Best Dog Trainers in and Near Memphis, TN

Always Faithful Dog Training of Memphis is the local office of a franchise company that lists more than 130 locations across the country. The company site doesn't have a separate Memphis page, so the details here come from the parent company and our listing.

Programs on the company site come in levels. Beginner comes first, Intermediate adds off leash work, and Pro adds high distraction training. Behavior modification covers problems such as resource guarding and separation anxiety. The company also lists a board and train option plus therapy dog and service dog programs, though it says therapy and service dog availability varies by location. Its trainers are certified through AFDT and the IDTA, according to the company, and it describes a leadership based method that doesn't use treats, clickers or shock collars. Puppies can start at 8 weeks. No prices are posted, so ask the Memphis office which programs it runs here.

Pawsitive Companionship is run by AnnMarie Easton out of Horn Lake, Mississippi. She holds the CPDT-KSA, the hands on level of certification from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and she's a Pat Miller Certified Trainer Level Four. Her site also shows Fear Free Certified Professional status and Pet Professional Guild membership, and it says she has more than twenty years of experience.

Her site describes her methods as positive and simple. Polite Paws covers puppy foundations and basic manners with coaching in your home. Harmony at Home handles problems like resource guarding and fearfulness, along with conflict between dogs in the same house. Stress Free Strolls is for reactive dogs, through private training and group classes. She serves all of DeSoto County, plus Memphis and suburbs such as Germantown and Collierville. Prices aren't posted on the site.

Canine Connection dates back to 1994, when Karen Vass founded it, and Bob Deeds joined in 2003. The Memphis business teaches private lessons for basic manners and for behavior problems such as fear and aggression. Its board and train programs cover manners and puppy basics as well as adult behavior issues.

Dog sports set it apart on this list. Its private lessons include dog sports coaching, with help on the trial field and in the ring. Online group classes and webinars let you join with your dog or audit. Basic manners and puppy group classes at the home location are listed as coming soon. The site also offers seminars and workshops for training clubs and government agencies around the country. Prices aren't posted, so ask on your first call.

Dinah & The Dogs is a Memphis trainer run by Dinah Anderson, and service dogs are its main work. The site lists Started, Fully Trained and Hybrid service dog programs, using Labrador and Golden Retrievers along with Standard Poodles. Tasks include psychiatric work and medical alert, plus mobility help, and one dog is in training for allergen detection. Guide work for people with low vision isn't offered. Fully Trained and Hybrid dogs take about 24 months, and dogs that don't suit service work are moved to a different career.

For pet dogs, the site lists day training and board and train, along with private lessons and virtual lessons. Training happens at a home based facility in Memphis. Program prices aren't posted, but the site says payment plans run monthly over 6 to 24 months. A consultation call comes first to see whether a program fits you.

The Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County is a shelter that also runs public training classes with trainer Emma Bourne. First Steps is a six week family manners course. Week one is a humans only orientation on how dogs think and learn. The next four weeks cover sit and down, stay and recall, and leave it, and the last week reviews everything with games and awards.

Classes use force free methods built mostly on positive reinforcement. First Steps is listed on their site as $80 for dogs adopted from the shelter and $120 for other dogs. A Puppy Class meets Tuesday evenings for puppies 20 weeks or younger at the first class, listed at $90, and includes supervised puppy play. The training page says classes return in early 2027, so check the schedule before you plan around them.

The Dog School at Lizzy's Luxury Lodge in Hernando, Mississippi, is led by owner and head trainer Todd Owen. The site lists him as a U.S. military retiree and former explosive detection K9 handler with NAPWDA certifications, and he's an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.

Private lessons happen at your home, in public or at the lodge, and the site calls that method positive reinforcement. Puppy lessons take dogs from 8 weeks to 5 months and are listed on their site as $125 for a single session. Behavior modification covers reactivity and separation anxiety among other problems. Board and train is described as balanced reinforcement and runs from five days of basic obedience to the four week Elite Advanced program. Every board and train program except the puppy one includes a take home electronic collar, and one can be added to private lessons. The lodge also offers boarding and daycare plus grooming.

Off Leash K9 Training Memphis works out of Cordova by appointment and belongs to a network the site says has more than 130 locations. Founder Nick White is described as a former U.S. Marine and Secret Service agent, and the site says its trainers come from military and private sector work as well as shelter and veterinary backgrounds.

Basic and Advanced Obedience is eight private lessons, and the two week board and train is the other main program. Dogs under 5 months get a puppy consultation on housebreaking and crate training. The Aggressive Dog Package is eight lessons for aggression or reactivity. Therapy Dog Development prepares dogs for therapy testing, though the company says it doesn't certify dogs. Lessons can happen in or around your home, and clients can join free monthly pack walks. The service area reaches Southaven and West Memphis.

Paw Paw's Pets is a Memphis daycare and boarding business that also offers obedience training, with a grooming salon on site. The site shows a gallery of dogs that finished its obedience programs. Its AKC Graduates page describes AKC testing as a baseline check for dogs and owners, including people working toward service dog status.

Training formats and prices aren't described on the pages we opened, so ask about them on your first call. New clients go through a temperament test, and dogs need rabies and DHLPP vaccines plus Bordetella. Puppies must be at least 16 weeks old for services. Daycare runs on weekdays, and weekend times are by appointment only. If you want training and daycare under one roof, Paw Paw's is one of four places on this list that offers both.

Sit Means Sit Dog Training Midsouth is owned by Alan Shade, who left a 20 year career in IT in early 2023 to train dogs full time. It's a location of the Sit Means Sit franchise, and the service area covers Shelby and Fayette counties in Tennessee plus Marshall and DeSoto counties in Mississippi.

Training follows the company's attention based system and uses its own remote electronic collar. The plan runs in phases. A teaching stage of 6 to 12 weeks or more comes first, then a reinforcement stage of about the same length, then ongoing maintenance. Board and train keeps your dog overnight, and the team then teaches you to keep training at home. Private lessons are sold as memberships. Prices are set after a free evaluation.

The K9 Consultant LLC trains in Nesbit, Mississippi, south of Memphis, and has served the area since 2013. Head trainer and owner Jeremie Denley has more than 10 years of experience, and the site announces a newly opened facility.

The featured programs are a two week board and train where your dog lives with the trainers and a seven day day training option with drop off and pickup. One on one private lessons are offered too. Beyond basic obedience and potty training, the site lists behavior modification and nose work, along with game tracking and rehab for abused dogs. It also sells and trains protection and working dogs. The site says it uses all four quadrants of operant conditioning. Daycare and boarding are on site, and the service area runs from Memphis and Collierville down to Oxford and Tunica. Prices come by free quote, and payment plans are offered.

West Tennessee K9 is a Cordova trainer built around board and train programs for obedience and reactivity, plus rehabilitation. The program list includes Puppy Training, Puppy To Pro, Basic Skills and an Intermediate Program, along with one more package listed first on the site.

Training starts by stopping problems such as jumping and leash pulling, along with barking and lunging. While your dog is away you get daily report cards with photos or video, and final sessions show you how to keep the results going. Graduates can come back for Refresher Training and a Brush Up Group Class. The site also lists structured daycare and boarding, and therapy dog opportunities. Trainers and prices aren't named on the main page, so ask about tools and cost on your first call.