Best Dog Trainers in and Near Indianapolis, IN

Michelle Goldner runs A Wag N' Time Companion Dog Training from Carmel and calls herself a lifelong dog enthusiast. Her site shows logos for APDT membership and the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator program. It also names her as training coordinator for Veterans Best Friend Indiana. Training is private and one on one, either in your home or at dog friendly places around town, so your dog practices manners in public as well as at home. She uses positive reinforcement. Puppies get their own page, and so do shelter and adult dogs. The work runs from house training and polite greetings up to advanced obedience and tricks. One menu item covers therapy and service dog training along with dog sports, but the site gives no details, so ask what each involves. Her service area covers Carmel and Westfield, plus Fishers, Noblesville, Zionsville, Sheridan and the north side of Indianapolis. Vacation boarding is offered to her training clients, and she doesn't post prices.

Big N' Small Paws 317 is a training center in Indianapolis, and its site says two generations of experience stand behind its programs. The core program covers obedience and leash manners, with practice in public places instead of only indoor rooms. You can choose board and train, where your dog stays and works every day, or day training, where your dog trains during the day and sleeps at home. The site also lists private in home packages and behavior consultations. It names reactive dogs and dogs with poor impulse control among the dogs it helps. Service dog training covers tasks for people with disabilities and starts with an individual evaluation. Add ons include Canine Good Citizen prep and a Happy Vet Visits program. The service area runs from Indianapolis and Lawrence north to Carmel, Fishers and Westfield, plus Noblesville and McCordsville. The site names no trainers and posts no prices. The first step is a free phone consultation.

Jill Lawson owns Circle City Dog Training and works as its head trainer. Every program begins in your home. Sessions then move out to parks, trails and stores so your dog learns to listen in busy places. Her site lists experience with fear and anxiety, plus leash reactivity, resource guarding and aggression. Puppy training covers potty and crate training along with biting and recall. Basic obedience covers sit, down, stay and loose leash walking. Service dog programs are built for people with disabilities and include public access and task training. The site says it takes dogs of all breeds and ages, from young puppies to seniors. Pricing is one flat fee per job instead of an hourly rate, and the site says the trainer stays available until the goals you agreed on are met. The service area is wide, from Carmel and Noblesville down to Greenwood and Franklin, and west to Avon and Brownsburg.

Jarod runs Dog Training by Jarod from near Irvington and serves the wider Indianapolis area. He holds the CPDT-KA from the CCPDT and is a Level 3 Fear Free Certified Professional. His site describes science based, force free training with positive reinforcement, with no aversive tools. Sessions are private, in your home or at a public spot like a park, and run up to an hour each. Day training sessions run up to 45 minutes one on one. Prices are listed on his site as $115 for a one hour consultation for basic training and $172.50 for a 90 minute consultation when there are behavior concerns. Three training sessions are listed at $289.99. Clients who live outside Interstate 465 pay a mileage fee. He also offers 30 minute dog walks, which can double as skill practice. Packages expire one year after purchase, and all sales are final, so read the policies before you buy.

First Friend K-9 Training calls itself Central Indiana's one stop training facility, and it's based in Fishers. Group classes meet on weeknights, with Novice Class running Monday, Tuesday or Thursday evenings. Puppy Kindergarten introduces basic obedience along with socialization and handling. Dogs can move up to an Advanced Class, and agility classes are on the schedule too. Private lessons suit owners with scheduling conflicts or a specific behavior problem. A trainer can also come to your house for problems that show up at home. In Kennel Training lets your dog train during a boarding stay. The facility also runs weekday daycare plus overnight boarding and grooming. Every dog needs written proof from a vet of current rabies and distemper shots, along with Bordetella. The site doesn't name its trainers or describe its methods, and it asks you to call for current training prices.

