Best Dog Trainers in and Near Fort Wayne, IN

Clarice Kashuba founded Flying Colors Canine Academy in Fort Wayne in 2007, and the site describes it as a woman owned business. You start with a free evaluation, where a trainer answers your questions and helps pick a program.

Puppies about 2 to 5 months old can join Puppy Preschool, which covers commands and socialization along with off leash playtime. The Family Friendly program uses private lessons where trainers teach you to train your own dog. The Rock Star program, which the site calls its most popular, has trainers teach your dog the basic commands first and then show you how to keep them up. Day training follows the same idea. Once the basics are in place, Momentum group classes let your dog practice around distractions.

Members also get a video library, and the site offers a Puppy Survival Guide. The site describes its methods as compassionate and proven but doesn't list trainer certifications. Prices sit on separate program pages, so check there or ask at your evaluation.

The Fort Wayne Obedience Training Club is a nonprofit that has served local dog owners since 1946. Classes meet at the Allen County Fairgrounds, and the club runs public, beginner and member classes through the year. New students start with a public obedience class to build a foundation before moving on.

The instructors are volunteers. Many of them compete in dog sports and have earned titles, and many are AKC evaluators. Beyond classes, the club hosts obedience and agility trials as well as rally and scent work events, plus organized dog walks.

The club says its goal is responsible dog ownership and dogs that are happier and more confident. Its site doesn't describe specific training methods or list class prices, so ask about both when you sign up. This is a good fit if you'd like a weekly class with other dogs, or if you think you might want to try a dog sport later.

Perfect Pup Dog Training is run by Don and offers one on one training in your home around Fort Wayne. It starts with a free assessment. Puppy training covers potty and crate training, socialization and leash walking, and obedience work covers commands like heel and leave it. Behavior work takes on pulling, jumping, barking and chewing.

Perfect Pup works with dogs that are aggressive toward people or other dogs. For those cases the site says you may need a muzzle or crate at first, and recent veterinary records are required before training starts. Named programs include Doggy Boot Camp, an 8 week course, and Paw 90 X, which the site pitches to dogs that need extra time.

Packages are listed on their site as starting at $99 per session. A single virtual session is listed on their site as $80, and the Live Sessions package as $325. The site calls its methods practical and positive. Clients can also join free outings in town and an online forum.

Polite Paws is a Fort Wayne trainer that works privately with you at your home, a local park or a pet friendly store. Sessions can also run over FaceTime, Zoom or Facebook video. Both private and virtual clients get a training plan to follow.

The list of problems covered is long. It runs from potty training, socialization and barking to jumping, leash pulling, counter surfing and chewing on things that aren't toys. Polite Paws also offers Canine Good Citizen training. Resource guarding and aggression cases are taken too, though the site says some may need a referral.

The site says Polite Paws uses fear free and pain free methods to manage problem behaviors, and that training is always reinforcement based. The intake session, up to 90 minutes, is listed on their site as $115, and follow up sessions of up to 60 minutes as $75. Aggression cases carry a $25 per session surcharge.

Venita Lawyer is a Fort Wayne dog trainer, and our database lists her as a member of the Pet Professional Guild. She doesn't have a website, so this entry covers only that membership and what the group says about its members. Her AnimalTrainerPro profile is the place to reach her.

The Pet Professional Guild describes itself as a group of humane pet professionals and says it promotes positive training methods. Its site says members actively discourage using fear, force or pain, and that they use the least aversive methods and tools. If humane methods matter to you, her membership gives you a place to start your questions.

Her services and prices aren't published anywhere we could check. On your first call, ask whether she teaches private lessons or classes and which behavior problems she works with.

Lee's Dog Training is led by Lee Seibold, whose site says he has more than 14 years of experience. He works by appointment from Huntington, and the site says he also serves clients from Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.

Every program listed is a board and train stay. The Blitz is a 3 day behavior reset, and the Family Dog program runs 7 days. Puppy, Aggression and Advanced Off Leash programs each run 14 days. The Aggression program covers reactivity as well. The longest is the 28 day Service Dog program, which covers task and public access training.

The site doesn't list prices or describe training tools. Instead, Lee sends pricing and program details after you fill out the contact form. Ask about methods and what happens at pickup before you book, since you won't see the training day to day.

Off Leash K9 Training's Fort Wayne team works from a facility in New Haven and is part of the Off Leash K9 franchise, which Nick White, a former US Marine and Secret Service agent, founded. Brooke Forsyth-Zeller is the local owner and head trainer.

You can choose between private lessons and board and train. The Basic Obedience package is four private lessons covering commands like heel and place, and it includes a leash and an electronic collar. The eight lesson package adds advanced commands or distraction work. The 1 Week Board and Train covers on leash obedience and manners. The 2 Week Board and Train moves on to off leash work and behavior changes.

For reactive or aggressive dogs, there's a 2 Week Aggressive Dog Board and Train with daily video updates and a one on one lesson when you pick up. The site lists towns across Northeast Indiana it serves, from Auburn to Decatur. Prices are on a separate page.

Boberosa Gun Dogs trains hunting dogs from its kennel in Albion. Bob and Jared Knipper handle the training, and the site says the team has 45 years of combined experience. Packages cover upland and waterfowl work for flushers, pointers and retrievers of any breed.

Your dog stays at the kennel during training. Each dog starts with an evaluation, and the plan is built around its drive and retrieving ability and what you want from it in the field. You're invited to take part in sessions, and you get weekly updates by email and on social media.

Kristy Knipper runs boarding and grooming for all breeds. The kennel also raises field bred English Springer Spaniels. Neither prices nor training methods appear on the site, so raise those at the evaluation. Choose Boberosa if you want a bird dog ready for the hunt rather than help with house manners.