Best Dog Trainers in Iowa

All Breed Dog Obedience Training holds its classes in Windsor Heights, on the west side of Des Moines, and its site says the business was established in 1958. Dogs can start at 8 weeks old. Classes run from an AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy class through beginner and advanced group obedience, where the advanced level works on off leash exercises and hand signals. Specialty classes cover rally, scent work, competition, therapy dog and service dog training. It also offers private lessons and board and train. Clients can take AKC title tests at discounted rates, including Canine Good Citizen, Community Canine, Urban Dog and Trick Dog. The site says more than one trainer works each class and that class sizes stay small. It doesn't describe training methods or post prices, so ask about both on your first call.

Aloha Pet Resort and Spa in Cedar Falls runs its training under the name Aloha Academy. The current program is Learn and Play, a short one on one session added to a day at Fetch Club or Fitness Club or to a longer boarding stay. Learn and Play is listed on their site as $20 for 15 minutes or $35 for 30 minutes. The trainer, Alivia Blackford, is listed as a CCTA Certified Dog Trainer. The site describes her methods as force free and correction free with a welfare focus, and says she doesn't use aversive tools or fear based methods. This option fits Cedar Falls and Waterloo owners whose dog already spends time at the resort and needs work on one specific habit, such as impulse control in group play.

Bark Avenue Iowa runs dog boarding and daycare in Ankeny, with sister locations in West Des Moines and Waukee. Training starts with a free evaluation: you fill out a questionnaire, meet a training specialist with your dog and leave with a plan. Lessons begin with sit, stay, down, come and heel, and trainers also work on leash pulling and jumping on guests. The program the site calls its most effective is Stay and Train. Your dog lives in a lodging suite, gets several lessons a day from more than one trainer and has daily playtime, with follow up support after graduation. The site says it teaches through positive reinforcement instead of pressure. It calls the company a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Prices vary by program and aren't posted, and the trainers aren't named.

Bark Busters Cedar Rapids is listed in Ainsworth in our directory, and its trainer, Janie Fairchild, travels to homes across eastern Iowa. The site's service list includes Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Cedar Falls, Waterloo and Davenport among many smaller towns. The site says Fairchild has worked as a Bark Busters trainer for 11 years. The site lists help with aggression, excessive barking, digging, jumping, leash pulling, nipping, reactivity, resource guarding and separation anxiety, plus puppy training. It says the office uses only humane methods, and Fairchild states she uses no shock or prong collars and no physical punishment. The Life of Dog Support Guarantee says the trainer stays a call away for help at no extra cost. Prices aren't posted.

Clear Creek Dog Resort in Tiffin, just west of Iowa City, runs a four week Puppy Academy three days a week. The page lists it for puppies 10 weeks to 12 months old, though another line on the site says 6 months, so check the age limit when you call. Mornings mix group training with structured play groups that work on safe play and social cues. Lessons cover sit, stay, down, recall, leave it, desensitization, kennel manners and leash manners, with a focus on positive reinforcement and redirection. Puppies need current Bordetella and distemper boosters, plus rabies once they're old enough, and you get a daily report card. The trainers and academy prices aren't listed. The resort also offers daycare and boarding.

Ellen Drewes-Stoen holds the Certified Instructor credential from NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors, according to our records. She's listed first on the staff page of the Good Dog Center in Decorah, which says it has served the area for over 20 years and that its trainers have a combined 150 years of training and behavior experience. The winter 2026 to 2027 schedule includes Basic Obedience and a Manners Too class, plus a long run of competition obedience classes from Novice through Utility and UDX. Rally and agility classes are on the schedule too. Private lessons and in home training can be booked Monday through Friday and sometimes on weekends. The center also lists service dog training, day training and a train and board option.

Libby Karssen runs Karssen K9s from Orange City in northwest Iowa. Her site says she earned her dog trainer certification from the Animal Behavior College in 2016. She has worked with owners on obedience, behavior modification, tracking and scent detection, and has helped owners work toward the CGC, therapy dog certification and AKC titles. Services include private training in your home for behavior problems, drop in group classes in Le Mars for obedience and socialization, and board and train for owners short on time. Puppies can start private lessons before they're fully vaccinated. The site doesn't describe her methods. One Instagram caption shown on her site is tagged ecollar, and her tools page links to a bark collar, so ask which tools she plans to use with your dog. Prices aren't posted. For Sioux City owners, Le Mars is the closest group class on this list.

Kawa Farms K9 Training sits on 20 acres in Madison County near Winterset, southwest of Des Moines. The site lists a team of five with more than 30 years of combined experience, and it displays a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner logo. Pet dog options include private training every week or two and day training. A board and train program, running since 2013, includes family sessions. Its scent work training is aimed at search and rescue dogs, service dogs and therapy or companion dogs. The facility has an 1,800 square foot training room and a scent and search room, with several acres of training and run yards outside. Group classes aren't mentioned, and prices aren't posted.

Maddi Lyons runs Maddi's Dog Training LLC in Dubuque. Her site offers two training formats. One on one training is described as the ideal choice for a dog who is reactive or hasn't had much training. Group training is meant to expose your dog to new experiences and new dogs in a controlled setting. It doesn't list credentials, years in business, methods or prices, so use the first call to ask how she teaches and what a session costs. Our directory also lists pet sitting among her services.

