Best Dog Trainers in and Near Nashville, TN

Advanced Canine Nashville says it has trained dogs in Middle Tennessee for more than 30 years. Its obedience work starts on leash with behavior modification, then moves up to advanced levels and practice around the distractions of everyday life. Puppy training covers house breaking, crate training, biting and whining. The site also lists personal protection training as its own service, without describing it. Advanced Canine describes its approach as positive reinforcement. Its site doesn't say whether lessons are private or group, or whether board and train is offered, and it lists no prices or trainer credentials, so ask about format and cost on the first call.

All Dogs Unleashed runs its Nashville location from Burton Hills, near Green Hills, and lists the Nashville neighborhoods it serves. Its two week board and train keeps your dog at the facility for daily sessions with the trainers. Private lessons happen in your home or at the facility, and the site says facility sessions are more structured. Introductory group classes are listed on their site from $155, and private in home sessions at $100 to $185 per hour. Residential training is listed at up to $2,450 depending on length. Financing through Affirm is available. The site describes a reward based, positive reinforcement approach and mentions a climate controlled indoor space with outdoor turf. Its contact form also lists puppy, off leash, protection and service or therapy programs, but the page doesn't describe them, so ask what each one includes.

Always Faithful Dog Training of Nashville is led by Jerome, listed on the site as owner and an IDTA Level 2 trainer. He gives private lessons at your home across Davidson and Williamson counties. Packages are listed on their site. The Puppy Starter is one $175 lesson for puppies 8 weeks to 5 months old. The Beginner package starts at $800 for four lessons on loose leash walking, sit, stay, come and down, plus household problems like jumping and nipping. Intermediate starts at $1,200 for eight lessons and adds off leash work, and Pro starts at $1,500 and adds high distraction training. Therapy dog and service dog packages are priced by phone. Its Leadership Dog Training uses no treats or shock collars, and the FAQ calls the methods positive reinforcement only. Military, police and fire department members get 10% off.

Bark Busters Middle Tennessee trains in your home first, then takes the work outside to your street and neighborhood. Its trainers cover Williamson, Rutherford and Wilson counties plus southern Davidson County, including Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, La Vergne and Nolensville. The site names two local trainers. Shane Wagner spent nearly 18 years as a veterinary technician and holds Fear Free and Low Stress Handling certifications. His focus areas include separation anxiety and leash reactivity. Stacey Noble also comes from veterinary care and works on aggression, barking, jumping and leash pulling. Bark Busters teaches owners to communicate through body language and tone of voice. Its Life of Dog Support Guarantee keeps trainers available by phone after your lessons at no added cost. Prices aren't posted, so call for a quote.

Canine Dimensions Nashville is run by Riley Cox, a Certified Dog Behavior Advisor (CDBA) and a professional member of the International Association of Canine Professionals. The site says he completed the Canine Dimensions trainer certification program and interned at one of the busiest no kill shelters in the Northeast. He worked in law enforcement before training dogs. Services include in home obedience and puppy lessons, with the puppy program called Puppy GoodStart. Board and train is offered too. Behavior work is a large part of the page, which lists behavior modification for fear and aggression and rehabilitation for dogs with serious behavior problems. Riley serves Nashville and nearby towns. The site doesn't describe training methods or tools and lists no prices, so use the free phone consultation to ask about both.

DogMoore is owned by Matthew Moore and trains dogs in Nashville and south toward Spring Hill, Columbia and Pulaski. It runs five programs. Board and train keeps your dog with DogMoore for training before it comes home with the skills you asked for. Day training has your dog work with the trainer during the day and sleep at home each night. Private lessons put you and your dog in one to one sessions built around your goals. Puppy training covers manners, leash skills and habits, and behavior modification handles reactivity, leash pulling, separation anxiety and recall. Getting started means an online form, a free consultation and a program recommendation, with paperwork handled in a client portal. The site doesn't list methods, credentials or prices, so ask about all three during the consultation.

Dogs and Kat is Kat Martin's dog training and behavior counseling business. Our records list her as a CPDT-KA and a Pet Professional Guild member, and the site says the team has more than 21 years of experience. Classes meet at the team's facility in south Nashville. Small group classes cover new puppies and adult dogs who need manners, and specialty classes include reactive dog classes and agility. Private sessions happen at your home or at the facility, with package discounts. Puppy Day School runs four or six weeks, and puppies go home each night. The team follows the AVSAB position statement on punishment and says it avoids fear, force, pain and intimidation. Online training is listed too. Our records also show behavior consulting for separation anxiety and aggression.

