Best Dog Trainers in and Near Richmond, VA

Bark Busters Richmond is the local office of the Bark Busters franchise, which was founded in 1989. Kyle Milwit is the named trainer and behavioral therapist for this area. Its service area lists towns across greater Richmond, including Ashland and Chesterfield.

Training is one on one in your home. The first session typically runs two to three hours, and you get a daily plan for your dog afterward. Puppy training can start as early as eight weeks old. Behavior work covers barking, leash pulling, separation anxiety, reactivity, resource guarding and aggression. The site says it uses no choke chains, no shock collars and no punishment based methods.

The Gold Service comes with the Life of Dog Support Guarantee, which the site says gives ongoing support for your dog's life at no added training fee, and it carries over if you move to another Bark Busters area. Prices aren't posted, so ask on the first call.

Off Leash K9 Training Richmond is part of the Off Leash K9 company founded by Nick White, a former U.S. Marine and Secret Service agent. The site features Austin Meyer as a Richmond trainer and says its trainers come from military, rescue, shelter and veterinary technician backgrounds.

Programs are sold in packages. Obedience comes as four basic lessons or eight basic and advanced lessons. Aggressive dog training and therapy dog training are each eight private lessons, and a two week board and train camp is offered too. Puppy owners can book a consultation or use a self paced online course with 24 modules. Lessons can happen in your home.

The service area lists Richmond, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Bon Air, Midlothian and Chesterfield, among other towns. The puppy program mentions reward based options, but the site doesn't name the tools used in its other programs, so ask on your first call. Prices sit on a separate plans page.

2Thumbs Up RVA is the business of Jackie Laubacher, who holds the CPDT-KSA credential. Our records also show APDT and Pet Professional Guild membership. Her site opens with a promise to help whether you have "an overly zealous puppy" or a dog with harder behaviors.

The service list is broad for a one trainer business. It covers puppy training and basic manners, plus separate programs for dog to dog reactivity and dog to human reactivity. Day training and a Board and Train Immersion program are offered, and so is virtual training. She is the only trainer on this list who names deaf dog training as a service. Our records add separation anxiety and assistance animal training to her specialties.

The site lists Ashland, Chesterfield, Henrico, Goochland, Manakin, Hopewell and Petersburg as service areas. Prices aren't posted. You book a consultation through the contact page first.

Social Sniffers is Kimberly Rubadeau's puppy and adolescent dog business in Richmond and Short Pump. Our records show her as a Fear Free Certified Professional, a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy Puppy Start Right instructor program and a Pet Professional Guild member.

Her site describes "thoughtful, positive support for puppies and adolescent dogs" under the tagline The Playful Path to Confidence. Puppy Development visits happen in your home and focus on early socialization, routines, confidence and real world experience. Stay and Grow is a day program where your puppy spends individual developmental days in her home. One on One Puppy and Adolescent Support helps with everyday problems such as settling, leash skills and greetings.

She doesn't list group classes or board and train, so this is a fit if you want early, one on one help. Prices aren't posted, and the site asks you to get in touch for details.

Zoom Room Richmond is an indoor dog training gym, part of the Zoom Room franchise. Its motto says it trains the people who love their dogs, so you handle your own dog in class. The site says it uses positive reinforcement only.

Classes cover puppy training, obedience, agility, tricks and scent work. For social time there are playgroups and gym time, and private training and private gym time can be booked too. New clients can book a free 30 minute orientation without their dog, or a 30 minute evaluation with their dog that covers getting started on its own.

The location says it serves Richmond, Henrico, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Mechanicsville and Midlothian. Class prices are on a separate prices page, and the site notes a $35 administrative fee on pass refunds. The page doesn't describe a program for reactive dogs, so ask before you book if your dog struggles around other dogs.

The Dog Wizard Glen Allen is a franchise location led by Jeremiah Davis, a DW Academy graduate whom the site lists with two years of experience. It offers in home and mobile programs.

The menu is long. Obedience comes as private lessons, day training, board and train or group classes. Behavior programs cover aggression, separation anxiety, resource guarding and socialization, and there's a program for adopted and rescue dogs. Puppy training and AKC training are offered too. Dogs that finish an obedience program get Lifetime Support, which the site describes as indefinite group class support.

The site calls its approach balanced training and says trainers use tools "from food to collars to remote collars," chosen for the dog and the owner's comfort. Programs are listed on their site as starting at $250, with final pricing after a free evaluation. The site lists 17 communities in its service area, including Ashland, Henrico, Short Pump and Tuckahoe.

The Dog Wizard Richmond lists Chesterfield, Midlothian, Brandermill, Manchester, Moseley and Powhatan in its service area, along with Richmond itself. Steve Bittner is president and trainer, working with trainers Dominique Fleming and Payton Thomas. The site says Payton focuses on behavioral assessments and shy or anxious dogs.