Mary Oliver runs Mary O's Good Dog Training from Woolstock and travels across Iowa for in home visits. She also teaches online by Zoom or Messenger. Her site calls her a canine behavior specialist certified in dog communication and owner education. Each private lesson lasts one to three hours and covers obedience commands and loose leash walking, plus an Emergency Recall. The site lists help with jumping on people, barking, leash pulling and dog on dog aggression. It says her training does not rely on food bribes and avoids harmful collars and gadgets. In home lessons are listed on their site as $350 to $500, and online lessons as $250 to $350, with $50 off for rescued and adopted dogs.

Robin MacFarlane is listed in Dubuque in our directory, but her current site says she now works with owners from a central Iowa location outside Indianola, south of Des Moines, so don't plan on lessons in Dubuque. Her earlier Dubuque training company ran from 1998 until late 2021. In person, she offers private lessons and board and train, plus workshops in Des Moines that run two or three days. Online, she sells a Puppy Preschool course and an Ecollar Training course for basic obedience, along with virtual coaching. Her site lists her as an IACP Certified Dog Trainer and a Dogtra ProStaff trainer, and our records also show a NADOI Associate Member listing. Her workshops also teach electronic collar training, so ask which tools she'd use. Prices aren't posted.

Rock River Pet Resort in Waverly, north of Waterloo and Cedar Falls, runs training Monday through Friday. Structured Daycare mixes playgroup time with training sessions through the day and is listed on their site at $45 a day. One on One sessions with the trainer at the facility are listed at $100 per 30 minutes. In Home Visits, listed at $150 an hour, target behavior problems that show up at home. Board and Train is listed from $32 a day, depending on the lodging unit and the number of training days, and your dog attends structured daycare on weekdays for basic obedience. Board and Train requires a temperament test, and every service needs proof of current vaccines, rabies among them. The site doesn't name the trainer or describe methods, so ask about both.

S&B Kountry Kennel in Council Bluffs teaches three six week group courses, each capped at ten dogs, with owners working beside their dogs. Puppy Kindergarten takes puppies 8 weeks to 6 months for socialization and early manners. Basic Obedience, for dogs 6 months and up, covers sit, down, stay, loose leash walking, recall and polite greetings. Intermediate and Real Life Skills adds advanced recall, a place command and public outings. Each course is listed on their site at $150. Private lessons start with a consultation listed on their site from $75, with packages after that. The site says trainers build on what a dog gets right instead of punishing what it doesn't, and that the trainers are staff who work with dogs there every day. Classes run indoors and outdoors, and vaccine records are required before the first session.

Barkside Academy LLC is a positive reinforcement training business based in Council Bluffs, run by a trainer named Samantha, listed as Samantha Morrissey in our directory. Its service area crosses the Missouri River, covering Treynor and Glenwood on the Iowa side and Omaha, Papillion, La Vista, Ralston, Bellevue and Elkhorn in Nebraska. Services include done for you day training, private training in your home, dog walking and a Walk n Train program that teaches dogs to walk nicely on a lead. Samantha describes herself as a certified positive reinforcement trainer who keeps learning new positive methods. Our records list her as a member of the Pet Professional Guild, one of the groups the AVSAB position statement names when it advises owners on choosing a trainer. Prices aren't posted.

Scott County Kennel Club has served the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities since 1943, and it holds classes at a climate controlled clubhouse in Davenport. The class list covers puppy training and socialization, obedience, rally, agility, scent work, herding and conformation. Agility, scent work and some higher level obedience classes are for members only. The club isn't taking new membership applications right now, but after two classes you can apply with two sponsors and join a wait list. Other classes are open to the public through online registration, and you upload proof of current vaccines when you sign up. Fees are due at registration and aren't listed online. The club may turn away a dog that is aggressive or that its owner can't control. The site doesn't describe training methods.

Woof Pack Resort and Spa in Johnston, on the northwest side of the Des Moines metro, runs three training programs. Puppy Preschool is a four week weekday program for socialization and basic manners, with daily walks for potty and leash training. Day School runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each day includes three or more one on one sessions on commands such as come when called and down, and on manners problems such as barking and mouthing. Private Training is by appointment, at the resort or in your home, in one hour sessions, and in home work can address leash reactivity and house training. The site describes training in a positive setting and shows a Fear Free logo among its certifications. Prices aren't posted.

Dog Training Elite Des Moines is a franchise location with a facility in Clive that also trains in clients' homes. Its site lists obedience, puppy, service dog, therapy dog and anxiety and aggression programs, plus group classes. Its about page describes positive reinforcement with rewards and praise, and its home page calls the approach balanced. The pricing page lists an electronic collar as included equipment in every package. In home obedience is listed on their site at $1,885 for the Gold package and $2,295 for Platinum. The in facility Elite Training Camp is listed at $2,495 for 5 days or $2,895 for 10 days, each with group classes. Service and therapy programs are listed from $3,000 for a therapy dog up to $7,500 for a mobility support service dog. Ask how the electronic collar fits with the positive approach the site describes.