Best Dog Trainers in Oregon

Kristin Kerner owns Dancin' Woofs in Bend, a training and daycare business she has owned since 2013. Her team page lists the CPDT-KA, earned in 2007, and Fear Free certification from 2018. Trainer Leanna T earned her CPDT in 2023.

Group classes run in a warehouse space of about 3,000 square feet: Puppy 101, then Basic for dogs of any age, then Intermediate, which adds distractions. Classes usually hold about 12 dogs, and the site offers in person and virtual formats. Private sessions at the facility handle specific goals or behavior problems. You can drop in to watch a class before you sign up.

Lisa Smiley runs Smiley's Dogs in Bend. Her AnimalTrainerPro listing shows private training and behavior consulting, a VSA-CDT credential marked in person and Certified FDM, and she is a member of the Pet Professional Guild. Her website would not load when we checked, so this summary comes from her listing alone.

She is a fit to call when your dog has a problem that a group class won't solve. Ask whether sessions happen in your home or elsewhere in Bend, and how she handles the behavior you are seeing.

Off Leash K9 Training's Bend page lists a service area that runs from Bend and Sunriver to Redmond, Sisters, Prineville and La Pine. Programs are built from private lessons, with packages for basic and advanced obedience, aggression and reactivity, nose work and therapy dog work. Puppy consultations cover dogs under five months.

The two week board and train camp focuses on off leash obedience and behavior change, and the site says most of that training happens in a home. The main office is listed in Beaverton, so ask who would train your dog in Central Oregon.

FLASH Dog Training has a Redmond location and a Colorado location, and says it has been training dogs with balanced methods and diet since 2015. The Oregon side serves the state from the Bend area, with Redmond, Portland, Eugene and Salem named on its site. Kerry Hall is listed as a Denver and Redmond trainer.

Services include puppy training, in home training, group classes and custom work for aggression, fear, separation anxiety and resource guarding. The site describes low level electronic collar training for off leash reliability and shows an IACP logo. Client stories mention three and four week board and train stays.

Kristin Baker runs Learning With Dogs from Alchemy Sky Homestead in the high desert near Princeton. She says she has worked with dogs and their people for more than twenty five years. Her listing shows a master's in education, the CPDT-KA and IAABC membership, and her site adds a degree in animal science.

Her approach is handler focused. The site says she does not teach commands and works instead on your calm, reading your dog's cues and building a cooperative relationship. She offers group classes and one on one sessions for manners and reactivity. Stay and Learn lets you and your dog lodge at the homestead for distraction free work.

Yvonne Miller runs Birch Tree Obedience for Walla Walla, Milton-Freewater and the valley. She started in 1974 with her own dog in a beginner class and has taught classes in Walla Walla for 22 years. Her listing shows NADOI Certified Instructor, and her site lists obedience titles on her own dogs plus Delta Society primary level certification.

She offers obedience classes, private lessons and behavior consulting, and her site lists experience across hunting, herding, rally, agility, tracking and conformation. For Umatilla County owners, she is the closest trainer in this guide.

Dodie Slaton runs Pawesome Pet Services in Corvallis, which pairs pet care with training. Her listing shows the CPDT-KA, CCUI, Licensed FDM and CDBC, and her site shows an IAABC membership logo along with a veterinary technician background.

Training programs include Composed Companions, which the site calls science based behavior change for your pet, and Connected Transitions, for life changes like a move or a new family member, using management, enrichment and training. Pawesome Comprehensive Training is offered in Corvallis only. She works hands on and through online coaching, and uses reward based methods with low stress handling.

Alisa Tananaeva is a Corvallis trainer listed with private training and behavior consulting. She is a member of the Pet Professional Guild. Her listing does not include a website, so this summary comes from her AnimalTrainerPro profile alone.

Her focus on private sessions makes her a reasonable call when your dog needs one on one help rather than a group class. On your first call, ask where sessions happen, what her training background is, and what she would work on first with your dog.

