Best Dog Trainers in and Near Spokane, WA

Amy Barker owns Prairie Dog Pet Mercantile, a Spokane pet supply store with shops in Kendall Yards and on the South Hill. She holds the CPDT-KA credential and is a member of the Pet Professional Guild. The store's training page says she offers private consults and lessons plus day training packages. She'll meet you in your home or at the South Hill store, and she also sees clients at partner Diamonds in the Ruff.

The page lists help for puppies and teenage dogs, and for dogs that are reactive or worried. Her style focuses on play and exercise along with training, and the page says she also draws on what she knows about health and nutrition. For group work, the store sends you to Diamonds in the Ruff. Its beginning classes are split by your dog's age, and the intermediate Prep class brings in clicker training. Some of those classes meet at the South Hill shop. Prices aren't on the page, so ask when you call.

Canine Community Center is run by owner and head trainer Shayla LaMonica, who says she has more than 13 years of experience. Her board and train keeps your dog in her home outside Spokane for 2, 4 or 6 weeks of daily work. The 2 week stay covers obedience and manners, and the site says the longer stays suit reactive, fearful or aggressive dogs.

If you'd rather keep your dog home, she teaches one to one lessons at your house or out in public. Group classes stay small, about 8 to 10 dogs, and practice around real distractions. Clients who do board and train or private lessons get lifetime group class access. The menu also covers puppies, potty and crate training, separation anxiety and therapy dog prep, and she offers overnight boarding in her home. She describes her approach as balanced, mixing praise with structure. Every program starts with a free in person consultation and a quote. Her service area reaches Cheney, Liberty Lake, Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene.

Courtney's Canine College is Courtney Sims's training business in Cheney, southwest of Spokane. Courtney is the owner and head trainer. Her site says she spent 10 years as a Licensed Veterinary Technician in emergency medicine, then about four years as a professional dog trainer. Services are board and train, homeschool lessons, group classes and boarding, and she offers online lessons and board and train for clients who live farther out.

The site says she works with dogs of every age, from puppies to older dogs, including dogs that are deaf or blind and dogs with medical challenges. It also names reactive, anxious, fearful and aggressive dogs, along with on and off leash obedience. She calls her method a common sense approach that uses all four quadrants of operant conditioning and leans on structure and consistency, so ask what that looks like for your dog. Prices aren't posted, and the first step is a free consultation by phone or in person. She lists Cheney and Medical Lake in her service area along with Spokane.

Lilac City Dog Training Club is a non profit, volunteer run Spokane club affiliated with the UKC. Its class list starts with puppy classes and family pet obedience and moves on to competition obedience and rally. You'll also find agility, nosework, conformation and a CGC class, plus classes for members only. Our listing shows classes run in eight week sessions.

The club says its mission is to help owners turn a rambunctious puppy or an older dog into a well behaved family member, and to help those who want it reach the highest level of competition. Many classes prepare you for AKC and UKC shows and trials, and the club notes that some members are AKC judges. It describes its methods as praise positive and dog friendly. The site doesn't list prices, so check the schedule and registration pages when a new session opens.

Lisa Domonkos-Slama trains dogs in Spokane under the name K9 Coaches and is a member of the Pet Professional Guild. Her website didn't show any readable text to our review tools, so this card comes from our listing data. That listing shows private training and behavior consulting. Her listed specialties are separation anxiety, aggression and reactivity, and assistance animal training.

She's one of two trainers on this page who name separation anxiety, and one of two who list assistance or service dog work. If your dog panics when you leave or reacts on leash, she's worth a call. Ask how she structures a behavior consult, whether she works in your home or remotely, and which methods she uses. The Pet Professional Guild is a membership group, so ask about any certification she holds too.

Nine Realms Canine Training in Medical Lake is run by Karin Wagemann, who lists ASCTI Master Trainer and Master Instructor certifications. Her site also lists a master's degree in canine behavioral science and a bachelor's in anthrozoology from Carroll College. She's an AKC evaluator and says she has more than eleven years of training dogs for police and service work.

