Best Dog Trainers in Georgia

Zoom Room Savannah is an indoor dog training gym with group classes for puppies and adult dogs, along with agility. Its site says training uses positive reinforcement only. You can also book private training or private gym time, and trick and scent work classes are on the schedule too. New clients start with a free 30 minute orientation without their dog, and a 30 minute evaluation lets a trainer meet your dog first. The gym is open seven days a week.

The Dogs Spot calls itself a board and train program for the Savannah area, but its site doesn't give a set stay length, so ask. The team lists more than 25 years of experience and five obedience trial championships on four different breeds. Dogs stay in a climate controlled facility. Programs include a boot camp and immersion training aimed at problems like jumping on people and pulling on the leash. You can book a free training day or a free "Pup Talk" consultation before you commit.

Nexus K9 Training serves greater Savannah and Bluffton, South Carolina, from Richmond Hill out to Statesboro. Private sessions and board and train are its two main programs, and young dogs can start with Puppy Head Start. Boarding and daycare are also offered. The site says it uses mainly positive reinforcement along with other tools picked for each dog, and that all off leash work uses low level electronic collar communication. Nexus lists more than 25 years in the area and keeps hours from 7am to 7pm.

Blake Forkner runs Meika's Helping Paws in Savannah and describes herself as a certified service dog trainer and handler. Her site lists service dog training for diabetic alert, seizure response, mobility help, PTSD support and other tasks, and she coaches people who want to train their own service dog. She also helps with reactive dogs and rescue dogs, partnering with Renegade Paws Rescue. Forkner competes in AKC sports with her own dogs. She has trained in Savannah since 2013 and starts with a free phone consultation.

Force-Free Training with Candice serves the Central Savannah River Area around Augusta, including Fort Gordon, and offers virtual sessions anywhere in the country. Candice Gray holds the CPDT-KA, is a Fear Free Certified Professional and belongs to the Pet Professional Guild. Her site says she follows Do No Harm Dog Training principles. Services include canine skills, fear free skills and behavior modification, plus quick consults when you have one specific question. The business is veteran owned and lists a military discount.

Bryan and JoAnne Swihart run Off Leash K9 Training Augusta along with several other Georgia locations of the franchise. Bryan is an Army veteran with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The basic package is four private lessons on commands such as recall and place, and a two week board and train camp focuses on off leash obedience. Add ons include a puppy starter package for dogs under five months and an eight lesson package for reactive dogs. Therapy dog development is eight private lessons.

Off Leash K9 Training Columbus covers the city and nearby towns from Cataula to Smiths Station, Alabama, under owners Bryan and JoAnne Swihart. Its 14 day training camp is a board and train program aimed at off leash obedience. If you'd rather stay involved, private lessons happen at or near your home, four in the basic package and four more in the advanced. Puppy consults for dogs under five months cover housebreaking and crate training. The site also lists a reactive dog package and therapy dog development.

Carolyn Weinbaum runs The Developing Canine in Columbus, and her site says she has trained dogs since 1996. Puppy owners can start with a consultation for puppies 7 to 12 weeks old that covers house training and socialization. Older dogs begin with a foundation program for manners and off leash reliability. Graduates move on to polishing classes and group pack walks, and off leash graduates can join a hike and paddle board club. She also offers online coaching. The site doesn't list board and train.

The Macon location of Off Leash K9 Training serves the whole Macon area and is also owned by the Swiharts. Programs run from a puppy consult for dogs under five months to an eight lesson package for reactive or aggressive dogs. The obedience package is four private lessons, and the advanced package adds four more with distraction work. A 14 day board and train camp is also on the list of programs. You can book therapy dog development or in home lessons.

Off Leash K9 Training Athens covers Athens and towns from Bogart to Winder, and it's another location owned by the Swiharts. The site says the team includes handlers with military experience as well as former veterinary technicians. Owners can choose four or eight private lessons, in home training or a 14 day board and train camp. Puppy starter packages for dogs under five months cover crate training and socialization. An eight lesson reactive dog package and therapy dog development are listed too.

