Best Dog Trainers in and Near Minneapolis, MN

Agile Canines Training School in St. Louis Park is built around dog sports, and its home page calls its approach positive training for fun and success. Each class meets in its own room with a small group.

Sports Foundations classes take puppies from four months old and prepare teams for agility, though the site warns of a waitlist of six months or more. Drop in classes serve obedience teams working toward Novice through Utility titles and therapy dog handlers. Private lessons run Monday through Thursday during the day. Prices aren't listed.

Amy Sandmann trains dogs from Dayton, on the northwest edge of the metro. The website on her listing didn't open for us, so this card comes only from her AnimalTrainerPro listing.

She is listed as a certified VSPDT and holds Low Stress Handling Silver certification. She is also a member of the Pet Professional Guild. The listing doesn't name services or prices. Ask whether she offers private lessons or classes and how far from Dayton she travels. It's also worth asking how low stress handling shapes a session with a nervous dog.

Animal Inn Training School in Lake Elmo says it has taught people to train their own dogs for more than 40 years. Puppy and obedience classes cover everyday manners. For sport, it teaches agility and NoseWork, and conformation classes help owners who plan to show.

Many instructors also give private lessons in obedience or agility. Regular hours run Monday through Thursday, and Friday through Sunday is set aside for private events. The pages we read don't describe methods or list prices, so ask about both.

Augusta Dog Training was founded in 1996 by Kathryn Newman and has its main base in Long Lake, with sites in Edina and Burnsville. The site describes positive reinforcement with a plan built for each dog.

You can book private lessons in your home or a board and train stay. Group classes range from puppy and obedience to scent work and agility, with rally and therapy dog classes on the calendar too. Augusta also offers daycare and grooming. Prices aren't listed.

Bark Busters Dakota County, Lakeville & Woodbury is a local office of the national Bark Busters company. Ryanne and Omar Rubio run it, and the page describes them as certified trainers and AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluators, and it shows a Spanish speaking badge.

All training happens in your home. The list runs from puppy training and leash pulling to aggression and separation anxiety. The service list covers Dakota County towns like Lakeville and Eagan, and it reaches Woodbury and Saint Paul. The office promises ongoing help from its trainers at no added cost, and prices come by free quote.

Canine Inspired Change is a St. Paul nonprofit that pairs dog training with therapy dog work. The site calls its approach trauma informed, and it runs classes and events in a community education center.

The class list includes a puppy class, Foundational Skills, Recall Rover and a class called Big Feelings, plus one on one training. Owners who want to volunteer take a six week foundations course, then an eight week therapy dog program before joining events at schools or the center. Prices aren't posted on the pages we read, so ask before you register.

Cody Tucker works from Newport, just southeast of St. Paul, and is listed as an Associate Member of NADOI. His listing points to Synergy Canine Consulting, whose home page promotes The Synergy System, described as its behavior system for calm, reliable dogs.

That page is short. It doesn't list services or prices, and it doesn't say which towns he covers. Before you book, ask how the system works and which tools it uses. Also ask where sessions take place and how many you should expect.

Helping Paws is an Eden Prairie nonprofit, founded in 1988 and accredited by Assistance Dogs International. It breeds and trains assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities and for veterans and first responders with PTSD.

Volunteer Dog Trainers raise and train a puppy at home and bring it to weekly classes. Host Homes are another volunteer role. The site doesn't offer pet obedience classes to the public. Choose Helping Paws if you need an assistance dog or want to raise one.

Katina Stamp runs Universal Dog LLC in Forest Lake, at the north end of the metro. There's no website on file for her business, so this card comes from her AnimalTrainerPro listing alone.

The listing shows a knowledge assessed certification from the CCPDT, which calls itself an independent certifying organization for dog trainers, plus membership in the Pet Professional Guild. It doesn't show services or prices. When you call, ask whether she teaches private lessons or classes and how far from Forest Lake she travels.

SmartK9s is Kristie Niemi's training business in Minnetonka. Its website sent us to a temporary placeholder page when we checked, so this card uses only her AnimalTrainerPro listing.

Niemi holds the CPDT KA credential from the CCPDT and belongs to the Pet Professional Guild. The listing names no services or prices. Ask on your first call whether she comes to your home or teaches classes. If your dog pulls on the leash or barks at guests, describe it and ask how many sessions she would plan for a case like yours.

Neuman K-9 Academy in Hugo has run boot camps since 2007 and holds no classes. Your dog lives at the academy and trains seven days a week.

Dogs 12 months and older go to Dog Boot Camp for eight weeks or longer. Younger dogs can do a Puppy Boot Camp of 4 to 12 weeks covering obedience, crate training and manners, along with nipping and jumping. You won't visit during camp, but you get weekly emails with photos. It lists no base prices or tools, so ask about both.

North Star Family K-9 works out of Northeast Minneapolis and serves much of the metro, from Bloomington to Roseville. Founders Hank and Nicole call their method modern balanced training, and every plan starts with a free phone assessment.

Board and train runs three to six weeks, and owners take part during the stay. Puppy Foundations is one on one work for puppies from 8 weeks to 6 months. Private lessons cover obedience and leash manners along with reactivity. Boarding is offered too. The site names no specific tools, so ask which ones they use and why.

