Best Dog Trainers in Utah

Be The Boss Dog Training works out of Eagle Mountain and serves Utah County. Its site promotes free group training sessions where your dog meets other dogs and the trainers, and it sells packages plus online options you can follow at home. The site describes its methods as positive reinforcement and takes dogs of all ages and sizes, puppies included. No trainer names or credentials are posted, so ask who will teach your sessions and what each package covers before you sign up.

Canine by Design in Lehi offers private coaching in your own environment and board and train stays, and the site promises weekly photo and video updates during its programs. Programs run from puppy training and behavior modification to service dogs, family protection dogs and sport dogs for IGP and Schutzhund. The site cites more than 20 years of experience and lists NePoPo Silver and Gold, IGP trial helper certification and IACP membership. It serves Lehi, Alpine, Draper and the rest of Utah County, starting with a free phone assessment.

Sean Knudsen owns The Dog Training Institute in Payson, and his site calls him an active duty Army instructor. The business centers on board and train, with dogs living in a trainer's home two at a time instead of a group kennel. Off leash board and train is for dogs over 6 months, and a puppy program takes younger dogs. Public access service dog training is offered too. The site calls its methods motivation based with positive reinforcement at the core, inside a balanced approach.

Tyce Erickson runs Utah Bird Dog Training in Payson and cites nearly 20 years training bird dogs. Retrievers take a foundation program of about four months on marks and blind retrieves over land and water. Pointing breeds train on whoa and birds in real cover. Family dogs can do an eight week obedience board and train, and shed hunters can learn to find antlers. A spot needs a deposit listed on their site as $100, and boarding is listed at $25 a day.

Kirsty Wyckoff teaches at Koda's Classroom in Provo, where private training covers obedience, reactivity and behavior modification along with task work for service dogs in training. Group classes and AKC evaluator testing are offered too. Her site describes positive reinforcement and states that no physical pain is used in any training. Wyckoff lists study in zoology and animal science, plus coursework through Recallers and Obsidian Academy, and cites more than 15 years of training and education. First consultations are free and last 30 minutes.

Ruff Pup trains dogs at Provo Towne Centre, so lessons happen around real shoppers. Its drop off programs include Day School for manners like jumping and leash pulling, and Day Camp for fear and reactivity. Board and train and group classes are offered too. The business lists Animal Behavior College certification and IACP professional membership, and its trainers evaluate for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. A 50% deposit starts a program, and payment plans are available in house. The site cites more than 18 years of combined trainer experience.

Bethany founded Wasatch Canine Camp in Orem in fall 2007 after earning certification from trainer Heather Beck, and the camp lists professional membership with the International Association of Canine Professionals. Its menu includes private consultations, board and train for adult dogs and puppies, day camp, group classes and a program it calls E Touch Training. The site says it combines food and motivation with tools and positive reinforcement. It takes puppies and dogs with mild to severe aggression or nerves.

Bakers Acres K9 Academy in Springville built its business around training in your home. The first visit is an introductory lesson and behavior evaluation, followed by a training plan. Private lessons are listed, and a premium board and train is offered for select dogs. Common topics include puppy biting, crate and potty training, leash pulling and dogs that clash with kids or other pets. The academy lists IACP membership and an affiliation with the Canine Human Relationship Institute. It covers Utah County from Lehi to Santaquin.

Rocky Mountain K9 runs five Utah sites: American Fork, Grantsville, Heber City, Park City and Washington Terrace near Ogden. Training comes through residential programs, and its Premier Training Retreat adds daily sessions and a trainer progress report to an overnight stay. That retreat is listed on their site as starting at $200 a night, and training programs are listed from $2,000 to $6,000. Focus areas include obedience, leash manners, behavior modification and anxiety or aggression. Boarding and daycare are its other main services.

Bold K9 Solutions trains dogs across Cache Valley from its Logan base under the slogan big, mean or small. Owners can book group lessons or private sessions in their own home, and a board and train program handles focused behavior work. Service types include puppy training, aggression, separation anxiety, scent work and therapy or emotional support dog prep. The site describes positive reinforcement with custom plans and real life exposure. Its Pup Bus daycare picks dogs up around the valley.