Kate, who goes by The Dog Training Diva, is a retired veterinary technician and certified dog trainer in Athens. Her site says she specializes in behavior modification and rescue dogs, and she offers behavior consultations with follow up visits. Training options include basic and advanced obedience, potty training, and clicker and trick training, and she helps dogs with anxiety. She also offers dog walking and pet sitting. Kate serves Clarke, Oconee, Barrow, Walton and Gwinnett counties and takes bookings through her site, Rover and Thumbtack.

Sit Happens Dog Training & Behavior serves North Georgia from Athens, with Tina M. Spring on its coaching staff. The site says there are no shock collars. Puppy Kindergarten takes puppies 10 to 16 weeks old, and an Adolescent Puppy class covers four to six months. Adult dogs can take clicker classes at two levels, and private lessons and board and train are offered too. Scent Happens is a newer program built on tracking and detection games. The site also sells an online course called 90 Days to the Perfect Puppy.

Cybill and Patrick Stilwell run Sit Means Sit Athens from Commerce and cover Athens plus counties such as Jackson and Oconee. Training uses the company's remote electronic collar with an attention based system, while puppy lessons for dogs four months and under use food and a leash. Puppies can start at eight weeks. Private lessons and day and train are both available, and the immersion board and train ends with lessons that hand the skills over to you. A free demonstration comes first, with no obligation.

aVoidSnakes.com runs snake avoidance training for dogs at an animal rehabilitation center in Watkinsville. Jeff says sessions usually last about 15 to 30 minutes per dog, and live snakes stay in wire mesh cages so your dog can't touch them. Dogs wear a training collar, and the site says it delivers a correction, which it compares to a slight static shock, when a dog moves toward a snake. The price is listed on their site as $50 per dog. Plan on another trainer for obedience.

Richard Fischhof runs Good Dog Oconee and holds an M.Ed. along with the CPDT-KA and CTC credentials. His site says he has worked with Georgia families for 18 years, including 15 years teaching Puppy Kindergarten at VCA Briarcliff Animal Clinic. He trains force free in homes around Greensboro, Eatonton, Madison and Milledgeville, and also by Zoom. Classes are listed on his site as Puppy Kindergarten, 4 classes for $175, and Basic Manners, 6 classes for $225, though both say "Check Back Soon" for now.

Aurora Dog Training works from a three acre facility in Monroe and serves nearby towns such as Loganville and Covington. The site describes balanced, science based methods built on positive reinforcement. You can book one on one behavior and obedience lessons, including in home lessons across Northeast Georgia, and virtual lessons are available anywhere in the U.S. Group options include puppy classes and dog sports classes, and service and therapy dog training is its own program. The site says the first class is free for new clients.

Sue Peet runs Inspire Your Dog in Blue Ridge and trains with force free, reward based methods in your home. She spent more than 15 years as a certified veterinary technician and is a Fear Free Certified Professional who also lists Family Dog Mediator credentials. Her site says she specializes in rescue dogs and puppy socialization. You start with a consultation and a written plan, and each weekly follow up session sets a new goal. She also runs Puppy Kindergarten and helps newly adopted dogs settle in.

Spirited K9 is a licensed and insured training center in Blue Ridge, open by appointment Monday through Saturday afternoons. The site says its trainer is certified with over a decade of experience and shows seals from Training Without Conflict and Tom Rose. Board and train programs are set up around each dog. Obedience work covers puppies and off leash skills as well as service dogs. For sport, it teaches competitive obedience, tracking and scent detection. It also offers boarding and help with fear and reactivity.

Off Leash K9 Training lists Blue Ridge as a base for trainers who come to you in towns such as Ellijay and Jasper. Founder Nick White is a former Marine and Secret Service agent. The basic obedience package is four private lessons and includes a leash and an electronic collar, and the advanced package doubles that to eight. A 14 day board and train focuses on off leash obedience. The site also lists a puppy consultation and therapy dog development, and an eight lesson aggressive dog package covers reactivity.

Joyce Keeton trains dogs around Clayton. She's a Fear Free Certified Professional and Pet Professional Guild member who also holds the CBC credential, and her site says she teaches without pain or fear. She offers private and group training as well as day training. A socialization add on uses agility equipment and nose work games at her Mountain City training center or in downtown Clayton. Behavior work covers reactivity, separation anxiety, resource guarding and sound sensitivity. She boards dogs in her home, and her site mentions board and train.

