Best Dog Trainers in Idaho

Goosebuster Retrievers is run by Pete Eromenok from training grounds in Idaho. His site says he began hunting dog work in 1979, has judged all three levels of the AKC hunt test program and has qualified dogs for the Master National. The main program is immersion training, where your dog boards and trains with him for a period of time, and private refresher lessons follow by appointment. He trains retrievers and pointing breeds for hunting, AKC hunt tests and field trials. The site also lists pet obedience, puppy development and work on dog aggression, plus boarding by reservation.

All Breed K9 Academy trains dogs out of Priest River and lists service across North Idaho, including Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene. The site says its trainers have more than 20 years of experience. Programs include obedience at every level, a board and train it calls Dog Boot Camp, behavior work for aggressive or timid dogs, house and crate training, protection training and bird dog training. The site lists electronic and remote collars among its tools and offers collar conditioning. It offers a free in person evaluation before you sign up.

Broken Circle Stock Dogs is a ranch in Indian Valley where Robin teaches working Border Collies on cattle and sheep. Her site says she has more than 30 years of experience and grew up on a third generation Idaho cattle ranch. You can take group or private lessons in person, where you learn to handle your own dog, or join Stock Dog School online, a membership with training modules, monthly group Zoom calls and discounted one on one calls. The ranch also hosts clinics, including a puppy clinic, and a sanctioned stockdog trial. Puppies and started dogs are sometimes for sale.

Carole Kelly teaches dogs and their owners in Kuna under the name Prancing Paws. Her site says she has spent more than 30 years helping dogs and their people, and she moved to Kuna from Southern California in 2015. Her stated goal is a well mannered dog that fits into family life. She lists private lessons, an online novice course and AKC testing. She also lists pet assisted therapy work. Our database shows her as an Associate Member of NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors.

Idaho Elite K-9 is a training facility in southeast Idaho, and our database places lead trainer Chris Norman in Rigby. His site says he spent seven years as a law enforcement K-9 handler, and two other trainers there are current or former police handlers. Owners can choose staged programs with Chris or with the facility's other trainers, from a four session Basic Foundations package up to an Elite Platinum level. Group options include obedience, a six week Scent Seekers scent detection class and a K-9 Kids Crew class for children.

Clare Swanger runs Comfortable Canine, a private training and behavior service our database lists in Ketchum. Her site says she has worked with people and their dogs since 2007 and offers sessions in person or virtually. Programs include Puppy Foundations, Awesome Adolescents for dogs 5 to 24 months old, Relief from Reactivity, socialization and life skills such as loose leash walking, recall and calm vet or grooming visits. She describes her methods as kind and evidence based. Our database lists her as a Tellington TTouch Certified Advanced Practitioner and a Pet Professional Guild member.

The Coeur d'Alene Dog Fanciers is a dog club affiliated with the American Kennel Club. Its site lists low cost training classes and educational programs among the club's goals, along with promoting responsible dog ownership. Membership is open to anyone interested in dogs, purebred or mixed breed. Our database adds that the club holds an annual all breed dog show. The site doesn't list class levels or schedules, so ask through its profile what's running this season and whether nonmembers can join.

Pawsitive Difference is a Coeur d'Alene training business led by Darcey, its owner and lead trainer. The site says she has more than 40 years of dog training experience, including years on the AKC show circuit with Irish Wolfhounds and in obedience competition. Services include service dog and therapy dog training, board and train, private sessions, group classes, puppy basics and obedience, plus behavioral rehabilitation. She is an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and is registered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs to test new therapy teams. The site says the trainers look for what motivates each dog.

Companion Canines of Pocatello is owned by Teressa Erickson-Rodiguez, who has trained dogs for almost 20 years and is certified through the Victoria Stilwell Academy. She is an AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy evaluator. Classes run eight weeks with no more than eight students, from S.T.A.R. Puppy for pups under five months through foundation manners, CGC prep and advanced life skills. Group classes are listed on their site as $250 for the eight week course, and private lessons as $75 an hour. The site says they use positive reinforcement and never use choke, prong or shock collars.

Jane Guidinger is a dog instructor in Pocatello. Our database lists her as a Certified Instructor with NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors, a group that dates to 1965. NADOI's certified membership requires an exam with detailed written answers and video, which two experienced examiners review before the membership committee votes. Her listing links to a Facebook group rather than a website, and we couldn't open it, so we don't have her class schedule. Open her profile and ask whether she teaches group classes or private lessons.

Fran Jewell runs Positive Puppy Dog Training in the Wood River Valley, and our database lists her in Hailey. Her site says she has worked with nearly 7,000 dogs and names her as president of NADOI, where our database lists her as a Certified Instructor. She offers in home behavior and obedience training for puppies and adult dogs, immersion programs where your dog boards and trains, and service dog training for guide and hearing work, among others. She also trains competition tracking and obedience, detection dogs for professionals and companion dogs for seniors, and helps families choose a puppy.

Leslie Krieger is a dog trainer our database lists in Hailey, with the CPDT-KA credential from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and Pet Professional Guild membership. Her listed services are private training, group training and behavior consulting, with a focus on aggression and reactivity. Her directory listing names Mountain Humane, the Hailey shelter, as her organization. The shelter's training page doesn't name its trainers, so ask whether she still teaches there. That page lists puppy, basic and advanced group classes, private lessons and a Reactive Rover bootcamp for dogs that bark or lunge on leash, and it bans prong collars and electronic collars.

