Best Dog Trainers in Maine

Christine Kiley runs Dogwise Obedience in Portland and trains with positive, reward based methods. She earned her Canine Training Specialist certification at Triple Crown Academy in Texas and says she has about 15 years of experience. Private sessions happen in your home, and she leaves written notes on what you covered. Her week long obedience camp keeps your dog in a home with no kennel. From spring to fall she also runs outdoor leash clinics on loose leash walking around distractions.

Saccarappa Obedience Club is a Portland dog club that teaches reward based classes for family pets and competition teams. Classes meet at Happy Tails Training Center on Monday evenings and Thursday mornings. Family dogs can start with AKC STAR Puppy or Canine Good Citizen classes. Owners who want a sport can move on to scent work or competition obedience, and the club hosts its own trials. Spectators aren't allowed during class times, so plan to sign up rather than stop by to watch.

Kristin Brewer owns Sit Means Sit Southern Maine, part of a national franchise, and serves Portland and South Portland out to Windham and Standish. The program pairs a remote collar, which the company describes as a tap for attention, with rewards. Puppies in their first 20 weeks can get private lessons at home on potty and crate training. Older dogs can do private lessons, a day training program or board and train. Pricing is quoted after a free evaluation and demonstration.

Nancy Freedman-Smith runs Gooddogz Training from a studio in Westbrook and lists 28 years of professional experience. Our directory shows her as a CDBC through the IAABC and a CBATI, and her site describes positive, evidence based training and behavior modification. She takes on reactivity and aggression cases. Group classes meet at the studio, and day training is offered for busy families. Behavior consults happen in person or online. Her board and train camp is paused for now because of demand.

Cameron Arsenault founded BlueChip Canine in Gray and works across Southern Maine and the Midcoast. His private lessons happen in your home and neighborhood, so your dog practices where problems show up. Day training lets you shadow the session and learn the handling yourself. Board and train keeps your dog with him for focused work toward set goals. He also leads Tails on Trails group hikes and works with dogs older than six months. He also lists a 16 week Foundations Program.

Judy Moore is an IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and a Certified CARAT Assessor based in Cumberland. Her work centers on behavior, with private consultations and bite risk assessments for dogs that have bitten a person or another dog. CARAT temperament assessments can start as early as 8 weeks and look for traits tied to anxiety and aggression. She also sells online courses on everyday skills and bite prevention. She says she has more than 20 years of experience and takes limited clients.

Jenny Yasi runs Whole Dog Camp in Freeport, and our directory lists her as a CPDT-KA and a Fear Free certified trainer. The site describes humane training on a property with an off leash habitat for play and agility. Members pay $10 per group class session, as listed on their site, and can drop into any session. Private lessons are listed at $40. Owners from outside Maine can stay in an Airbnb studio on the property to train with Jenny.

Off Leash K9 Training's Portland branch is listed in Limington and names service towns from Lewiston and Auburn down to Kennebunk. The franchise uses its own system, and its Basic Obedience package of four private lessons includes a leash and remote collar. A six lesson package covers advanced obedience, and an eight lesson package is built for aggressive dogs. A two week board and train is available, and lessons can happen at your home. Young puppies start with a consultation. Phone consultations are free.

Diamond K9 Dog Training works by appointment in Biddeford, just off Exit 32, and serves towns such as Saco and Scarborough. Trainers Kati and Joyce describe a balanced method that uses rewards heavily but not on their own, and the business is an authorized E-Collar Technologies dealer. Board and train and private sessions are both offered, and puppy training is listed too. The Diamond K9 Academy sells online courses, and virtual consults are available. Each plan starts with an assessment.

Liz Fisher of Pet Positive Training is a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer and a CPDT-KA, listed in our directory in Biddeford. Her main program is for dogs that struggle when left alone. It's a hybrid setup with a weekly one on one video session plus online lessons between calls. You start with a free assessment, where you send video of your dog and talk it over with her. Because the sessions are virtual, your location doesn't limit you. She's a Pet Professional Guild member.