Medical Mutts Service Dogs trains rescue dogs as service dogs. Our records list it in Indianapolis as a candidate program working toward Assistance Dogs International accreditation. The site lists diabetic alert and seizure alert dogs, plus psychiatric service dogs. Owners who want to train their own dog start with an assessment, listed on their site at $120. Private Coaching runs in one hour sessions, in person in Indianapolis or online, listed at $95 a session. Group classes meet live online across three levels, listed at $390 each, and finish with a four day workshop and certification at the Indianapolis facility, listed at $490. Board and train is there if you would rather the trainers do the work. The methods page describes reward based training and the LIMA principle, and says shock collars can harm a dog's well being. Every program points toward a service dog, so it fits that goal best.

Off Leash K9 Training of Indianapolis is a franchise location based in Greenwood, with a second spot in Martinsville that may not carry every program. The site names founder Nick White, a former Marine and Secret Service agent. Programs come as set packages. Basic and Advanced Obedience is eight private lessons. The 2 Week Board and Train is a 14 day training camp focused on off leash obedience and behavior work. The Aggressive Dog Package is eight private lessons for aggression and reactivity, and Therapy Dog Development is eight lessons to train and certify a therapy dog. A puppy consultation covers dogs under 5 months, with housebreaking and crate training on the list. Training can happen in or around your home. Its pricing page says most obedience and board and train packages include an electronic collar, so ask how and when it's used. The service area reaches from Carmel and Fishers to Danville and Martinsville. Prices are listed on their site, for example $2,650 for the 2 Week Board and Train.

JoAnna Rogowski runs The Dog Analyst from Westfield. She is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner and holds a master's degree from Purdue in comparative pathobiology, with a focus on animal behavior and welfare. Her site says she has worked with animals for more than 15 years and logged over 1,200 hours with people and their dogs. She specializes in fear and reactivity, and her list also covers noise phobia and aggression between dogs who share a home. Her site describes humane training without aversives, built on rewards. Work starts with a free intake call and a two hour consultation, followed by private lessons and practice sessions. Lessons are in person across north and central Indianapolis, with virtual sessions case by case. Prices are listed on her site as $275 for the consultation and $200 for a private lesson. She also offers Behavior Support Pet Sitting for dogs with behavior challenges, with priority for current clients.

The Dog Wizard Indianapolis is part of a national company. Owner and head trainer Romario Romain holds a biology degree and is a certified decoy. Alexandria Sanchez Moral co owns the location and runs operations, and Madison Small trains on the team. The site lists board and train and private lessons. Group classes and puppy programs are offered too, and obedience graduates get ongoing group class support. Behavior work covers resource guarding and dog aggression, along with separation anxiety and a program for adopted or rescue dogs. The site says all of its trainers use balanced techniques, and tools can include food and remote collars, chosen with you. Training starts with a free evaluation, then moves to in home or mobile sessions. The site names Indianapolis and Greenwood as its area, along with Columbus. Training programs are listed on their site as starting at $250.

Julie Case founded Ultimate Canine in Westfield in 2012 and runs it as owner and director of training. Her about page says she has trained dogs for more than 27 years and worked as head trainer at K-9 CAMP Training School before starting the business. Julie Case is listed as a state certified training provider for law enforcement, and the business is an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and an APDT member. Family and companion dog training sits beside therapy and service dog programs, and police dogs get monthly classes and yearly certifications. Owners can book in home lessons or stay and train, along with puppy training and behavior modification. Ultimate Canine also sells fully trained dogs and runs boarding and daycare on site. The site doesn't describe its training methods, so raise that on the first call. Its local area covers Carmel and Zionsville along with Westfield and Indianapolis, and prices come by quote.

Uptown Pup is a training center in Broad Ripple, and its site says every trainer on staff is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. Training uses positive reinforcement and force free methods only. Group classes run four weeks and are listed on their site at $175. Puppy Class takes dogs 6 months and under. Foundation Behaviors is open to all ages, and Intermediate Skills adds distance and distraction work. Nose Work runs five weeks at $220, and an Intro to Therapy Dogs class is listed too. The site says group classes may not suit reactive or aggressive dogs. Private lessons fit those dogs better, listed at $125 an hour in person or $60 by video. Day School runs Monday through Friday with two 30 minute sessions a day, listed at $425 a week. Overnight School pairs a six night stay with an hour of training each weekday. Online courses cover dog body language and foundation skills.