Valley K9 Training Co. works out of Hyde Park and serves Logan, North Logan, Smithfield and the rest of Cache Valley. Group classes meet Wednesdays at 7 PM and Saturdays at 11 AM. Private sessions are available, a drop off day train has your dog training twice a week, and board and train includes daily sessions. Owner Brock earned a PDC from the Protection Sport Association, and the company trains protection and sport dogs with what it calls balanced obedience methods.

Travis Clark owns Sit Means Sit Northern Utah in Smithfield and says he has been with the company for more than 20 years. Board and train is offered, along with day training that ends with a handoff lesson at pickup. Private sessions happen at your home or at parks and shopping centers, and weekly group classes are open only to existing clients. The system is built around the company's own remote electronic collar. Service covers Cache and Box Elder counties, from Logan to Brigham City.

Harrisville Working Dogs trains family dogs and police K9s at its facility in Harrisville, just north of Ogden. Owners can join group obedience or socialization classes or book hour long private lessons. Behavior modification covers aggression and fearfulness. Working dog programs include personal protection and tracking, and the company trains police K9 handlers for departments in Riverdale, Lehi, Provo and Ogden City. Board and train is offered, and the site sells electronic collars made by Dogtra. JD is the owner and head trainer.

K9 Fluent Professional Dog Training runs a facility in Sunset and draws clients from Weber, Davis, Cache, Morgan and Box Elder counties. Puppies about 8 to 16 weeks old start with foundation work. Older dogs can take private lessons or a boot camp, and group classes give graduates of those programs a place to practice. The class list includes AKC Tricks, Canine Good Citizen, AKC Rally, agility, Barkour and conformation. The site calls its methods science based and balanced and requires an evaluation before any dog enrolls.

Golden Spike Dog Obedience Club is a volunteer run club whose classes meet inside the Versa Dog Sports building in Layton. It holds four eight week sessions a year, with classes in obedience, puppy STAR, Canine Good Citizen, agility and rally. Club members get an early registration window, and public registration opens a couple of days later, so check the site before each session starts. Experienced volunteer instructors teach the classes, and the club welcomes owners from across northern Utah. It also hosts agility trials.

Versa Dog Sports is a Layton training center built around dog sports. Agility runs from Foundation through Beginning and Intermediate to Advanced, with competition level handling as the goal. Its Obedience PLUS Manners class for puppies and adults works on jumping, counter surfing, door dashing and crate training. Graduates can move into Rally, Canine Good Citizen and nose work. Playschool sessions run indoors and outdoors year round and include two private lessons per session. New classes post every two to three weeks.

Jason Robbins and his wife Lorelei founded Cornerstone Dog Training, which holds private in person sessions in Kaysville and Saratoga Springs. Board and train runs three weeks for dogs over 5 months and two weeks for younger puppies. Online courses cover crate and potty training and puppies 8 to 22 weeks old, and an eight week online program called Chaos to Calm targets hyperactivity and anxiety. Graduates of in person training get lifetime group classes. Robbins also hosts the Puppy Training Principles podcast.

David Utter runs Dog Evolution from Park City and describes himself as a dog behaviorist with 37 years of experience. He teaches private lessons in your home and off leash obedience, runs puppy classes and takes clients as far as Provo and Ogden. His site describes a mix of play, body language, voice and structure, with about 70% praise and 30% correction. Problems he lists run from chewing to leash aggression. He lists IACP and International Working Dog Association membership.

Lobato Dog Training is Michael Lobato's business in Washington, next door to St. George. Our directory listing shows group classes and private training in your home, along with board and train for owners who want the dog to stay with the trainer. Puppy training and aggression management are also on the listing. His website gives few details, so ask how classes are scheduled and where board and train dogs stay. A Washington base keeps him close to St. George and Santa Clara.

Off Leash K9 Training of Southern Utah sells packages of private lessons for household dogs. Basic Obedience is four lessons on commands such as sit, heel, down and place, and it includes a leash and an electronic collar. The eight lesson package adds advanced commands and distraction work. Other options include a two week board and train, a puppy consultation, a therapy dog program and an eight lesson package for aggressive and reactive dogs. Listed service towns include Parowan, Enoch, Toquerville and Springdale.

