Best Dog Trainers in Tennessee

Wendy's Canine Training calls itself Knoxville's longest standing dog trainer, and its site says the team brings more than 40 years of experience. Group classes meet at a West Knoxville building, and private lessons happen in your home. Classes start with AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy for pups from about 10 weeks, then move into beginner and intermediate obedience. There's also a Canine Good Citizen course and a short trick class. Trainer Cheryl Massey teaches therapy dog skills. Six week puppy and obedience classes are listed on their site at $245.

Appalachian K9 Training Center sits on Old Maynardville Pike in north Knoxville. Sandy Pope's bio says she has trained dogs since 1995 and has competed in several dog sports. A weekly Tuesday evening group class is open to all breeds and skill levels, listed on their site as $20 a class. Private lessons cover potty training and biting, along with general obedience. There's also a two week board and train that includes boarding. Group class dogs need current rabies and kennel cough shots.

Knoxville K9 Academy opened in 2024 and is run by owner and head trainer Tommy Blackburn. Every program is private and one to one, and you train alongside your dog. The two obedience programs meet for an hour once a week, and the puppy school meets for 30 minutes. Once a month the academy holds a weekend boot camp for reactive and anxious dogs. The site calls its method balanced training, mixing positive reinforcement with corrections chosen for each dog. New clients can book a free consultation.

Balanced Paws K9 Training works from Kingston Pike on the Farragut side of Knoxville. Founder Lincoln DeSouza lists the CCTBS credential. Group classes meet on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, and private training is booked on call. The service list also includes rescue dog rehabilitation and electronic collar training, plus a boot camp and AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluations. The site describes the approach as calm but assertive. It says a trainer will come to your home when phone help isn't enough.

Our database places The Dog Coach in the Chattanooga area, and its site says the specialty is dogs with behavior challenges. You can choose private coaching packages or group classes that work on house manners in real world situations. The site says it uses science based positive reinforcement and promises never to cause a dog physical or psychological pain. The business also offers gentle nail trims using Fear Free handling, which helps if your dog fights the clippers. The site doesn't list a board and train program.

Pack Academy serves Chattanooga and nearby towns, with trainers Jeannine Wilman and Diana Suarez named on the site. Private lessons happen in your home, and the service list covers puppy obedience and housebreaking, plus help for rescue and shelter dogs. Behavior work covers leash reactivity and aggression, and the site also lists barking and destructive chewing. The method page describes operant conditioning with staged setups to find what sets a dog off. A board and train program adds follow up home sessions and video progress updates.

Anvil K9 Dog Training is a veteran owned business on Ringgold Road in Chattanooga. Owner and head trainer Jake Mumford is NePoPo Gold Certified and an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator. The core offer is board and train: three weeks for adult dogs and six weeks for puppies or harder cases. The puppy version covers crate and potty training plus obedience foundations. Training moves out into parks and stores so the work holds up in public. Lifetime support is included, and the site doesn't list group classes.

K9 Ambitions is a home based training business in Chattanooga that also serves Hixson, Ooltewah, Soddy Daisy and Cleveland. Board and train stays run up to five weeks, and a weekday version sends your dog home on weekends. If you'd rather handle your own dog, weekly private lessons happen at your house. Puppies can start at about 10 weeks. The site describes balanced training that mixes rewards with clear corrections, and it uses electronic collars for off leash work. Graduates keep access to group classes.

Clarksville Kennel Club is the Clarksville pick in this guide. Our database lists a full ladder of classes, starting with AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy and basic obedience with Canine Good Citizen prep. From there it lists advanced and urban CGC classes, rally, competition obedience and conformation. The club's website blocked our check this run, so we couldn't confirm current class dates or whether you need to join first. Ask about the next class start date and any membership rules when you call.

Murfreesboro Obedience Training Club is an AKC approved obedience club with a training building on Sarah Court in Murfreesboro. Its class list is one of the widest in this guide. Pet classes cover puppies and basic manners, plus Canine Good Citizen with tricks. Sport classes include competition obedience, three levels of agility, rally from novice to master and four levels of scentwork. An animal therapy class prepares teams for volunteer visits. The site doesn't say whether you need to be a member, so ask when you register.

