Best Dog Trainers in and Near Rochester, NY

Monroe County lets dogs run off leash at four dog parks, in Ellison Park, Greece Canal Park, Henrietta and Sweden, but a puppy has to be six months old to get in. This guide covers 8 dog trainers in Rochester and the towns within about 25 miles, from Webster and Walworth to Fairport and Henrietta. Live Google Maps ratings set the order, and Yelp ratings show beside each name. We reviewed every listing on November 7, 2026.

How we picked these 8 dog trainers

We started with 12 Rochester area listings drawn from public professional directories, federal licensing records and the trainers' own websites. Then we opened each website to confirm the business trains dogs for the public. Four listings didn't make the cut. The County of Monroe entry is a USDA exhibitor license with no training service, and K9 Resorts Penfield lists boarding and daycare. Gillian Fralick in Fairport and Katie Zenkert in Adams Basin have no website in our records, and our listing data alone wasn't enough to describe what they teach. We did keep Central Bark Henrietta, a daycare whose own site describes training classes for puppies and adult dogs.

Two trainers on this list, Elissa Orlando and Lisa Skavienski, work at the same business, Dog Educated in East Rochester. We gave each one a card because each has her own credentials and focus.

The best dog trainers in Rochester, ranked

Each card opens the trainer's AnimalTrainerPro profile, and the live ratings decide its spot.

Compare Rochester dog trainers side by side

Use the table to sort out towns and training formats before you call anyone.

What dog training in Rochester looks like

Puppy help is the easiest thing to find here. All 8 trainers list puppy training of some kind. Dog Educated runs Puppy Kindergarten for pups 8 to 16 weeks old, and Good Dog Training NY in Webster has its own Puppy Kindergarten plus a longer puppy and teenage program. Rochester Canine Academy's Start Smart program is for puppies under 13 weeks, and Central Bark Henrietta hosts a free puppy hour for pups 8 to 24 weeks.

Private lessons are just as common. Seven of the 8 trainers list private lessons, and Central Bark mentions individualized sessions. Five will come to your home: Companion Dog Obedience, both Dog Educated trainers, Good Dog Training NY and Off Leash K9. Rochester Canine Academy teaches every lesson by appointment, and its site doesn't say whether it travels. Group classes are thinner, with 5 of the 8 listings offering them, and two of those five are the Dog Educated trainers, who share one class schedule.

If you want your dog to stay with a trainer for a while, two businesses spell it out. K9 Obedience Academy says most dogs finish its board and train in 2 to 4 weeks. Off Leash K9 lists a 2 week program and a 3 week advanced one. Dog Educated offers day training, where the trainer works with your dog while you're at work, and Central Bark can add training to a daycare day.

For aggression and reactivity, four trainers list specific help: the two Dog Educated trainers, K9 Obedience Academy and Off Leash K9. Lisa Skavienski is the only trainer here with a separation anxiety certification. Glenna Godown at Companion Dog Obedience lists behavior problems as her specialty.

Dog sports are rare. Companion Dog Obedience in Walworth is the only listing with rally and agility, and it also teaches conformation handling. It runs CGC and Therapy Dog International prep too, and Off Leash K9 lists therapy dog preparation. Off Leash K9 also lists a service dog page, but the pages we read gave no details about it.

Methods differ a lot across this list, so read each card. Central Bark describes force free, positive reinforcement training, and Good Dog Training NY calls its approach reward based. Dog Educated calls its training evidence based and humane. K9 Obedience Academy describes balanced, reward based training. Off Leash K9 includes an electronic collar in its obedience, board and train and in home packages.

How to choose a dog trainer in Rochester

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends reward based methods for all dog training, behavior problems included. Its 2021 position statement lists choke chains, prong collars and shock collars as tools to avoid. It also tells owners to steer clear of trainers who talk about "dominance" or being the "alpha." With methods on this list running from force free classes to electronic collar programs, ask each trainer what tools they'll use and why.

Credentials vary here too. A CPDT-KA trainer has logged at least 300 hours of training in the past three years and passed a 200 question exam, and has to recertify every three years. None of the 8 shows a CCPDT credential in our listing data or on the pages we read. Elissa Orlando and Lisa Skavienski both hold the CTC from the Academy for Dog Trainers, and Rochester Canine Academy shows an IACP certification logo. Nathan Childs at Good Dog Training NY lists a Certified Dog Obedience Trainer title without naming who issued it, so ask him.

On the first call, ask who will work with your dog and how much practice you'll do at home. Companion Dog Obedience hands out weekly practice sheets, and both board and train programs end with a session that teaches you what your dog learned. AVSAB also says a trainer who can't resolve a behavior should refer you to a veterinarian or a board certified veterinary behaviorist. A good trainer will tell you when your dog needs that kind of help.

Dog rules in Rochester worth knowing

Every dog four months and older that lives in the City of Rochester needs a license from the City Clerk's Office at City Hall. You'll need a current rabies certificate, plus proof of spay or neuter if it applies. The fee is $10 for a spayed or neutered dog and $30 for one that isn't. A purebred costs $35. Service and guide dogs are licensed free.

New York State law sets the rabies schedule. Outside New York City, your dog's first rabies shot is due no later than four months after birth, and the second within one year of the first. Boosters follow every year or every three years, depending on the vaccine. Counties outside New York City have to hold free rabies clinics, and an unvaccinated dog can cost you up to $200 per offense.

Rochester's city code says every dog must be on a leash when it's off your property. If the leash reaches onto public property, or onto a neighbor's land without their consent, the dog counts as unleashed. A first leash violation carries a $100 fine, rising to $250 and then $500 for repeat offenses.

Monroe County's four dog parks are open all year from 7am to dusk. Each dog needs a county permit, which costs $24 per dog ($25 by card) and expires December 31. To register, bring your town dog license and a rabies certificate. Food isn't allowed inside, and the county also bans choke, prong and spiked collars there. The county's posted dog park rules handout says professional trainers may not use the off leash areas for business, so plan any paid lessons somewhere else.

Gear for Rochester lessons and Ellison Park visits

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Ask your trainer what to bring before you buy anything, because Companion Dog Obedience asks for a flat collar and a 6 foot lightweight lead, while Dog Educated teaches a Clicks for Tricks class. Remember that treats stay out of the county dog parks, so save reward practice for class or your yard.

• Treat pouch keeps rewards on your belt during a group class.
• Clicker marks the moment your dog gets a trick right.
• Long line lets you practice recall at a distance in a fenced yard.
• Poop bag holder clips to your leash for park visits.

Open two or three profiles that match what your dog needs. A new puppy in Webster and a reactive adult dog in Brighton will likely need different programs. Read how each trainer runs sessions and which tools they use, then book a first call with each one. Ask about homework and the handoff, and you'll soon know which trainer fits you and your dog.