Scotch Pines Dog Training is run by head trainer Sarah Crozier and serves southeast Idaho from Idaho Falls. Her main offering is an eight week obedience program, and group classes meet at Tautphaus Park. The site also lists a DIY eight week off leash program, a Settle Bootcamp, an on demand Welcome Home Puppy course and behavior work for anxious and rescue dogs. The site says the program doesn't rely on food rewards and trains in real places like parks and neighborhoods. Tentative 2027 sessions start in April and August.

The Upper Snake River Valley Dog Training Club is a nonprofit founded in 1952 and one of three AKC member obedience clubs in Idaho. Members live in Idaho Falls, Blackfoot, Shelley, Swan Valley, Rexburg and nearby towns. The club teaches S.T.A.R. Puppy, obedience, tracking and agility, and its site also lists rally, scent work and trick dog classes. Training is open to members and nonmembers, and mixed breed dogs can compete in AKC obedience, rally and agility. The club holds AKC obedience trials, tracking tests and agility trials in the Idaho Falls area each August and September.

K-J Ranch in Payette lists Carol Gerken and Tina Blasdell as its contacts. The ranch breeds traditional style working Australian Shepherds and keeps sheep, goats and Call ducks. The ranch offers classes, consultations and clinics for stock dogs and family pets, with dates posted on its events calendar and occasional guest teachers. Our database adds stock evaluations and livestock rental for trials. It also sells a few puppies each season, started dogs now and then and livestock, so ask about lessons when you call.

Stenkil Gundogs in Rexburg is run by David and his family. His site says he grew up on his grandfather's farm and kennel in southwestern Sweden and moved to the United States in 2018. Programs include kennel and residential board and train, private lessons, group lessons and trained dogs. The site describes positive, reward based training that blends Swedish gundog methods with field experience, and it covers pet obedience as well as gundog work. The family also breeds British Labradors and offers boarding.

Top Dog Idaho Professional Dog Training is based in Nampa and works with dogs across the Treasure Valley. Trainer Juan Barrera says on the site that he has more than 30 years of dog training experience and works with all breeds and behavior issues. The site describes customized obedience programs built for each dog rather than one fixed course. The main page doesn't list package types or tools, so ask on your first call whether lessons are private or group and what equipment he uses.

This listing is the North Idaho location of Sit Means Sit, a dog training franchise with a facility in Post Falls. Its page names head trainer Blake and trainer Cheyenne, and Blake's bio names Trent as the trainer who mentored him. It serves Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Hayden and Kootenai County towns as far as Sandpoint. Services include private lessons at the facility or your home, full day training, puppy training for the first 20 weeks and a group class for past clients. The company trains with its own remote electronic collar. Pricing is set after a free demonstration and consultation.

Anita Crafton is a dog instructor in Hansen, a small town east of Twin Falls. Our database lists her as a Certified Instructor with NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. NADOI has existed since 1965, and certified members earn the title through an exam with written answers and video that two experienced examiners review and that the membership committee then votes on. Her listing has no website, so we can't tell you her class format or schedule. Open her profile to reach her and ask what she teaches and where classes meet in the Magic Valley.

Marti Kincaid also teaches in Hansen, and our database lists her as a Certified Instructor with NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. To earn certified membership, an instructor sends in detailed written answers and video, two experienced examiners review the work and check references, and the membership committee votes. Her listing doesn't include a website, so we have no class list or schedule to share. If you live in the Magic Valley, open her profile and ask whether she teaches group classes or private lessons and what level of dog she works with.

Monica Mangum is a dog instructor in Sagle, south of Sandpoint in the Idaho Panhandle. Our database lists her as an Associate Member of NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors, which has worked to set standards for dog trainers since 1965. NADOI offers associate and certified memberships as separate types, and the certified level requires an exam reviewed by two examiners. Her listing has no website, so we don't have details on her classes. Open her profile to ask what she teaches and where.

The Idaho Humane Society holds public dog training classes at its Dorman campus in Boise. The class list includes puppy socialization and training, a drop in puppy social hour for pups 6 months and younger listed at $35, and Starter Skills, listed on their site as $270 for six weekly hours of basic obedience and loose leash walking. Rocket Recall and Intermediate Skills each run four weeks and are listed at $180. The shelter also offers private lessons. Trainers use positive reinforcement, and adult dogs must be current on rabies and distemper/parvo vaccines.

Scott's School for Dogs is a Boise training business run by Taylor Wyllie, a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner and member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. She offers private training and online classes and works with reactive dogs, and her site says she founded the Boise Reactive Dog Owners group. Training uses positive reinforcement. Her blog covers skills like leave it and hand targeting, so you can see how she teaches before you book. Her site notes that dog trainers in the United States have no state or federal licensing requirement.

Down2Earth Dog Training is run by Sadja Saha in Meridian. The site says Sadja has trained dogs and taught classes professionally since 2014. Sadja holds the Certification in Dog Training Knowledge from CATCH Canine Trainers Academy, is Fear Free certified and is an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator. Sessions are one on one, in person or online. Services include service dog training, including psychiatric service dogs, plus puppy training, basic and advanced obedience and allergen detection. The site describes the methods as science based positive reinforcement.

Cottonwood Retrievers is a full time training kennel in Caldwell, and the site says it has operated for more than 30 years. The owner trains each dog personally and has trained bomb detection dog teams. Programs include gun dog training for waterfowl, upland work and AKC hunt tests, plus advanced off leash obedience for Labradors, Goldens, Labradoodles and other sporting breeds. You can choose board and train or lesson programs. The property has an indoor training space and hunting ponds, and the kennel sometimes has finished dogs or a litter available.