For pet owners, the menu covers private lessons, group classes, board and train and a shadow program. Basic obedience, dog reactivity and behavior problem solving are all listed. The working dog side is where she stands apart on this page. She trains service dogs, runs police K9 handler schools and sells police dogs, and lists tracking, detection and personal protection. The site also mentions anti poaching dog work in Tanzania. Nine Realms breeds working line German Shepherds too. The site calls its approach balanced and science based but doesn't name tools, so ask before you sign up.

Northern Tails Dog Training is Lisa Lucas's business in Clayton, north of Spokane. Her site says she has more than 25 years of experience and is a professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. She teaches public group classes in Spokane and Clayton, and holds classes and workshops around Spokane and Stevens counties.

For tougher behavior problems, she offers private training in your home. She also runs a boarding school for young dogs, where the training happens at her own home. Lisa uses positive reinforcement and writes that forceful methods aren't needed when a dog has a solid foundation. The reward changes with the dog, from food to praise or play. Her site also offers animal communication sessions over Zoom, which are separate from training. Prices aren't posted, so ask about class costs and boarding school length when you reach out.

Off Leash K9 Training of Spokane is a franchise location led by owners Danna and Trey Campo, whose shared bio lists an AKC Evaluator credential. Our listing places it in Newman Lake, and the site says it serves Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and towns as far out as Sandpoint and Pullman.

The site lists a 4 week board and train for on and off leash obedience, and a 2 week Training Camp for advanced off leash work and behavior modification. Behavior consultations and private lessons are offered, including sessions in your home. There's an online puppy course with 24 video modules, and a therapy dog track of eight private lessons aimed at Pet Partners certification. The FAQ says its trainers use electronic collars as part of a balanced approach that also includes marker training and positive reinforcement. Prices sit on a separate plans page, and a free phone consultation is the first step.

Pawsitive Connection Dog Training is a Spokane training center that pairs classes with daycare and hydrotherapy. Its group classes are Puppy Prep, Reactive Rover and Obedience. A group class built for reactive dogs is unusual, and it's the only one we found among these 11 trainers. If you can't make it in, the site offers at home lessons you can watch and rewatch on your own time.

Daycare runs in small groups of up to 15 dogs, with indoor and outdoor play, nose work and nap time. The center also has a warm water pool for hydrotherapy with hands on bodywork. The site says its training uses positive reinforcement and describes it as gentle. It doesn't list trainer names, credentials or prices, so ask who teaches the class you want and what it costs.

Spokane Dog Training Club says it has taught classes for more than 50 years and calls itself the only AKC sanctioned dog training club in the greater Spokane area. Pet classes start with Star Puppy, set up for puppies a few months old, then move through Beginning Home Companion and Advanced Home Companion. From there you can go on to obedience, rally, agility and AKC Scentwork. Tracking is listed, and conformation may run in some sessions.

Most classes meet once a week for about an hour over an 8 week session, and spots are limited. Many advanced classes ask that your dog has finished Advanced Home Companion and passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Classes are listed on their site as $65 per dog per session, sales tax included, and $45 for the first class if your dog came from a city or county shelter in the past six months. Every dog needs proof of vaccinations to enter the building.

West Plains Canine School is Barbara Gordon's training business in Spokane, and her site says she owns and runs it on her own. The school has operated since 1993, and she lists about 30 years in competitive obedience. Her own titled dogs include two Golden Retriever Obedience Trial Champions.

She teaches private obedience lessons for family dogs, from new puppies to owners who need help with a specific problem. She also coaches competitive obedience and rally at all levels, one to one and step by step. The site calls her approach balanced, built on clear rules and consistent consequences. Prices aren't posted, and you book by phone or email. If you want a group setting for sports, Spokane Dog Training Club and Lilac City also teach rally, so you can compare a private coach with a club class.