Best Dog Trainers in and Near Detroit, MI

Alternative Canine Training is run by Bonny, the trainer named on the site, and says it has worked with dogs since 2000. Lessons can happen in your home in Royal Oak, Bloomfield, Troy, Birmingham or Clawson, and the business serves Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. Group classes meet at Pet Supplies Plus stores in Royal Oak and Bloomfield Hills. There's also a doggy boot camp for busy owners who want to send their dog to the trainer's private school, though the site doesn't say whether dogs stay overnight. Services cover basic obedience and puppy training, plus housebreaking and biting. The site also lists help for aggression, including dog to dog aggression. Online training and phone consultations are available. The site describes teaching owners to talk to their dog in "Doglish", and it advertises a lifetime guarantee without spelling out the terms. Our records also list Bonny Wainz of Royal Oak as a NADOI Associate Member. No prices are posted, so ask what the boot camp includes.

Bark Busters Greater Detroit is the local office of the Bark Busters home dog training company, founded in 1989. Its trainer, Maril Zbik, has trained with Bark Busters since 2005 and lists membership in the International Association of Canine Professionals. The page also shows an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator badge. All training happens in your home, where the site says most problems start. Services include puppy training, along with behavior work for aggression, barking, leash pulling and separation anxiety. The team teaches you to communicate through body language, tone of voice and timing. Maril says dogs don't communicate through prong or shock collars. The site also names its Stand Rite No Bite dog safety program. Bark Busters lists 57 communities it serves, including Detroit, Dearborn, Livonia, Westland, Wyandotte and Grosse Pointe. Its Life of Dog Support Guarantee says your trainer will be ready to help at no added cost. Prices aren't posted on the site.

Iron Clad K9 Training is a veteran owned business in Clinton Township led by head trainer Rob, who calls himself a certified trainer without naming the certifying body. The site describes balanced programs with calm direction and clear boundaries. Training starts with a 60 minute consultation, listed on their site as $150, at your home, in your neighborhood or at the facility. Private lessons are listed at $125 each, and a three hour private lesson at $350 can cover reactivity and recall. A puppy package of five lessons for pups 6 months or younger is listed at $500, and basic obedience for older dogs is five facility lessons for $600. Day training runs weekdays from 8 AM to 6 PM and is listed on their site as $850, though the site doesn't say if that's per day. Board and train comes in three levels: a basic program at $1,000 a week for one to three weeks, a three week electronic collar program at $3,000, and a four week off leash program at $4,500. Boarding without training is listed at $75 a night.

Jack and Jill Professional Dog Training is led by Jill Mast, who lists Karen Pryor Academy and Fear Free certifications. The site says its training is reward based and never uses aversive tools or punishment. Private sessions happen in your home or over video, and cover behavior training, day training and Puppy School topics like crate training and puppy biting. Behavior coaching is aimed at dogs that bark and lunge at strangers, guard resources or are fearful. Classes include Reactivity Rehab, Stranger Danger, Cooperative Care, Nosework Games, Car Feelings and 12 Days of Recall. In person group classes for dogs and puppies run in Metro Detroit and Downriver, and online classes come live or on demand. A membership called Better Living with Dogs offers long term support. Areas served include Detroit, Dearborn, Lincoln Park, Wyandotte, Ferndale and Royal Oak. Prices aren't posted, so book a call to ask.

Karuna Canine is the training and behavior practice of John Trimper, who holds a PhD in neuroscience and animal behavior and a Certificate in Training and Counseling from the Academy for Dog Trainers. Our records list him in Ferndale and as a member of the Pet Professional Guild. His focus is behavior concerns, especially fear and aggression, including aggression between dogs. Services also cover private training, day training, puppy training, house training and manners. He describes his work as grounded in science and built on compassion, with practical plans built around each dog's emotional well being. He offers in person sessions in Southeast Michigan and virtual consultations for clients elsewhere. He has no website on file with us, so these details come from his profile on the Academy for Dog Trainers site. Ask on the first call how a behavior plan is built and how many sessions a fear case usually takes.

K-9 Behavior Rehabilitation, based in Belleville, was founded in 2008 by Danny Davis, who says he has spent nearly two decades working with dogs that struggle with fear, insecurity, aggression and reactivity. His experience began with shelter and rescue dogs, and he and Kelly Davis also founded Roughneck Rescue and Sanctuary, a nonprofit. Sessions are one on one and by appointment. The work covers leash lunging, overexcitement and conflict between dogs in the same home, plus problems around people or other dogs. Practice happens in real settings such as walks, visitors and time around other dogs. The approach follows the order exercise, then leadership, then affection, and you leave with tools to use at home. Eligible past clients can join Saturday pack walks in Belleville, listed on their site as $20. The site lists no certifications or session prices.