Mountain Manners Dog Training is based in Tiger, Georgia. Its listing covers board and train, day training, a puppy program and general obedience, and it names electronic collar training among its methods. We couldn't open its website when we checked, so call to confirm current services. If you're weighing a board and train stay against day training, ask how many days a week your dog works with the trainer and how many handoff lessons you get. If you'd rather skip the electronic collar, say so on the first call.

Custom Canine Unlimited in Gainesville is run by former law enforcement and military K9 handlers, and its site says it was established in 2003. Most of its work is with police and military dogs and working dog sales, but its FAQ says it also trains civilian companion pets, with a focus on obedience and reliability. It offers K9 evaluations and kennel services in Gainesville and sells online K9 courses through a membership. The site doesn't list a separate family pet class, so ask about pet programs.

Cyndy Douan owns Georgia Dog Gym in Rome and is an IACP Certified Dog Training Instructor. Her site says she's a founding member and past president of the International Association of Canine Professionals, and the site dates the gym's work to 2006. Classes cover agility and nose work plus rally, tricks, freestyle and dog parkour. A Basic Training group class is set to start January 7, 2027. Private lessons, puppy camps and board and train are also offered, and Cyndy sells online housetraining and puppy kindergarten courses.

Alan Carr founded Alan's K9 Academy in Cartersville, and his site says he has more than 35 years of professional dog training experience. The approach is balanced, mixing positive reinforcement with tools chosen for each dog. Training happens in your home and out in parks and pet friendly stores across six northwest Georgia counties, from Bartow to Polk. Programs include puppy training, group classes, therapy and service dog training, day school and board and train. Behavior work covers aggression, separation anxiety and reactivity. Alan does the evaluations himself.

Good Citizen K9 trains dogs from Ringgold for the Chattanooga area on two private sites with over 100 acres combined. Board and train runs two, three or four weeks, and the three week program prepares dogs for the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation. Weekly one on one sessions include you and your dog. Puppy training covers socialization and crate training, and behavior work covers leash reactivity and resource guarding. The site says its trainers bring police K9 and search and rescue experience, and it describes positive reinforcement methods.

The Obedience Club of Chattanooga trains in Flintstone, Georgia, even with the Tennessee city in its name. Founded in 1955, it's a volunteer run nonprofit and says it's the only AKC licensed obedience training club in the Chattanooga area. Classes cover obedience, rally, agility and scent work, plus enrichment and a reactivity class, grouped by level starting with puppies. You must join the club to take classes, and any dog can join regardless of breed or AKC registration. The club focuses on positive reinforcement.

Phillip Hughes runs Legendary K9 Georgia on an eight acre farm in Sylvania. He offers board and train or one on one sessions, with basic and advanced off leash obedience and behavior modification. The site describes play based balanced training and says follow up support continues after graduation. Hughes boards the Effingham County Sheriff's K9 dogs and gives free obedience training to dogs entering local rescues and shelters. The service area reaches Statesboro, Savannah, Augusta and Aiken, South Carolina, and boarding is available.

Todd Agnew runs Craney Hill Kennel in Mitchell and trains English Springer and Cocker Spaniels for field trials and upland hunting. The site says he also works with other flushing breeds and has over 30 years of experience, including work as a pheasant guide. Gun dog training programs and puppy development are the core services, and private consultations are available. Agnew works with owners so they can handle their own dogs in the field, and he runs gun dog seminars. Dogs for sale appear on the site as well.

Nick Garrison runs Good Dog Happy Owner Dog Training out of Newnan and comes to your home in Coweta and Fayette counties as well as South Fulton. He holds the CPDT-KA and is Fear Free Certified. His FAQ says he uses force free positive reinforcement with no punishment or shock collars. Programs cover puppy biting and potty accidents, leash walking, and separation anxiety through one called Calm When Alone. He also sells an online potty training course and offers a free 15 minute discovery call.

U Lucky Dog in Newnan focuses on rally obedience and AKC conformation, and its site lists more than 45 years of training experience. Rally work walks you and your dog through a course of numbered signs with an exercise at each station, and the site says rally suits every level. Conformation prep covers stacking, movement and ring presence for purebred dogs. Private lessons are built around your goals, for first time and experienced competitors. The business serves Coweta County and nearby communities.