Evan Delsignore runs By the Beach Dog Training out of Old Orchard Beach and is a certified trainer from the Victoria Stillwell Dog Trainer Academy. He uses positive reinforcement grounded in current behavior science. Group classes meet at the Animal Hospital of Saco off Route 1. The four week puppy class is listed on his site at $125, and the six week adult class at $180. Puppy work covers basic cues and socialization, and adult classes also take on barking and anxious dogs.

The Capable Canine is listed in Arundel under Jessica Robichaud and teaches only reward based, clicker style training. Its site rules out force and tools such as shock or prong collars, and says its instructors must be certified through the CCPDT. Group classes run from puppy and beginner levels up through advanced, with Canine Good Citizen prep and a Day School. Private sessions, including lessons at your home, address specific behavior problems, and reactivity is among its listed specialties. It's a Pet Professional Guild member.

The Animal Welfare Society is a Kennebunk animal shelter that runs a training program open to the public. Most programs meet in a dedicated training classroom next to its adoption center. Class groups run from puppies and beginner basics up to intermediate and specialty levels, plus short pop up programs. Past offerings named on the site include a shy dog class and scent work. One on one training is available too. Trainers Laura DesMarais and Brenda Horowitz both hold the CPDT-KA.

Robin Rubin is a NADOI Certified Dog Trainer in York Beach, and her site cites 20 years of family training. She describes a balanced approach with a plan built for each dog. Private coaching covers puppy basics, reactive dogs and therapy dog skills, and day training ends with coaching for the family. Her basic board and train takes dogs of any age, and a behavioral version handles resource guarding and dogs with a bite history. She serves southern Maine plus the New Hampshire Seacoast.

Blue Fawn Maine runs a training and behavior studio on Route 202 in Waterboro with a 2,400 square foot training floor. Shannan, an Animal Behavior College Mentor Trainer, leads reward based training with clear, fair boundaries. Group classes take dogs from puppies to adults. Private and semi private sessions are offered, with in home training on request. Behavior modification and rally obedience are on the schedule, along with pack walks. Online courses cost the same as studio courses. The studio also runs workshops on canine health.

Mallory Hattie, CPDT-KA, runs Raising Canine Maine Dog Training in Bridgton, in the Lakes Region. Her site says the training is positive reinforcement only. She offers private lessons, including sessions in your home, along with Puppy Kindergarten and Manners classes. New dogs and puppies can start with basic structure training. A program called Help for the Reactive Dog is built for dogs that react to triggers. She's a Pet Professional Guild member, and her site names Southern Maine as her service area.

Sara Sokol runs Mr. Dog Training, listed in Brunswick, and keeps a Canine Enrichment Center in West Gardiner for private play sessions. Her training is positive reinforcement and relationship based, with attention on dog body language and emotional wellbeing. She offers private training, and her site lists in person and virtual classes. Reactive dogs get special attention, with a dedicated page and a recorded Reactive Dog Course. She also sells other video courses and publishes a free app and a monthly newsletter.

Maine Dog Training Company is based in Bath, with a studio in Brunswick, and says its team has trained dogs for more than 10 years. Its trainers aim for a fair, clear relationship with your dog and stress consistency. Private training is booked by the hour at your home, in a public place or at the studio, in towns from Brunswick down to Portland, March through November. Board and train stays come with a plan built around your dog. Puppy day school and group classes are offered too.

This Midcoast training and activity center sits on Route 27 in Edgecomb, and Marcia Welch is the listed contact. Classes stay small so each team gets coaching inside a group. The fall schedule has Foundation Agility on Saturdays and Mind Your Manners on Monday nights, and nosework runs for both beginners and teams already on odor. Rally and competition rally are offered as well, and private lessons are available. Dogs in group classes must be social with people and other dogs.

Maya Robinson is listed in Northport, and her listed website belongs to Spot On Dog Training Center in Lincolnville, which serves Midcoast Maine. Our directory lists her credentials as CCUI and FDM. The center teaches relationship based, positive reinforcement training and doesn't recommend shock collars. Classes cover obedience, rally, agility, SpeedWay, scent work and tracking. Behavior consults are one on one. The center also runs daycare and Barn Hunt workshops, and its trainers list more than 30 years of combined experience.