Roman Gottfried works with dogs in person around Eugene, Veneta, Creswell, Junction City and Cottage Grove, and online with clients worldwide. His site describes him as a behavior consultant and relationship coach, and his listing shows a CPDT credential. He calls his method do no harm training and rejects dominance and alpha ideas.

His problem list includes separation anxiety, leash aggression, resource guarding, phobias and adjustment to a new baby or a move. Online work starts with a free 20 minute call. He also offers puppy coaching and Reiki, which the site calls an add on to behavior work.

The Well-Mannered Dog is Debbie Schaefer's training business in Eugene and Springfield. The site calls her one of Oregon's first certified dog trainers and lists more than 39 years of experience. It describes its training as free of force and intimidation and says it follows the practices of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.

Group classes include Puppy Training, Family Dog Manners, Chilled and Calm, House Manners and advanced options, held at a central Eugene location. Private consultations cover loose leash walking, house training, and fear or reactivity toward people and dogs. Self study video courses are also for sale.

Training Spot is a Eugene training school listed under Jen Biglan, with Tera Dschaak-James recently added to the team. The site says its trainers studied at the Karen Pryor Academy and hold the CPDT, and that they teach owners positive reinforcement tools for family pets.

Puppy Start Right is for puppies 7 to 16 weeks old and meets Tuesday evenings. The listing also shows manners and therapy dog classes, group walks, private lessons and behavior support for fearful or aggressive dogs.

Emerald Dog Obedience Club in Eugene has served the area for more than sixty years, with a copyright line that starts in 1958. Its classes run from puppy basics through competition sports.

Family dog classes include Puppy Classes, Basic I Obedience, Family Dog Obedience and a Basic II class that prepares for the Canine Good Citizen test. Competition classes run from Novice through Open and Utility, with Conformation Handling and Competition Tracking alongside. The club also teaches AKC Scent Work.

Connie DeBusschere owns Canine Training Adventures in Sweet Home. Her site says she grew up with dogs and has competed in dog sports, done therapy work and raised litters. She describes her approach as force free and fear free, using reward based methods with clear communication and consistency.

She runs small group classes, private lessons for dogs not ready for a group, and on demand online courses. Her site mentions parkour, tricks, puppy manners, scent searches and Canine Good Citizen prep, plus a scent event called Odor on the Farm. Students get handouts and videos for practice between lessons.

Jason Lake owns Prodogz Dog Training in Medford and says he has more than 30 years of professional dog training experience. He serves Medford, Grants Pass, Ashland, Central Point and the rest of the Rogue Valley from a training facility in Medford.

Puppy Kindergarten is a three week Friday class focused on socialization, manners and early obedience, and Basic Obedience is a four week Monday class. One hour private sessions run Monday and Friday afternoons. Behavior plans cover reactivity, anxiety and resource guarding. His site calls his approach science based and says it avoids outdated dominance ideas.

Mariah Klein runs The Joy of Wagging, a Medford area training business that serves Medford, Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Jacksonville, Eagle Point, White City and the rest of Jackson County. Her listing shows the KPA-CTP from the Karen Pryor Academy, and her site shows logos for Fear Free, the APDT and the Shock-Free Coalition.

Her site says her training is rooted in encouragement rather than correction. Clients describe weekly in home visits, early puppy training and socialization, and help with nonstop barking in a shelter dog and a 15 month old boxer. She writes a training plan and management steps for you to follow.

Linda Nichols is a Jacksonville trainer listed as a Certified Instructor with NADOI, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. Her listing does not include a website, so this summary comes from her AnimalTrainerPro profile alone.

If you live around Jacksonville or elsewhere in the Rogue Valley and want an obedience instructor close to home, she is worth a call. Ask whether she runs group classes or private lessons, where they meet, and what level your dog would start at.

