Best Dog Trainers in and Near Lansing, MI

Janet Smith has worked with pet owners for more than 25 years, and her site says she once owned a training business in Haslett. She teaches group classes at a doggy daycare in Okemos, each meeting one hour a week for six weeks. The lineup includes an introduction to scent work, a puppy socialization class for puppies under six months, and a basic obedience class for dogs over six months. Each class is listed on her site as $200. Her private packages start with lessons in your home and then move to group practice sessions and pack walks. The puppy and basic obedience packages are each listed at $595 for four home lessons, and an advanced off leash package is listed at $995 for six lessons, with all equipment included, including a remote collar. A single home visit is listed at $125 and can go toward a package. Her site says the basic obedience class isn't right for aggressive dogs, who should start with a private program.

Maegan Payne runs All The Dog Things, a Mid Michigan service built around science based, force free and fear free training. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Michigan State University and the ACDBC credential from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She's also a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor, a Family Dog Mediator and a Puppy Start Right instructor, and she evaluates dogs for the AKC Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog titles. Services include group classes held at Annabelle's Pet Station, private sessions and behavior consultations that look at a dog's history, health and surroundings to find the cause of a problem. She also helps people who are still deciding what kind of dog fits their life. Her site runs Lansing Parkour Dogs, a sport the site says any dog can adapt to. She also volunteers with the Capital Area Humane Society, caring for dogs in her home and helping them recover. No prices are posted.

Mandy Robbins runs Raise The Woof Dog Training from Mason and trains only in your home, serving Mason, Holt, Okemos, East Lansing and other Lansing area communities. Her site describes games based, force free training and says its methods are backed by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. She graduated from the CATCH Canine Trainers Academy, is a Certified Family Dog Mediator and a Certified Trick Dog Instructor, and is a member of the Pet Professional Guild. The Positive Puppy Program covers puppies and adolescents from 8 weeks to 2 years, with work on socialization, house training, chewing, loose leash walking and preventing reactivity. Her behavior work covers jumping, barking, leash pulling, fear and overarousal. She also teaches tricks. Her site says she became a trainer after her own dog, Riese, started reactivity training as an adult. Prices aren't posted on the site.

Click Pawsitive Family Pet Center teaches force free training with positive reinforcement, including clicker training. Its group classes moved to Annabelle's Canine Station in DeWitt in April 2025, and the site lists Therapy Dog Essentials and Puppy Essentials 1 at $289 each for eight one hour sessions. A class for adolescent dogs called The Awkward Phase and a small dog class called Little Dogs, Big Skills are listed at $229 each for six weeks. Private lessons are listed on their site as $100 per 60 minute session, and behavior consultations for problems such as leash reactivity and separation anxiety are priced by case. If you're training your own service dog, its coaching program helps with dog selection, early socialization, public access skills and task training, and teams that meet the prerequisites can join group and individual sessions. Trainer Sara Alguire teaches two of the posted classes. The site lists Haslett, East Lansing, Williamston, Okemos and Lansing among the communities it serves.

Canines for Change is a Dimondale nonprofit that trains service dogs for children and adults with disabilities and facility dogs for schools, and our directory lists it as an Assistance Dogs International candidate program. It also opens training to pet owners. Its public obedience classes meet once a week for five to six weeks in small groups, with a general class for dogs over 8 months and a puppies only class for younger dogs. They're taught by the group's service dog trainers with positive reinforcement methods only. Bring treats, a standard leash and proof of vaccinations. A board and train program for your own dog runs two to four weeks and is listed on their site at $750 per week. It covers basic and advanced obedience, leash manners, impulse control and confidence building, and it ends with a go home session. Dogs must be current on vaccinations and pass an evaluation, and behavior cases are considered one at a time. Your class registration fee supports the service dog program.

Kimberly Mayhew trains dogs through Hidden Potential Training in Laingsburg, northeast of Lansing. Our directory lists private training, group training and behavior consulting, with a focus on separation anxiety, aggression and reactivity. She lists the ABCDT credential and membership in the Pet Professional Guild. Her trainer profile in the Animal Behavior College directory lists puppy socialization, fear free behavior training and dog obedience, and names Laingsburg, Bath, Shaftsburg, Haslett, East Lansing, Ovid, Okemos and Williamston as areas she serves. Her own website didn't load for us, so we couldn't confirm class schedules, locations or prices. Ask on your first call whether she comes to your home or works from her own site, and which group classes are running. She's a practical choice if you live on the northeast side of the metro and your dog struggles when left alone or around other dogs.

Sit Means Sit Lansing is part of a national franchise, and its site names Audra Mather as owner and lead trainer, with a background in behavioral medicine. Programs include Puppy 101 for puppies 8 to 20 weeks old, private lessons, group classes, day training sessions where trainers work with your dog several times a day and coach you, and a board and train program combined with private lessons. Its behavior work covers aggression, reactivity, fearfulness, leash pulling and counter surfing, and the site mentions consultations with a behaviorist. The system uses the company's own remote electronic collar, which the site describes as a tap cue, along with other training aids. Training moves through a teaching phase, a phase where the collar is faded out and a maintenance phase. Prices aren't posted and are set after a free consultation and demonstration. The service area covers much of Ingham County, including Holt, Okemos, Haslett, Williamston and Mason.

Off Leash K9 Training Lansing is part of a national franchise and serves Lansing and nearby towns, including East Lansing, Holt, Mason, DeWitt, Grand Ledge and Charlotte. Its site says its trainers come from military, shelter volunteer and veterinary technician backgrounds. The obedience lesson program is four private lessons covering commands such as sit, heel, down, off and place, and it includes a leash and an electronic collar. Board and train stays work on advanced off leash obedience and behavior, and they're listed on their site as $1,800 for one week, $2,400 for 10 days and $3,100 for two weeks. Puppy classes are for dogs under 5 months and cover basic obedience, potty training, crate training and socialization, with a puppy group class listed at $150. A 55 minute private lesson is listed at $100. The site also offers behavior consultations and a free phone consultation, and it shows a Veteran Owned Business badge.