K9 AdvantEDGE is a family owned business in Romulus run by Tyler and Esther, who own it together. It describes a balanced approach with reward based training, clear boundaries and corrections when needed. Puppy training, for dogs under 8 months, is listed on their site from $500 for three home sessions. In home training for adult dogs starts at $600 for three sessions and covers leash manners, recall and household rules. Behavior work covers reactivity, anxiety and impulse control. The Stay and Train program is listed at $2,800 for four weeks or $3,600 for six weeks, includes an electronic collar and place work, and ends with a go home lesson and a follow up check. Self paced online courses are also offered. Local areas served include Brownstown, Trenton, Taylor, Allen Park, Wyandotte, Lincoln Park and Dearborn, with travel throughout Wayne County.

K9 Turbo Training is a positive reinforcement training center in Ferndale that serves Ferndale, Royal Oak, Detroit and nearby communities. Group classes run from basic to advanced for puppies and adult dogs, with Basic Manners, electives, workshops and drop in sessions. Its reactivity packages teach handling skills in a group setting and practice in real life settings. Puppy options include the Perfect Puppy Program and puppy training packages that cover potty training and mouthing, along with socialization. Private training starts with an intake evaluation, and the site lists crisis management sessions and support for new rescue dogs. You can also rent its indoor agility and training room for off leash play, which the site says is set up for reactive or fearful dogs. Founder Katelin Thomas, BA, CDBC, CPDT-KA, ran the center for 12 years and announced in a December 2025 post that she's passing the business on, so ask who will teach your class. Prices aren't shown on the site.

Pro K-9 says it has served Southeast Michigan since 2001, covering Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor and nearby areas from its base in Romulus. Its main program, Dog Training for Life, starts with private sessions in your home and continues with weekly socializing groups led with a behavior consultant present. Puppy training is for pups 8 weeks to 5 months old, at home, in class or both. Group classes are listed too. On leash obedience covers come, sit, heel, down and stays, with off leash work available later. Behavior work covers jumping, mouthing, barking, housebreaking, anxiety and aggression. The site says it uses positive reinforcement without shock collars or clickers. Pro K-9 also prepares dogs for the AKC Canine Good Citizen, Community Canine and Urban Canine tests, and graduates can join a private alumni training club. The site lists no trainer credentials or prices, so ask about both when you call.

Razor K-9 is run by Ray Kerimian, who spent 22 years with the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, first as a K-9 handler and then as its head trainer. He handled and trained bomb, drug and tracking dogs, wrote the department's K-9 policy and serves on the executive board of the United States Police Canine Association. His Birmingham business offers dog assessments, aggression assessments and one hour training sessions. Puppy training and Level 1, 2 and 3 obedience are on the list too. He also does litter evaluations, AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy training and AKC Canine Good Citizen and Community Canine work, plus private training and boarding. His philosophy page says he starts with positive motivation and adds corrections, such as a deeper voice or a quick leash snap, matched to each dog's temperament. Confirm that he travels to your area. No prices are posted.

Suzi Bertrand is a dog trainer based in Northville who holds the CPDT-KA credential. That certification comes from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, an independent group that tests trainers on humane, science based practices. Our records also list her as a member of the Pet Professional Guild, one of the organizations the AVSAB position statement names as a preferred credential. Her listing shows both private training and group training, with a focus on aggression and reactivity. We couldn't find a website for her, so this entry sticks to what our records show. On your first call, ask where lessons take place, whether a group class is running now, and how she works with a dog that reacts to people or other dogs.

Trust Obey Pawsitive Dog Training runs a training center in downtown Plymouth and serves Plymouth, Novi, Northville and nearby areas. Judi Hales, ABCDT, leads the program, and a second trainer, Tessa, also has a bio on the site, which shows an APDT logo. The training is positive and force free, and the site rejects shouting, hitting and pack leader or alpha methods. Class options include Firm Foundations, an Observation Program and Advanced Behaviors, plus Puppy Preschool and Puppy FUNdamentals for young dogs. Fun With Fido mixes pre agility, shaping, tricks and games. See Spot Sniff and clinics and seminars are listed without details. Private consultations at the center are listed on their site as $125 for one hour, $350 for three sessions and $550 for five. In home sessions are offered too.