Sit Means Sit Southern Utah, listed under Mike Martenies in our directory, serves Washington County from St. George and reaches Cedar City and towns out to Panguitch. Its Day Train program keeps your dog with trainers for four to six hours and ends with a private lesson at pickup, and Day Train graduates are enrolled in group classes for life. A private lesson package includes three one hour lessons and lifetime access to group classes. Training uses the franchise's own remote electronic collar, and pricing comes after a free consultation.

Zion Canyon Canine is in Hurricane, about 30 minutes from Zion National Park by its own description. Its training menu lists private lessons, a Puppy Program and Play 'n Train. The business says it has more than 40 years of working with dogs, including behavior work. Beyond training, it runs overnight lodging, DayCamp, grooming and a dog pool you can rent. The site posts no trainer names or prices, so ask who teaches the Puppy Program and what a Play 'n Train day includes.

WOOF Wellness Center and Training Academy in Santa Clara calls itself an all positive training center. Its academy offers obedience training and puppy classes in group and private formats, and it also lists drop in classes. A snake awareness class covers rattlesnake avoidance, and our listing notes classes in Santa Clara and Kanab under Jay Smith. The center also offers a hydrotherapy treadmill, cold laser therapy and conditioning, plus self wash and grooming. Check the class calendar on its site for dates.

Lynne Bell runs Blazing Trails K9 Academy in Duchesne and has trained dogs since 1985, according to her site. She serves Vernal and Roosevelt in person and teaches virtual private lessons for owners anywhere. Group classes take field trips to places like a corn maze and a feed store so dogs practice around distractions. She also coaches owners of reactive and aggressive dogs. She lists IACP dog trainer certification, and our records show her as a NADOI Certified Instructor. A free phone consult comes first.

Roxanne Lee is a NADOI Certified Instructor based in Central Valley. Her site, Dog Obedience 1st, lists obedience training for loose leash walking and recall, plus Foundation Field Work, which uses field drills to exercise dogs of any breed. A continuing education group class meets in a different location each week. A titling course covers obedience and rally titles up through UDX. The online Mannerly Puppy Course for puppies 7 to 20 weeks old is listed on their site as $250.

Skye Poitras holds the CPDT-KA credential from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and teaches at an indoor, climate controlled facility behind her home in West Jordan. She offers group classes and private sessions, and her programs prepare service dogs, emotional support dogs, therapy dogs and facility dogs. The site describes positive reinforcement paired with consistent rules and boundaries. Sherry Woodard, an animal behavior expert at Best Friends Animal Society, recommends her work on the site. Gift vouchers are sold for any service.

Jamie Flanders runs Shake On It Pet Training and holds the Certified Dog Behavior Consultant credential from the IAABC. She is also a Family Paws Parent Educator, has an associate degree in veterinary technology and cites 20 years of work with dogs. Training is private, in your home or on site, and she also sells virtual packages. Her site describes force free methods and lists long line and off leash training plus rattlesnake avoidance. She covers Salt Lake County and travels into Tooele and Utah counties.

Kudos 2 Canines in Murray runs group obedience classes from puppy level up to advanced, on most weeknights and Sunday afternoons. Specialty classes cover service and therapy dog preparation and shy dogs, and a Junior Handlers class is offered too. Private lessons and boot camp programs are also on the list. The site cites more than 15 years of experience and serves Salt Lake County, including Sandy, West Valley, Draper and Herriman. It also hosts community pack walks, including one listed at Veterans Memorial Park.

Top Dog Dog Training is run by Bart Merrell and Jeff Belnap, both certified graduates of Innovative K9 Academy. Puppy School takes dogs under 6 months. The private program lasts eight weeks, with early sessions at your home and later ones at parks with real distractions. The 24 day board and train has the dog living with the trainers. Boarding happens in the trainers' home with no more than four dogs. The site calls its approach balanced and serves Salt Lake, Utah, Summit and Weber counties.

Ryan Gwilliam founded Train Walk Poop, a 6,250 square foot dog training school in South Salt Lake, and has worked with dogs since 2007. He lists IACP certification. Puppies can start as early as 8 weeks with a vet's approval, and dogs can choose from a boarding school, private sessions, group classes and day training. Programs are listed on their site as about $700 to $6,000 depending on the dog and the goals, and the first training session is free.