Best Dog Trainers in and Near Grand Rapids, MI

Erin Miller runs the Bark Busters franchise for Grand Rapids and owns it. Her site lists about 50 towns she covers, including Ada, Caledonia, Sparta, Wayland and Wyoming. Lessons are private and start in your home, away from other dogs, then move outside to your street and neighborhood. The site lists help with aggression, barking, jumping, leash pulling, separation anxiety, resource guarding and problems between dogs in the same house. It also covers puppy basics like potty and crate training, plus getting a dog ready for a new baby.

Bark Busters describes its method as communication through body language, voice and timing. The site says it doesn't use shock collars, choke chains or harsh corrections. Erin has spent two decades raising, training and showing dogs, with AKC and UKC titles on her Rottweilers in conformation, obedience and rally. Her Gold Service includes the brand's Life of Dog Support Guarantee, which adds support for the rest of your dog's life at no extra cost. The site doesn't post prices.

Kellen Dewey founded Kellen's K9s in Grand Rapids and comes to your home instead of running group classes. Kellen is a Victoria Stilwell Academy Certified Dog Trainer, holds a service dog trainer certificate from Little Angels Service Dogs and is a Pet Professional Guild member. The site describes positive, reward based training in line with AVSAB guidance and says Kellen doesn't use tools meant to cause pain.

Work covers puppies with no training, rescue dogs, crate and potty training and enrichment routines, along with fear, anxiety, reactivity and aggression. Kellen also helps a limited number of people train their own psychiatric, mobility or medical alert service dogs each year, after the dog passes an evaluation. Kellen doesn't sell fully trained service dogs. After a free 15 minute phone call, the $75 home consultation is required before training. Packages are listed on their site as $550 for five sessions or $1,000 for ten. A $10 driving fee applies past 15 miles from Eastown, and virtual consults are available in some cases.

Always Faithful Dog Training of Grand Rapids is a local franchise of a national training company. Its Grand Rapids page names Leanna as owner and Madisen as a Level 1 trainer, and says every trainer is certified through the company and the IDTA. Lessons are private and in your home, and the page lists Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg, North Holland and Muskegon in its service area.

The method is leadership based, and the site says it uses no treats, no clickers and no shock collars and relies on positive reinforcement only. Prices are listed on their site as $185 for a single Puppy Starter lesson for dogs 8 weeks to 5 months, $495 for the Beginner package, $795 for Intermediate with off leash work and $1,100 for Pro, which adds high distraction training. The company's services page also lists behavior modification, therapy dog, service dog and board and train packages. Its FAQ says service, therapy and aggression training are offered at many locations, so ask what Grand Rapids offers. Military, police and fire families get 10 percent off.

A Pleasant Dog runs a training center in Grand Rapids and says its training follows the advice of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, without force. Most of its group classes are six one hour sessions. Puppy 101 for pups up to 5 months and Adult 101 are each listed on their site as $199, and Be Brave is a version of Puppy 101 for shy or fearful puppies. Later steps include Adult 102, Intermediate Skills, Canine Good Citizen prep, an Introduction to Sports class and a four week Predation Substitute Training class for dogs that chase wildlife.

Reactive dogs get a class run with partner Everyday Wonderdog, listed on their site as $350, after a trainer approves your dog. Private lessons at the center or online are listed on their site as $200 to $450 an hour, and home sessions as $175 to $300 for established clients. The site says private lessons aren't designed for severe anxiety or aggression, and it lists a separate behavior support service with private consults and vet consults. Head trainer Jenn Gavin developed a separation anxiety program offered in person and as a book and online course.

Melissa Simpson runs HT Dog Training and lists more than 20 years of work in canine behavior modification. She holds the CPDT-KA, is an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and is a member of the IAABC. Her site says she focuses on reactivity, aggression and anxiety, including homes with more than one dog, and describes her as a positive reinforcement trainer.

Sessions are private, run 30 or 60 minutes, and happen in your home, one on one or online for people outside the area. There are no packages, so each session follows your goals. Puppy work covers sit, stay, recall and leash manners, along with nipping, potty training, crate comfort and socialization. Her working dogs, Slash and Harvey, help her in sessions. New clients start with a free 15 to 30 minute meeting by phone or Zoom. She serves Grand Rapids and greater West Michigan, with a travel charge past the core area. The site doesn't post prices.

K9 Academy International in Grand Rapids offers dog training alongside boarding and daycare, and its site says it has been trusted for over 30 years. The training page says its methods are rooted in positive reinforcement. Nino owns the business, Taylor is manager and lead trainer, and Emily is an apprentice trainer.

The site lists three programs. Full Family Obedience, listed on their site as $400 a week, covers on and off leash work, manners, house skills, confidence building through agility, off leash recall and work on aggression toward people or dogs and leash reactivity. Family Protection, listed on their site as $500 a week, adds scenario based protection work and must be paired with the obedience program and a temperament test. Service Dog Training, listed on their site as $57 a day, teaches three service dog tasks plus public access training after a full temperament test. All three are open to dogs of any age or breed. The site doesn't say whether dogs stay on site for training, so ask how each program runs.

Brooknelle Pet Hotel is a dog and cat boarding hotel in Grand Rapids that also runs a dog training program. Its site says it offers group classes, one on one sessions and board and train, and a training manager named Brian plans sessions around each dog. Training runs from basic obedience to advanced tricks, and the site names positive reinforcement as its method.

This is a handy option if your dog already boards at Brooknelle, or if you want training and a place to stay under one roof. The site doesn't list class names, ages, schedules or prices for training, and it doesn't name trainer credentials. It does offer a free training consultation, so use that call to ask which classes are running and how long a board and train stay lasts.

Grand Rapids K9 trains dogs at its facility in Sparta, north of Grand Rapids. Its main program is a board and train stay of 14 days, and the site says your dog stays longer at no extra charge if the work isn't done. The stay covers sit, down, stay, come and place, outdoor potty training, leash and off leash manners, reactivity and most kinds of aggression, plus invisible fence boundaries. The site says it teaches owners how to use an electronic collar the right way. At pickup, a trainer spends five hours showing you what your dog learned, and in home follow ups come after. A $250 nonrefundable deposit holds a spot.

The puppy program is a one day socialization visit of seven to eight hours with confident adult dogs on site, listed on their site as $150. It also offers protection training, a bitework group and evaluations. The trainers list 17 combined years of experience and three police K9s on patrol.

Harbor Humane is an animal shelter in West Olive that runs dog classes open to the public. Behavior manager Sarah Rapisarda teaches most of them. She holds the CPDT-KA, is a shelter affiliate member of the IAABC and has been an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator since 2018.

Classes meet on Saturdays and Tuesday evenings. Puppy Preschool takes puppies 12 weeks to 6 months for five weeks and is listed on their site as $115, and Puppy Playtime is a Saturday drop in social hour for pups 8 weeks to 6 months. Manners 101 and Skills 201 are five week classes that take turns on Saturday afternoons. The Reactive Dog Class runs five weeks outdoors for $140, starting with a session for owners only. AKC classes include Trick Dog for $100 and a five week CGC class for $140, and you can take the CGC test alone for $25. A visiting trainer with a CPDT-KA also teaches. The site asks you not to bring prong, choke or electronic collars or retractable leashes. The Reactive Dog Class and Puppy Preschool were full when we checked, so register early.