Sit Means Sit Nashville is owned by head trainer Kyle Folgmann, who the site says has served the area since 2018. The board and train runs 10 days and includes owner lessons and follow up. Day training is a six to eight hour drop off with a lesson at pickup. Private lessons come with homework between sessions, and a puppy program covers socialization and obedience, with the fee applied to a later package. Group classes are open only to clients who finished a package. The system uses a remote electronic collar that the company describes as an adjustable tap paired with a reward, with a three phase plan for fading it out. The site lists Brentwood, Franklin, Spring Hill, Belle Meade, 12 South and The Gulch among the areas served. Pricing is quoted after a free demonstration.

Nashville Humane Association, the city's nonprofit shelter, runs one hour dog training classes on Wednesday evenings with trainer Danielle Robinson. The Foundations class teaches Touch, Look, Sit, Down and Stay, and the event page describes it as a class for a family that wants to learn to work with a pet. Each class is listed at $25. You can sign up for one class at a time or take all four in the series, and a Polite Greetings class also appears on the calendar. Registration is online and spots are limited. The shelter's site also has a Behavior Support resource page for owners working through problems at home. Call the shelter to confirm whether a class fits your dog.

Off Leash K9 Training Nashville is led by head trainer Jacob Robinson, a nine year Marine veteran and former MARSOC K9 handler who later taught at Vohne Liche Kennels. The site describes a service area business that trains in your neighborhood and at a facility in Murfreesboro, covering Nashville, Hendersonville, Gallatin, Springfield and Ashland City. Board and train runs one to four weeks, listed on their site from $850 for one week up to $5,800 for the four week Elite program. Several programs use an electronic collar, and board and train graduates take theirs home. The site calls its overall method balanced. The Basic Marker Mastery private package is listed at $500 for four sessions and uses positive reinforcement with no electronic collar. An AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy package and a Therapy Dog Prep program are listed too.

Retrieving Independence is a Nashville nonprofit that breeds, trains and places service dogs, and it's an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International. Its dogs are trained to support people with disabilities, including mobility and psychiatric needs, and the program also places skilled companions and facility dogs. You start with the Apply for a Service Dog page on its site, and staff guide applicants through the process. The organization works from the Honey Alexander Center in Nashville, and visits are by appointment only. The site describes service dog placement, not pet obedience lessons, so this listing fits if you or a family member needs a trained assistance dog. If you want help with a pet's manners, look at the other trainers on this list.

Sit Happens Nashville is owned by trainer Dave Stellato and works only in your home and around town. A trainer drives to you for a free in home consultation, then trains one to one with you and your dog. Lessons cover manners, obedience, potty training and crate training, plus problems like jumping, barking, leash pulling, nipping, separation anxiety and aggression. The site describes a fun first approach built on trust, with physical and mental exercises. Instead of punishing, it teaches you to redirect your dog's attention when an unwanted behavior starts and to end each session on a positive note. The site calls the world at large its classroom, so lessons prepare your dog for real life distractions. The site lists no credentials or prices, so call for details.

The Cooperative Canine trains with force free, fear free methods built on positive reinforcement, and its articles explain why it avoids correction based training. Services include manners, basic obedience, recall and leash work, puppy training, and behavior coaching for problems like reactivity and separation anxiety. A stay and train option is offered as well. Clients anywhere in the US can book live video coaching with a certified professional dog trainer and a behavior consultant. In Nashville the team covers East Nashville, Inglewood, Madison, Donelson, Hermitage, Old Hickory and Mt Juliet, and also lists Germantown, Green Hills, 12 South and Crieve Hall. The company runs pet sitting too, and it also serves Portland, Oregon. Sessions are by appointment, and prices aren't posted.

The Dog Wizard Nashville offers most formats in one place: private lessons, group classes, a puppy group class, board and train, and AKC training. Lessons can be in your home or mobile. Behavior services cover barking, counter surfing, door bolting, resource guarding, dog aggression and separation anxiety, plus rescue dog rehab and a Baby Prep program for dogs getting ready for a new baby. The site names Melissa Thomson as an advanced trainer with six years of experience and AKC evaluator certifications for CGC and Trick Dog. Trainers work with food, collars and remote collars and help you pick what you'll use consistently. Areas served include Antioch, Brentwood, Forest Hills, Franklin, Hendersonville and Murfreesboro. Obedience program graduates get ongoing group class support, and a free evaluation starts the process.

Zoom Room Nashville East is an indoor dog training gym in Madison where you train alongside your dog. The class list covers puppy training, obedience, agility and socialization, and the gym also runs tricks and scent work, playgroups and open gym time. The site calls its approach science backed with positive reinforcement only. Private training passes are mentioned in the gym's policies. New members start with a free orientation, and the booking page lists a free evaluation. The gym also serves owners from Hendersonville, Hermitage, Old Hickory and Springfield. Exact prices sit on a separate page of the Zoom Room site, so check it before you book.