Programs match the Dog Wizard menu. You can choose private lessons, group classes, day training or board and train, and the location offers boarding too. Behavior work covers aggression, resource guarding, separation anxiety and socialization, plus a program for adopted and rescue dogs.

Its trainers use balanced techniques, and the FAQ says they'll help you pick tools up to remote collars that suit you and your dog. Dogs that finish an obedience program get Lifetime Support through group classes. Programs are listed on their site as starting at $250, and the final price comes after a free evaluation.

The Richmond SPCA runs the largest class schedule on this list, and its site says every class is taught with positive reinforcement. Classes meet at Smoky's Training Center or the Track and Training Center.

Puppies start early. Ready Set Pup is a flexible attendance class for puppies up to 20 weeks, and Good Start Puppy 1 takes puppies from 8 to 16 weeks. Canine Manners runs seven weeks for dogs six months and older. Surviving Adolescence is built for dogs 4 to 18 months, and A Hound in the Home is aimed at scent hounds. Specialty classes include Managing a Reactive Dog, Building Canine Confidence and Creating a Calm Dog. Sports cover agility, four rally levels and tricks, though most agility levels weren't open for registration when we checked.

School for Dogs is a drop off day program with individualized sessions focused on manners, socialization and agility. It's listed on their site as $70 per day, booked a month at a time for up to six months. The SPCA also runs a behavior helpline.

Paws Plus Training is a scent sports group that calls itself Central Virginia's only training group with four Certified Nosework Instructors. Our records list the CNWI credential, and the site says the group has served clients and the community for more than 20 years.

The main offerings are nose work classes, tracking and private lessons. Nose work runs in five levels, from an intro class where dogs search boxes for treats or toys to upper levels that prepare teams for NACSW and AKC scent work trials. The site says shy and older dogs can take part, since only one dog searches at a time.

The site says Paws Plus uses only positive training methods and follows the positive training standards of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. It doesn't list puppy or basic obedience classes, so this is a pick for a dog that already knows its manners. Prices and class schedules aren't on the home page.

Dawg Boss is a woman owned and military owned training business in Richmond. The site says its team has more than 10 years of experience training dogs and names anxious and fearful dogs and advanced obedience as areas of focus.

After a first chat, every client gets an in home evaluation to pin down the problem and your end goal. From there you can book solo lessons or group options, or send your dog to board and train for one on one time in a controlled setting. Vacation boarding with a trainer includes light lessons during the stay. Two services are unusual on this list. Dog matchmaking helps a person or family find a dog that fits them, and breeder temperament testing checks breeding adults and puppies.

The site stresses easy daily practice and teaching owners to read dog body language. It doesn't name the tools it uses, so ask on your first call. Prices aren't posted, and the site says clients outside Richmond may be able to meet halfway.

River City Dog Training is a Richmond business run by a trainer named Laura, who works with dogs in Richmond and online. The site's message is about helping dog parents feel more in control, and it says dog training isn't one size fits all.

The main service is private one on one coaching. The site also lists a Homeschool program and follow up packages, and our records describe coaching for both puppies and adult dogs.

New clients fill out an intake form and can book a free 15 minute consultation call. The site doesn't list prices, credentials or training methods, so use that first call to ask about her background and the tools she uses.

Breakthrough K9 Training runs immersive board and train programs on a 20 acre farm in Mechanicsville, led by Lenny and Stephanie. The site says many of the dogs it trains arrive with reactivity or anxiety, and some with aggression.

Dogs stay in a climate controlled kennel with three lighted turf play yards and an indoor room set up like a home living space, and staff are on site from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Training uses operant conditioning with a low trainer to dog ratio, several short sessions a day and structured walks. Obedience covers sit, down, stay, recall and place, plus leash manners and impulse control. Severe aggression is accepted case by case, and the site says it works with special needs dogs that need a structured approach.

Prices are listed on their site as $2,675 for two weeks, $3,075 for three weeks, $3,775 for four weeks and $4,575 for five weeks. Boarding is offered too, and the site says it serves greater Richmond plus clients from Maryland, DC, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Mind of a K9 trains out of a facility in Ashland and serves Richmond, Mechanicsville, Glen Allen, Hanover and Chesterfield. The site's message is to "get into the mind of your dog" and to leave you with a well mannered dog and an informed owner.

You can choose private lessons in your home, group classes or day training while you're at work. Board and train dogs stay in one of the trainers' homes, and the site points out that it isn't a kennel style facility. Structured programs cover puppies, basic obedience and manners, and behavior modification for reactivity and other problems.

Special programs work toward goals such as the AKC Canine Good Citizen test and therapy dog preparation. Electronic collar training is listed as one of those program goals, so ask how and when the trainers use it if you'd rather avoid it. Prices aren't on the site, and you reach the team through its Tell Us About Your Dog page.