in two styles. Rolling enrollment classes let you join any week to work on puppy foundations or leash skills, while limited series classes follow a set start date and curriculum. The Rowdy & Reactive Program, refined since 2009, is built for dogs that bark and lunge around other dogs. The facility rents out a trained Practice Dog with a handler so you can rehearse around a steady dog.

Dog's Best Friend is run by Reid and Cathy, a husband and wife team, from a private ranch setting in Plain City. Reid has worked with dogs for over 15 years, according to the site. The program aims to help owners understand their dogs through clear communication and boundaries. Puppy training is for dogs under 16 weeks. Older dogs can do private training or a board and train stay at the ranch. The site doesn't name a training method or list certifications, so ask how they reward and correct dogs before you book.

Dogwood Training Center sits on about five fenced acres in Ostrander, north of Columbus, with an indoor arena. Owner Sally Boarman is a Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer, and conditioning is now the center of her work. Her conditioning programs are individual and run in person or remotely. She also offers structure and gait analysis. Scent work classes meet on Saturdays but are open only to Dogwood students. Agility classes have ended, and Barn Hunt is on hold. Teams getting ready for events can rent the arena.

Great Outdoors Dog Academy trains in the places your dog actually goes. Its site lists parks and neighborhoods, shopping centers and restaurant patios, plus car rides and hikes. The academy calls its method force free positive reinforcement. Group classes and private lessons are both offered, and Day School and pet sitting are first come, first served. Adventure walks and the Hounds on The Town field trips add practice in busy settings. Two professional trainers founded the academy in Northern Virginia in 2013 and moved it to Central Ohio in 2016.

National K-9 Learning Center has trained dogs in Columbus since 1975, and its School for Dog Trainers has taught new professionals since 1981. Pet owners can sign up for obedience training on or off leash, open to all breeds. Puppy Preschool is for puppies 8 to 16 weeks old and pairs weekly sessions with private puppy consultations. Behavior counseling covers chewing and barking as well as anxiety and aggression. Year round boarding is available, with a bath after the stay or as a same day drop off.

Noble K9 Training in Johnstown works with family dogs and serious sport dogs. Trainer Jana has over 25 years of dog training experience, according to the site. Family programs cover puppy training and obedience, along with behavior work and private one on one lessons. Board and train is offered too. On the sport side, Jana trains for IGP and Schutzhund, including tracking and protection, and prepares dogs for the BH and AD titles and the WB temperament test. Noble K9 doesn't accept dogs with a history of aggression toward people.

Ohio K9 Ranch is Brandi Jones's training business in Columbus. Her site says she has been a certified dog trainer since 2006. In home training is listed on her site at $110 an hour, and online coaching at $75 an hour. Training covers puppies and on and off leash obedience. The site lists electronic collar training among its methods, along with protection and scent work. Brandi also trains therapy dogs and service dogs, including psychological service dogs. Ask how she introduces the collar if methods matter to you.

One Smart K9 Dog Training works from a facility in Blacklick on the east side. Every dog starts with a free training evaluation that includes a tour of the facility and a demonstration, and you fill out a questionnaire. From there you choose one of five programs, ranging from Basic Obedience and the Happy Family Dog program to Obedience in Motion and Off Leash training. The site describes its techniques as positive and says it builds leadership through obedience in everyday situations. The site doesn't list prices or trainer credentials.

Alex Eaton founded Out of This World Dog Training and is a certified professional dog trainer through Animal Behavior College. The site says Alex helped train service dogs for Canine Companions for Independence and volunteered at the Franklin County Dog Shelter. The team describes itself as positive reinforcement trainers who use food and play, plus praise. Private work happens in your home, including behavior consulting for reactivity. Group obedience runs four weeks at a Dogtopia location and is listed on the site at $200. Board and train comes in two forms: Puppy Bootcamp for dogs under six months, listed at $1,500 for 7 days, and Adult Basics, listed at $2,000 for 10 days.

Pet Behavior Associates is Annette Neff's training business in Galena, north of Columbus. Our directory record lists group classes and private lessons, plus in home training and behavior consultations. Puppy training and reactivity work are both on that list, along with canine sports training. That mix means you could start a puppy in a class and come back later for private help if problems show up. We couldn't open the website when we checked, so confirm current class times and training methods directly with Annette before you sign up.

Proper Pups Dog Training in Columbus offers group classes and private training, according to our directory record. Its class list goes past basic manners into agility and trick classes. Behavior sessions are available for dogs that need more than a class. The facility also runs supervised indoor play and self serve dog bathing, which can make it a regular stop between lessons. We couldn't open the Proper Pups website when we checked, so ask on your first call which methods the trainers use and how classes are set up.

Sheila Heil Ferguson holds two CCPDT certifications, the CBCC-KA for behavior consulting and the CPDT-KA for training, plus a Diploma in Animal Behavior Technology. Her site lists 40 years of experience and a background in the veterinary field. She trains puppies and adult dogs in your home and in everyday settings, and she also does behavior consulting and obedience instruction. Her methods are science based and non aversive, built on positive reinforcement and the Humane Hierarchy for behavior problems. She speaks against dominance based training and points to Dr. Ian Dunbar's dog friendly approach.

Jessica DeVoe runs Rising Phoenix Dog Training in Columbus and trains privately in your home. She also offers a Weekend Board & Train held in a calm home setting rather than a kennel, plus home based boarding. Her work covers anxiety and reactivity along with impulse control and leash manners. Her site describes positive guidance with clear boundaries and calm leadership, and it says she avoids pressure and quick fixes. The site lists no formal certifications, so ask about her training background on the first call.

Sky Dogs Training is a class based facility in Columbus whose tagline stresses positive training and play. Agility classes take new teams and help experienced ones sharpen their skills. Obedience classes cover both basic and competition work. The Reactive Dog class is for dogs that get overexcited around everyday triggers and lunge or bark. Sky Dogs also runs Happy Ratters, a supervised sport where dogs search for rats. Private lessons aren't mentioned on the site, so plan on classes here. Staff names and credentials aren't listed either.

Zoom Room New Albany is an indoor dog training gym based in Westerville that uses positive reinforcement only. Owners train alongside their dogs in every class. Group classes cover puppy training and obedience, and agility and scent work classes run too, along with tricks. Socialization happens through playgroups and gym time. You can attend a free orientation without your dog before booking a 30 minute evaluation with your dog. This location lists Columbus and Blacklick among the areas it serves, along with Pataskala and Galena.