Dog Just Visited is based in Gray, between Johnson City and Kingsport. Our database lists in home training, basic obedience, off leash training and behavior modification, all delivered as private sessions. That makes it the one trainer on this list for the Tri Cities area who comes to your house. The website blocked our check this run, so we can't tell you which methods or tools the trainer uses or what a program costs. Ask about methods and session length on the first call.

All Creatures Country Club in Greeneville has served Greene County and Upper East Tennessee since 1997. Kat Rollins describes herself as a positive dog trainer with more than 30 years of experience, and our database lists her as a Pet Professional Guild member. Group classes meet at the training center on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. Private training and board and train are offered too, along with an AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy class. A big part of the work is service dog training for veterans, including mobility and PTSD support.

Doggy Dojo in Bulls Gap is run by Maribel Torres, who holds the CCDT credential. The site shows an Animal Behavior College service dog trainer badge and a Canine Good Citizen evaluator logo. Training is described as humane and positive, and each plan starts with a behavior assessment. Services cover reactivity and puppy training along with basic through advanced obedience. You can book private lessons or board and train. The site says the team works with dogs that have disabilities.

ThunderHawk Canine opened in 2006 and serves Cookeville and the Upper Cumberland. Group classes are split into obedience and manners modules and a separate set of sport classes. Day training at the academy and private sessions are available, and in board training works on your dog during a stay. The staff includes onsite AKC evaluators for puppy and Canine Good Citizen titles, and every staff member is certified in canine first aid and CPR. The site also shows the International Association of Canine Professionals logo.

Take Flight Dog Training is a Cookeville business that also serves Sparta, Crossville, Livingston, Algood and Lebanon. Alongside puppy training, it coaches owners in advanced dog sports, and the site says its sport team has titled dogs at the highest levels. Trainers are certified through or compete in national organizations, though the site doesn't name which ones. Every team member holds canine first aid and CPR credentials. The site doesn't spell out class formats, so ask whether your dog would train in a group or privately.

Wag It Better Dog Training is listed in Bell Buckle in our database, but its site shows two training locations, one in Murfreesboro and one in Nolensville. Founder Heather Moore holds the CPDT-KA credential and has 18 years of training experience. Three more trainers on the team also hold that credential, and one of them, Brooke Barnett, is also Fear Free certified. The team uses positive methods. Group classes run in person and online, and private training includes a program called Latchkey Lassie. Boarding with training is offered while you're away.

Talk to the Paw is Kathi O'Malley's private, in home training and behavior consulting service. The site lists Brentwood, Franklin, Spring Hill and Columbia as its service area, so it fits Williamson and Maury County owners. Work starts with manners such as leash pulling and jumping. It goes on to behavior plans for biting and leash reactivity, and to fear work for noise sensitivity and separation anxiety. The site describes evidence based, scientific methods. Our database lists her as an ACDBC through the IAABC.

Marilyn Mele is listed in Seymour, near Sevierville, and our database shows group training and behavior consulting for aggression and reactivity. Her website now centers on online coaching for reactive and traumatized dogs, through programs such as Reactive to Regulated. The site describes an emotion focused, trauma informed approach that puts less weight on commands and drills. It states more than 40 years of working with people and dogs. In person classes aren't listed on the site, so ask if you want face to face sessions.

Wag an' Train has served dog owners around Dandridge since 2008. Heinz Lauer works one to one in your home, where the problem behavior actually happens. Each course is five one hour private sessions, listed on their site as $475, with clicker and therapy courses among the options. He uses positive reinforcement and has trained for Pets for Vets since 2015. Board and train is offered too, and the related Dog BnB, a small home facility near Interstate 40, handles boarding and daycare for up to three dogs at a time.

MLK9 lists its address in Maryville and says it has trained dogs professionally since 2011. Programs include board and train and puppy training, plus behavior modification for aggression, reactivity, fear and anxiety. With day training, your dog works with a trainer in scheduled sessions, and group classes work on calm behavior around distractions. The site says MLK9 also operates in other states and that pricing and program details vary by location, so confirm what the Knoxville area team offers. No credentials are listed on the site.

