Best Dog Trainers in and Near Orlando, FL

Bark Busters Greater Orlando is the local branch of an in home training franchise that started in 1989. The trainer here is John Vermeere, and lessons start in your house, where the site says your dog feels most secure. Later lessons move out to your neighborhood and street, so your dog practices around the distractions it meets every day.

The service area is large. It reaches into three counties, from Sanford and Winter Park up to Deltona and DeLand in Volusia County. The site says the method builds on respect and trust, with no bribes or punishment and no need for a steady stream of treats. Listed problems run from barking and jumping to resource guarding and separation anxiety, and puppy training is offered too. Follow up help comes through the Life of Dog Support Guarantee at no added cost. Prices aren't posted.

Bark Busters Southwest Orlando is run by Brandon Marks and his wife, Charie. The site says Brandon has more than 15 years of experience, and the couple owned Bark Busters Chicago before moving here. Charie joined the business in 2023.

They cover the west and south side of the metro, including Winter Garden and Windermere as well as Kissimmee and Celebration. Lessons are one on one in your home, and the first one usually runs 1.5 to 2 hours. After that, training moves outside around real distractions. The site describes a mix of positive and negative reinforcement delivered through body language and tone of voice, and it says treats aren't required. It states that no electric, prong or other aversive tools are used. Puppies can start at about 8 weeks, and housebreaking is on the list. Under the Life of Dog Support Guarantee, follow up lessons come with no extra training fees, and support can continue remotely if you move.

Bark Busters The Villages and Wildwood is listed in Astatula, at the northwest edge of the Orlando area. A family team runs it: Annette Heathman with her son Casey and daughter Haley. They serve The Villages and Wildwood plus Lake County towns such as Clermont, Mount Dora, Tavares and Leesburg.

Training happens in your home, where the site says your dog feels most secure, and later sessions move into the neighborhood. They work with puppies and older dogs on obedience and problem behavior, from barking and digging to reactivity. The site calls its methods natural and non physical, and it teaches owners to use body language, tone of voice and timing. The page shows an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator badge, and there's a free online behavior quiz to start. Support is covered by the Life of Dog Support Guarantee. No prices are listed.

Sit Means Sit Space Coast is led by owner and lead trainer Brian Pepper. The site says he spent nearly six years with Sit Means Sit Orlando, where he focused on aggressive dogs and behavior modification. He's based in St. Cloud and serves east Orange and east Osceola counties, including Narcoossee and Harmony and the Lake Nona area, plus Brevard County.

Private lessons happen in your home or on site. Day and Train is a mobile service with pickup and drop off, and it ends with a one hour Transfer of Leadership lesson for you. Pack walks give dogs structured time in a group, and puppy classes are mentioned. Listed behavior work includes reactivity, fear and resource guarding. Training uses the Sit Means Sit remote electronic collar. The site describes three phases, with collar use reduced in the second and used only now and then in the maintenance phase. Prices come after a free evaluation, and financing is offered. A board and train program isn't listed.

Sit Means Sit Orlando trains out of Longwood in Seminole County and serves Sanford and Lake Mary as well as Oviedo and Winter Park. Owner and head trainer Matt Smith began training dogs in 2009 and opened the franchise in 2011. Head trainer Emma Maxwell leads the Longwood location, and the staff list names more than a dozen trainers, several of them focused on reactive and aggressive dogs.

Board and train is the program the site calls most popular, and it includes follow up sessions. Day and Train sends your dog home each evening. Private lessons teach you to use the system, and group classes indoors and outdoors follow once you finish private lessons. A Saturday puppy class for dogs under 6 months follows the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy curriculum. Training is built around the Sit Means Sit remote electronic collar. The site says collar use tapers over three phases but notes some dogs still need reinforcement later. Prices come after a free evaluation.

Sit Means Sit Ocoee and Winter Garden shares an owner with the Longwood location. Matt Smith opened the franchise in 2011, and head trainer Jillian Parenti, who joined in 2020, oversees the Ocoee building most days. Deanna Atherton, a private lesson trainer and evaluator, lists a strong interest in reactive and aggressive dogs.

The Ocoee site serves west Orange County, including Winter Garden and Windermere plus Gotha and Horizon West. Board and train includes owner training before your dog comes home and follow up sessions after. Day and Train is offered too. Group classes run several times a week, some indoors and some outdoors, after you complete private lessons. Puppies under 6 months can join the Saturday class, which follows the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy curriculum and covers potty training and lure and marker training. The program uses a remote electronic collar, and pricing comes after a free demonstration.

Elite Professional Dog Training is a training facility in Sanford led by founder Laurent Gabriel, who has trained dogs since 1993. It serves Sanford and Lake Mary as well as Winter Park and Orlando.

