Best Dog Trainers in Connecticut

Train M.E. runs classes from a building in Bethlehem, in the Litchfield County hills. The schedule covers competitive obedience, rally and other dog sports, along with pet dog classes for owners who want a dog that listens at home. The site describes its approach as positive and built on communication between you and your dog. This is the only trainer on this list in Litchfield County, so it is worth a look if you live in the northwest corner of the state.

Club Canine, Inc. is based in Brookfield, near Danbury, and is listed with Lisa Allan, who holds the ABCDT credential and is a Pet Professional Guild member. The site says its classes and private sessions now run online, and it offers professional behavior consults. Its pages cover reactivity and aggression, plus separation anxiety and new puppies, and it runs the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. The site describes positive reinforcement training and says it uses no shock collars and no prong or choke collars. Online sessions work from anywhere in the state.

Central K9 calls itself a dog training and sports facility, and its building in Colchester backs that up. You can take classes and lessons in agility and obedience, try dock diving or disc, or test your dog's instincts in barn hunt and herding. The center also hosts FastCAT events and Try It days, plus North America Diving Dogs and Barn Hunt Association events. For a high energy retriever or herding breed that needs a job, no other trainer on this list offers this many sports in one building.

Michelle Larson owns and teaches at Paws N Heel Dog Training Center in East Hampton. Her site says she has more than 30 years of experience training and handling dogs, has obedience judging experience, and is a longtime endorsed member of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. Classes start with Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Manners and move on to Canine Good Citizen and Rally, with agility and scent work too. Daytime obedience and Rally O classes are available if you ask.

Canine Behavioral Blueprints in Glastonbury is run by Dr. Allyson Salzer, who lists a PhD and the Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist title from the Animal Behavior Society. She is also a doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a certified dog trainer and behavior consultant. A single private session at your home handles puppy or obedience questions. Her longer Complicated Canine program covers reactivity and aggression, along with resource guarding and phobias. Virtual consultations serve people outside her area. She is the only trainer on this list with a CAAB title.

Elite Training Centers works from a facility in Glastonbury. Owner and training director Ivan Rios lists the CDT title and more than 15 years of hands on work with dogs. Board and train runs two to four weeks, with video report cards twice a week and handover lessons at your home. Home lesson packs and a reactive dog program are offered too, and the site says aggression toward dogs or people gets referred to a specialist. Training is owner led and reward based, with no shock collars and no prong or choke collars.

Know Better Do Better Dog Training is run by Brittni Hyzer in Groton, and the business also runs a doggie bakery in Mystic. The site calls her a Connecticut and Rhode Island Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and she is Fear Free certified. The program covers private training plus group training, including puppy classes. Its service list names towns such as Norwich and Westerly. Clients come from eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island, with a travel fee beyond 20 miles of Mystic.

ABC Obedience has trained dogs on the New Haven shoreline since 1993 and has run a licensed facility in Guilford since 1996. The site lists a Certified Pet Dog Trainer credential and a master's degree in clinical psychology. Methods draw on reinforcement theory, with systematic desensitization for fears and phobias. Group options include Puppy Kindergarten and Beginner Groups, alongside private sessions and behavior consults. Plan around one change: the site says the Guilford store and facility close at the end of December 2026, and private sessions and consults continue from another location.

Coastal K9 Training & Behavior is run by Shannon Miller, a retired police K9 handler with Connecticut State Police patrol dog certification. The site says she has worked aggression cases, including dogs that have bitten people, and focuses on reactive and fearful dogs plus guarding and leash problems. Options include home sessions along the shoreline, studio sessions in Hamden, and board and train stays of three to six weeks. Home and studio sessions had a waitlist when we checked. A free community pack walk lets dogs practice calm around other dogs. The site describes Shannon as balanced and trained in electronic collar use.

V3 Gun Dogs & Canine Academy, formerly Whiskey River Kennels, is Jeremy Cormier's training operation in Lebanon. Gun dog training covers field skills and obedience for new and experienced hunters, and the site names Labradors and German Shorthaired Pointers among common hunting breeds. The Canine Academy side focuses on a dog's agility and socialization, with group classes and private sessions plus follow up help by phone. The site also lists police and military K9 work. It describes its methods as positive reinforcement and says it rejects heavy handed, old school training.

Tails U Win has run a positive reinforcement training center in Manchester since 1991, and the site says it holds more than 85 classes a week. Puppy programs include Jumpstart Kindergarten and Great Expectations Puppy Academy. Sport classes range from agility and rally to scent work and conformation handling. Reactive dogs can get private lessons or join an online Reactive Dog LIVE class. Day School and full day training let you drop your dog off for the day. Ask which class fits your dog's age and goals before you sign up.

All That Canine in Monroe is led by Linda Mazzeo and Erica Kasper, who each have about 20 years of dog training experience. Both are Certified Control Unleashed Instructors and certified service dog instructors. The menu covers Day School and a Puppy Academy, plus group classes, online classes and private lessons with reactive dog packages. A Puppy Stay and Train program keeps puppies 8 to 20 weeks old with the trainers on weekdays and sends them home on weekends. The site says training is force free and game based and never uses fear or pain.

The Exceptional Pet runs a training facility of more than 3,000 square feet in Newtown. Most group classes meet weekly for six sessions of 50 minutes, and past students mention Puppy Kindergarten, Rally O and Therapy Dog 101. Puppy Day Camp takes puppies 12 to 23 weeks old for three hour drop off sessions in a small group. Private lessons come with a behavior plan. The site says its trainers pass the CCPDT exam, names Abby Hill as a certified trainer, and says its methods never use pain or fear.