Paws & Applause in Maryville serves Blount County along with Alcoa, Knoxville, Seymour and Townsend. Head trainer David Van Fleet is a NePoPo graduate and an IACP professional member, and he evaluates for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. The site describes NePoPo as pairing corrections with rewards. Board and train runs two to six weeks with weekly photo and video updates, and an eight week option is kept for extreme behavior cases. Aggressive and reactive dogs start with a paid one hour evaluation.

The Canine Clubhaus is based in Powell, north of Knoxville, and trains at its own facility as well as in your home or a Knoxville park. Packages mix those settings, and two of them include the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. The puppy package for pups 10 weeks to 5 months includes the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test. The site says training uses positive reinforcement only, with clicker work and verbal cues, and no shock collars. Packages are listed on their site from $199 to $899.

K9 Services Unlimited is based in Loudon and serves Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Farragut, Maryville, Sevierville and Morristown. Founder Justin Rigney spent 10 years as a police K9 handler and trainer and holds a NePoPo Gold Training System diploma. Board and train dogs live in the trainer's home instead of a kennel. Programs include four and six week board and train, plus an eight week behavior modification program that follows an evaluation. He also trains working, service, sport and police dogs. Consultations are free.

Rocky Top K9 Dog Training works from Indian Warpath Road in Sevierville. The site cites more than 30 years of dog training experience and over nine years serving the local area, and it names four trainers. Services include private lessons and board and train. The site also lists a day camp and AKC programs. Rather than one fixed method, the trainers work with you to choose a method and program for your dog, then coach you to keep the training going yourself. Free consultations and evaluations are offered.

Joyful Dog Training is in Dickson, just off Highway 46, with 3,000 square feet of indoor training space and an acre and a half of fenced outdoor space. Owner and head trainer Miranda Williams is a second generation trainer. Private sessions cover puppy foundations and each dog's own goals. Board and train programs add daily structure and handler transfer sessions, including advanced work for dogs headed toward public access and task training. The site describes a science based, relationship first approach. Group classes aren't listed.

Agoge K9 trains on a 20 acre property in Hartsville, about 50 minutes east of Nashville, and dogs live on site during programs. Founder Brian Ferguson lists 22 years of behavior work. The site shows IACP membership and NePoPo Silver and Gold, and our database adds electronic collar certification. The main program is a flat rate foundation board and train, and a cohort program adds monthly camps over four months. Puppies start at 8 weeks. Working breeds like German Shepherds and Malinois are a stated specialty.

Mill Creek Kennels in Lavinia is one of the few West Tennessee trainers in this guide outside Memphis. Our database lists pet obedience from basic to advanced, retriever and gun dog training and Canine Good Citizen testing. The website shows retriever and gun dog training along with pet owner obedience, and it runs a boarding kennel with set drop off and pick up windows. The site doesn't describe training methods or credentials, so ask how a program runs and how long your dog would stay.

Nashville Dog Training Club calls itself Nashville's only AKC licensed dog training club. It trains from a building on Allied Drive in south Nashville, open Monday through Thursday. Classes run from puppy socialization up to competition level obedience, and our database also lists rally and agility. A club suits you if you want weekly classes around other dogs or plan to earn titles later. The site has separate class and membership pages, so check whether membership is needed for your class.

Taming the Wild is a Memphis dog boarding and training business, and its site says it also serves Tupelo and North Mississippi. Training options include one to one private training and a board and train program, plus obedience classes and sport classes. The site calls its training science based but doesn't name specific methods or list credentials. It doesn't post program lengths either, so ask how many weeks a board and train runs and what follow up you get afterward.

Kindred Spirits Dog Training in Wartrace was founded in 2001 by owner and operator Jennie Jones. It offers two kinds of training. The first is private lessons. The second is a kennel based boarding and training program for owners who want the groundwork done while the dog stays. The site says every dog follows a set training outline so handling stays consistent, with the aim of a well rounded foundation in basic training. Group classes aren't mentioned, and no credentials are listed on the site.