Boot Camp is a four to six week obedience program where your dog stays at the Sanford facility. Train and Play pairs daycare with obedience work for dogs that need daily structure. Private lessons let you learn alongside your dog. The site says trust, not dominance, gets a dog to listen, and it advises rewarding each attempt and ending every session on a win. Listed problems include leash pulling and jumping on people, plus separation anxiety and reactivity. The business also offers boarding and grooming. A consultation is listed on their site as $150, and that fee goes toward a package if you book one. Package prices aren't posted, and payment plans are offered through a financing partner. The site doesn't name its training tools, so ask.

Bass Pet Resort in Kissimmee is a boarding resort with its own trainer, Jane, who has trained dogs since 2006 and has taught up to 20 classes a week. She has also worked with animals at a local shelter. The site says she uses only science based, force free positive reinforcement.

Formats listed include private and semi private lessons, board and train, day school and lodge and learn. The two week board and train is listed on their site as $2,138.50, and it should be booked two weeks ahead. Daycare and Train mixes daycare play with training and is listed as $110, so ask what that price covers. It starts with a free evaluation. Basic obedience covers sit, stay, down and come plus loose leash walking, and advanced work includes agility. Listed problems include barking and chewing as well as jumping and leash pulling. Boarding and grooming are on site too.

Pet Paradise Sanford is a pet resort that offers board and train in two lengths. The Good Dog Getaway is a three week everyday obedience program with three weekly owner coaching sessions and two follow up lessons, listed on their site as $2,995. The Best Dog Getaway runs four weeks, adds off leash work and four weekly coaching sessions, and is listed at $3,995.

The resort also handles boarding and grooming. A NewDay Veterinary Care clinic sits on site, and both programs include NewDay vet perks. The page doesn't list group classes or private lessons, so this is a fit if you want your dog trained while it stays with them.

Pet Paradise Winter Garden runs the same two board and train programs as the Sanford resort, and its page says training comes from certified trainers. The three week Good Dog Getaway covers everyday obedience with three owner coaching sessions and two follow up lessons, and it's listed on their site as $2,995. The four week Best Dog Getaway adds off leash training and a fourth coaching session, listed at $3,995.

Besides training, the resort offers overnight boarding and doggie day camp. A bone shaped swimming pool is on the grounds. Veterinary care is on site through NewDay. No group classes or private lessons are listed, so plan on a stay. Ask how the coaching sessions are scheduled so you can work them around your week.

Linden Hollow Sheep Farm in St. Cloud is the only place on this list that teaches herding. The farm has operated since 1998, and its site says its trainers give personalized herding lessons to build your dog's skills on livestock. You can book an instinct test online to see how your dog reacts to sheep before you commit to lessons.

Border collies are the breed the site names. The farm also says it offers AKC and ABCA trials and clinics, but that part of the site is marked under construction, so ask what's on the calendar. Trainers and prices aren't listed. This isn't a place for basic manners, but if you have a herding dog with energy to burn, it's worth a call.

Kris Vallone runs Rowdy Dog Training in Oviedo and holds the CPDT-KA, which requires at least 300 hours of recent training experience and a 200 question exam. Our listing comes from the Pet Professional Guild directory, where Kris is a member.

Services on file are private training and behavior consulting. The listed specialties are separation anxiety and aggression or reactivity, along with assistance animal training, which few trainers near Orlando offer. Kris works with cats as well as dogs. The website blocked our check during this review, so this entry uses our directory data only. On the first call, ask whether sessions happen in your home and how a plan for your dog would run.

Lina McGroarty runs DOG WILLING Positive Training Solutions in Oviedo and is listed as a member of the Pet Professional Guild. Our directory shows private training and group training, plus behavior consulting.

Her listed specialties are separation anxiety and aggression or reactivity. The business website forwards to a Facebook page, so we couldn't confirm class times, prices or where sessions happen. Ask on the first call whether a group class is running and whether private sessions take place at your home.

Lisa Lovell runs Pet Academy LLC in Winter Park and lists more credentials than anyone else on this page. She is an AKC Approved Evaluator for every Canine Good Citizen level and AKC Fit Dog, and an APDT C.L.A.S.S. Evaluator. She holds professional membership in the APDT and the IAABC and belongs to the Pet Professional Guild. Animal Behavior College lists her as a mentor trainer.

Our directory lists private and group training plus behavior consulting. Her specialties include separation anxiety and aggression or reactivity, and she also does assistance animal training. She works with cats too. Her website showed no content when we checked, so this entry uses our directory data only. Ask about class schedules and Canine Good Citizen testing on the first call.