Where Sit Happens is Jessica Barry's training center at Center Rock Green in Oxford. Her listing shows a BS in Animal Science from UConn and a Karen Pryor Academy trainer credential, plus Fear Free and Family Paws Educator certifications. Group classes run from five levels of Basic Manners up to scent work and rally. Puppy Pre K takes puppies under six months that have had at least two DHPP shots. Private training and behavior consulting handle aggression and reactivity, and the site lists Day School and home training. It says it uses ethical, science based methods.

The Obedience Dog Training Club of Waterbury was founded in 1946 and is run entirely by volunteers, now based in Oxford. Classes start with a puppy class and Beginner Obedience, which the club calls Family Manners and teaches with positive reinforcement. A six week Manners & More course ends with the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Competition students can train for AKC and Companion Dog Sports Program events from beginner levels through Utility. Our database also lists rally and agility classes.

Escape the Crate is Janis Copes's training business, and classes meet at Prospect Parks and Recreation. She holds the ABCDT credential and is a Pet Professional Guild member, and the site advertises force free training. Beginner 1 deals with house training and mouthing, along with loose lead walking and jumping up. Levels climb to Intermediate Plus, which adds advanced heelwork and distance work, and there are agility foundation games and trick classes. Private and online lessons are available too. A town recreation setting makes this a low key place for a first class.

Clark's Companion Dog Training is a veteran owned business in Shelton serving Fairfield and New Haven counties. All training is private, with no group classes. Programs start with puppies 10 to 14 weeks old and move through three levels of obedience, with the advanced level adding off leash work and distraction proofing. Day training sessions last three hours, and board and train dogs live with the trainer and the family dogs. The site lists positive reinforcement and clicker training among its methods, and trainers will come to your home or pick up your dog.

Coaching 4 Paws works from Southington and says it serves all of Connecticut, with more than 15 years of experience and a team of four trainers. The site lists IACP certified trainers on that team. Board and train runs three weeks or longer, and day training sends your dog home with a recap and homework. Behavior modification covers reactivity and aggression as well as separation anxiety and fear. Puppy training starts with crate and potty habits. The site also lists service dog programs and describes its approach as balanced and based on canine learning science.

High Ten Dog Training is Kate Naito's home training service for Stamford and nearby towns. She is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the IAABC and a certified professional dog trainer through the CCPDT, and she holds Fear Free certification and a master's degree in education. She offers lessons at your home and private courses for puppy raising and manners, as well as behavior problems. The site says she uses current force free methods, and she has written three dog training books. She is not taking cases of aggression toward people right now.

Rhodes Collar is in Stonington, and every service starts with an admissions consultation. From there you can choose group classes or private training, and the program also includes day training along with a Day School and board and train stays. Our database lists group classes from puppy kindergarten and basic manners up to rally and agility. The site describes a positive training approach shaped to each dog and family. It shows CCPDT and IAABC logos without naming which trainers hold those credentials, so ask on your first call.

Creature Comfort LLC is Lisé Polard's training business in Trumbull. Her listing shows a CCPDT trainer certification and an Elite Fear Free certification, and she is a Pet Professional Guild member. She offers private outdoor sessions and teletraining, using positive reinforcement and force free methods with a plan built for each dog. Topics run from puppies and basic obedience to Canine Good Citizen prep, scent detection and cooperative care. The site names German Shepherd Dogs as a focus and lists help with leash reactivity. She serves Trumbull and nearby towns.

Canine Cadré has locations in Wallingford and Northford, and its service list is one of the longest in this guide. Pet owners can book behavior modification and obedience, or start a young dog with the Puppy Head Start program. On the working side, it trains for IGP Schutzhund and police work, and it also lists search and rescue along with service and hearing dog training. A 15 to 30 minute evaluation is free, and longer consultations are paid. Online sessions are available, and the site says it blends behavior modification with training in drive.

Hartford Obedience Training Club was founded in 1937 as a branch of the Nutmeg Dog Club and calls itself the oldest continuously operating training club in the country. Classes meet every Thursday evening from 5:30 to 9:30 in West Hartford, next to the Connecticut Veterinary Center. The schedule runs from Beginners and Family Dog classes to Rally and Competition, with Noseworks too. Instructors teach AKC approved routines, so you can earn obedience titles later if you want. The club accepts all dogs, mixed breeds included.

Logically Canine is Kelsey Deutsch's training business in West Simsbury. She describes herself as a certified professional dog trainer with more than eight years of work with dogs. The Logically Reset board and train runs three weeks and targets anxiety and fear, along with reactivity and resource guarding. Private coaching comes in a Puppy Edition and a Foundations Edition for dogs six months and older. Group classes cap at six teams, with electives in scent work and fitness. The site describes balanced methods combined with positive reinforcement.

Lasata Dog Training is Cori Tufano's private training service based in Westbrook. Before training dogs in Connecticut, she worked as a marine mammal trainer in Hawaii. Sessions happen one to one in your home in Westbrook and nearby shoreline towns such as Old Saybrook and Madison, or online from anywhere. Puppy training covers biting and chewing plus potty training. She also runs a step by step separation anxiety program for dogs that struggle when left home alone. The site describes her methods as positive reinforcement that is humane and science based.