Paw & Order Twin Cities is the Minneapolis area location of Paw & Order, with John Rossakis listed on our records. Its local page wouldn't open for us, so this card uses the listing plus the company's main site.

Our listing shows in home and virtual training, a hybrid program that mixes them, and Canine Good Citizen testing. The main site focuses on everyday problems like barking and leash pulling and says offerings vary by location. It names no methods or tools, so ask the local trainer about both.

pupDOGS Training is Susan Ward's business, started in 2009, and the site says she has trained dogs professionally for 25 years. She holds the CPDT KSA and shows a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator logo.

Group classes meet in Eden Prairie, with puppy classes for dogs 8 weeks to 8 months and adult classes for older dogs. Private training happens in your home in Minnetonka and the west metro, and online sessions are open to anyone. The site lists private help for anxiety and fear, along with aggression. It describes her techniques as humane and gentle.

The Canine Coach is a locally owned company founded in 2004. Its five facilities sit in South and Northeast Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, St. Paul and West St. Paul, and group classes run at all of them on evenings and weekends.

Boot Camp is daytime training at four sites. In home training reaches the Twin Cities and suburbs and can also happen online. The company also lists kid programs and lure coursing. Its School for Trainers offers certification. The home page doesn't describe its method or list prices.

The City Canine is based in Saint Paul and says its trainers have more than 10 years of experience. It serves both cities and suburbs from Edina to Stillwater.

Puppy training is listed at two weeks and uses luring and shaping. Behavior modification, listed at four weeks or more, handles aggression and reactivity. You can choose private sessions or board and train with an owner handoff at the end. It also trains service dogs and therapy dogs. The site calls its approach structured and balanced, and it names no tools or trainers, so ask about both.

The Dog Wizard Twin Cities is a franchise location in Lake Elmo that serves Woodbury and Maplewood along with St. Paul and Minneapolis. Manager Jon and lead trainer Mica head the local team, and a free evaluation comes before any plan.

Programs include day training and board and train, plus puppy programs and private lessons. Behavior work covers aggression and separation anxiety. The FAQ calls the method balanced and says its tools range from food to collars and remote collars. Programs are listed on their site as starting at $250, and obedience graduates get lifetime group class support.

The Greater Dog trains in Stillwater, east of St. Paul. Its classes page starts with puppy and basic obedience foundation classes meant to strengthen the bond between you and your dog.

From there you can move into sport. Agility has the handler guide the dog through obstacles in order, and scent work draws on how detection dogs search. Rally and conformation classes fill out the list along with a therapy dog class, and our listing notes 4-H and youth classes. It doesn't name trainers or post prices, so ask about both along with class times.

Tiffany Huebner is a NADOI Certified Instructor in Anoka who runs AQK9. Her site centers on teaching you to train your own dog, starting the day the dog comes home.

She offers private lessons and group classes aimed at practical skills, such as heeling on leash and a reliable recall. Students get weekly homework sheets and video lessons. The site leans on praise more than frequent treats, so ask how food fits in if your dog works hardest for it. It doesn't list prices or a class location, so ask about both when you call.

Total Recall School for Dogs has trained dogs in Hugo since 1990 in a heated, air conditioned 14,000 square foot building. All training is indoors, and instructors have at least 20 years of experience.

Classes run from puppy through intermediate obedience, with rally and agility as well. Beginner NoseWork is listed on their site as $125 for five weeks. The school uses food and praise with leadership principles. It says it doesn't use clickers or gentle leaders and recommends a four foot leather leash with a buckle collar.

Twin Cities Obedience Training Club is a volunteer run nonprofit on Broadway Street in Northeast Minneapolis. It teaches with positive reinforcement clicker training.

No one else on this list covers as many dog sports. Beyond puppy classes and obedience from basic to competition, the club teaches agility and flyball. Tracking and scent work are offered, and so is gundog training, with treibball and freestyle for something different. Therapy dog work is on the list too. A behavior issues page covers problem behavior. Registration runs through an online catalog, and prices aren't on the home page.

Unleashed K9 of Minnesota is a Minneapolis company serving the metro from Maple Grove to Prior Lake and as far as St. Cloud. The site says some trainers compete in Mondioring and IGP.

Pet owners can choose board and train, with skills like recall and go to place, or training on site or in your home. The program list goes past manners into personal protection and scent detection, and it includes service dog training. Behavior work covers reactivity and aggression. The site has an e collar training page, so ask how they use one. Prices aren't listed.

Calm Waters Dog Training is Vanessa Niemi's St. Paul business, and our listing shows her CSAT and CPDT KA credentials. The site focuses on separation anxiety and dog to dog reactivity, plus skill building obedience.

Separation anxiety work is done virtually, so clients can live well outside the Twin Cities, while most local work is in person. The trainer gathers data and adjusts each plan as training moves along. The site says the business and its clients don't use prong or shock collars. Our listing also mentions assistance animal training. Prices aren't posted.

Wag 'N Woofs is a locally owned daycare and training center in Eden Prairie, open since 2011. Its trainers follow LIMA, short for Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive.

Small indoor classes start with Puppy Socialization for pups 8 to 16 weeks old. Reactive dogs get their own track, Freak on a Leash Foundations. Private help starts with a two hour consult, listed on their site as $200, with follow up lessons at $150. Follow ups can happen online or at the center, and home visits are possible.