Salty Dogs Obedience & Adventure is listed in Surry and teaches reward based, force free training. Its site says it will never use alpha rolls or choke, prong or shock collars. Group classes cover basic manners and puppy socialization along with leash walking and recall. Private behavior work happens in your home or online. Its Maine Canine Academy is a day training school where dogs go home each night. Owner Whitney Thurston is a CDBC, and trainer Jasmine Pratt holds the CPDT-KA.

Puppies Pause Training is in Augusta and serves Kennebec County. Owner Jacqueline holds a dog training certification that, per her site, included 18 weeks of book classes plus graded training and shelter volunteer hours. Private sessions take dogs of any age or background, including dogs that have been abused. Group sessions help dogs that struggle around other dogs. Five week Basic Manners and Advanced Training classes meet in the evening, and all classes are drop in. Virtual classes are listed too.

John V. Palange has trained dogs since 1978 and works from Manchester, serving the Augusta and Belgrade regions. He holds a Master Trainers Certification and an Animal Sciences degree from the University of Maine. He describes his approach as strict discipline with unlimited love and patience. Services include on and off leash obedience and behavior modification for problems like biting and car chasing. He also offers protection work and tracking, and hunting dogs can train for pointing or retrieving. He offers breed consultation too.

Merrill's K9 Academy in Readfield serves central Maine, and its site calls its trainers reward based and balanced, with a focus on clear communication and household boundaries. Private lessons handle problems like biting, jumping, counter surfing and barging through doors. Day school gives working owners structured training for their dog plus socialization with other dogs. Group classes run from Basic Obedience and AKC Canine Good Citizen up to off leash obedience and agility. A free online evaluation helps you decide where to start.

Joshua Antell trains every dog himself at King K9 Academy, a 15 acre farm in Richmond. Board and train is the main offering, and no more than four dogs train at once. Puppy Head Start gives puppies 3 to 6 months old a week of training on the farm. Older dogs can join the Complete Program for off leash obedience or the Cornerstone Program for on leash manners, which uses no remote collar. Small group classes cap at three dogs, and field trips to stores are part of training.

Patrick Lavallee owns Blue Collar K-9 Training Center in Winslow, and the site says the facility is licensed and inspected by the state and carries insurance. All training there is private and built around each dog's personality. You can choose boarded training or private one on one lessons, and home consultations are available. His approach stresses communication and patience, and family members learn the routine too. A free evaluation and facility tour come first, and proof of current vaccinations is required.

Maine Trail Dogs works in Bangor and nearby towns, and owner Georgie is certified in Ivan Balabanov's Training Without Conflict method. Training is play based and uses positive and negative reinforcement, and the site says aversive tools may be suggested. Private lesson packages are listed on their site at $660 for three lessons and $1,260 for a six lesson behavior modification package. Puppies 8 weeks to 6 months old get four private lessons for $860. In home lessons are available around Bangor.

Don Hanson co-owns Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor and runs its training arm, ForceFreePets. He holds the PCBC-A and has worked with dogs since 1995. Training follows Pet Professional Guild ethics, and the shop's motto rules out pain and force as well as fear. In person classes include Basic Manners and The Joy of Sniffing. Puppy and Rescue Headstart is taught online, and Puppy Daycare is for puppies enrolled in it. Private training and behavior consultations are offered, and he also hosts a podcast.

Victor Forsyth founded Clear Cut Kennels in Kingman and has worked with pointing dogs for more than 20 years. Training happens on wild grouse and woodcock cover, and winter training moves south to a quail plantation. Programs include Puppy Training for dogs 2 to 10 months old, a Clear Cut Tune Up after a hunting season and Flush Dog Training. Seasonal programs include boarding at no extra fee. The kennel also guides bird hunts and offers periodic pickups around the Northeast.

Peace and Unity Pet Services, known as PUPS, has trained dogs in Unity since 2016 and works by appointment. It describes its training as balanced, and it's an authorized E-Collar Technologies dealer. Three board and train packages are listed, including Save My Dog for behavioral rehabilitation. Private lessons cover beginner and advanced obedience at the facility or your home. A 30 minute consultation is listed on their site at $50, applied toward training. Pack walks and guided socials are free.