Rogue Valley Kennel Club is an AKC member club in Grants Pass that has existed since 1967. The club is a nonprofit that holds dog shows and promotes fair dog legislation.

For owners, the main draw is the annual Canine Good Citizen class and test, which the club runs each year. Weekly conformation handling classes meet on Wednesdays and are listed on the club's site as $5, which helps if you plan to show a purebred dog. The site does not list puppy or obedience classes, so contact the club for times and places before you go.

Sally Wojahn teaches as Auntie Sally and says she has more than 30 years in dog training. Her site shows a CCPDT logo and describes her methods as modern and positive reinforcement based, mixing training with management.

She runs six week classes for puppies and adult dogs, listed on her site as $185 for a six week session, with discounts for senior humans and shelter dogs. Saturday classes meet at Creature Comforts Pet Center in Milwaukie and Sunday classes meet at Trainers to the Rescue near Hillsboro.

Jenn Friedline runs Jenn's Dogs in Forest Grove. Her listing shows private training, group training and behavior consulting, with a focus on aggression and reactivity. She holds the CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA and FDM, and is a member of the Pet Professional Guild. Her website blocked our check, so this summary comes from her listing alone.

She is a good call for a dog who lunges or growls at other dogs. Ask whether she sees dogs at home or at a training space, and how many sessions a case like yours usually takes.

Sit Means Sit Portland is based in Tigard and serves Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties. Head trainer Bobby has worked with dogs in Portland since 2011, and the team page lists a dozen trainers and staff.

The site calls the Immersion Board and Train its most popular program, with transfer lessons for you afterward. Day Train has your dog spend training days with the team. Graduates can join group classes, including a reactive dog class. The company trains with a remote collar it calls the Sit Means Sit Collar, so ask how it is used if that matters to you.

Off Leash K9 Training's Gresham page says the team is based in the Portland area. Trainer Trish spent ten years in the Air Force as a military working dog handler.

The page lists private lessons, behavior consultations, a two week board and train, and service and therapy dog classes. It says the team uses marker training but specializes in electronic collar training, aimed at off leash obedience around distractions. Ask on the first call which trainer would work with you in Gresham and East County.

Casey Newton trains at Wonder Puppy in Northwest Portland, and the listing shows the CPDT-KA. Wonder Puppy describes its classes as reward based clicker training.

New students start with a free orientation, and for dogs over six months a trainer helps pick the right path. Class tracks include Social 1 through 3, Calm and Focus 1 through 3 and Skills 1 through 3, and the school also offers private sessions and playgroups. Older dogs are welcome. For a city puppy who needs to learn to stay calm around people and other dogs, the social and calm tracks fit that need.

Ellaree Cobb owns EC Petcare in Portland, a pet care company that also offers puppy and dog training. Her site calls her a certified dog trainer, and her listing shows an ABC credential and Pet Professional Guild membership. The site says she uses only positive reinforcement and modern force free methods.

Training covers potty training for puppies and manners for adult dogs. EC Petcare serves many Portland neighborhoods, but says it has no providers in Beaverton, Tigard, Gresham, Happy Valley, Clackamas or Vancouver.

Cassi R Shenoa runs PLaY (Pooch, Love and You), a Portland dog training business. Her AnimalTrainerPro listing shows certification through the Victoria Stilwell Academy and membership in the Pet Professional Guild. Her website blocked our automated check, so this summary sticks to what her listing shows.

Because the listing doesn't name specific services, the first call matters more than usual. Ask whether she offers private sessions in your home or group classes, which Portland neighborhoods she covers, and how she would start with your dog.

Wolston Farm is a working sheep farm just outside Scio, where Ian Caldicott trains handlers and their herding dogs. He also runs and manages sheepdog trials and makes shepherd's crooks.

You can book individual herding lessons, attend clinics, send your dog for in house training, or plan a dog and handler vacation on the farm. If you own a Border Collie, Australian Shepherd or another herding breed and want real stock work, this is the one sheepdog program in this guide.