Best Dog Trainers in Virginia

2Thumbs Up RVA is run by Jackie Laubacher, who holds the CPDT-KSA credential, and our listing shows her as a Pet Professional Guild member. She serves the Richmond area, including Ashland and Petersburg.

Her list starts with puppy training and basic manners. Separate programs cover dogs that react to other dogs and dogs that react to people, and she also trains deaf dogs. Day training and virtual sessions are offered, along with a board and train immersion. You start by booking a consultation.

Social Sniffers works with puppies and adolescent dogs in the Short Pump part of Richmond. Our listing shows Kimberly Rubadeau as a Fear Free Certified Professional and a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy Puppy Start Right instructor course.

Puppy development visits happen in your home and focus on early socialization and daily routines. Stay & Grow days are individual training days at the trainer's home. There's also one on one help for everyday problems like leash skills and greetings. Clients quoted on the site describe a fear free, positive reinforcement approach. Prices aren't posted.

The Richmond SPCA runs a big public class program, and its site says every class is taught with positive reinforcement. Ready, Set, Pup is a flexible attendance class for puppies up to 20 weeks, and Good Start Puppy runs six weeks.

Adult dogs can take Canine Manners for seven weeks, and Surviving Adolescence takes dogs from 4 to 18 months. Managing a Reactive Dog is for dogs that bark or lunge at dogs or people on walks, and A Hound in the Home is for scent hounds. Agility and rally classes are offered too, plus a tricks class.

Paws Plus Training is a Central Virginia scent sports group, and its site says it has four Certified Nosework Instructors on staff. The group has trained for more than 20 years.

Classes center on nosework, where your dog learns to search for a target odor, and the group also teaches tracking. Private lessons are available too. Training is positive reinforcement only, and the site says it follows the APDT's positive training standards. Paws Plus also hosts NACSW Odor Recognition Tests, a first step toward scent work titles.

Mind of a K9 trains out of a facility in Ashland and serves Richmond, Mechanicsville and Glen Allen.

You can choose private lessons in your home or group classes. Day training and board and train are offered as well, and board and train dogs stay in one of the trainers' homes instead of a kennel. Programs run from puppy basics to behavior work for reactive dogs. A special programs track covers electronic collar training plus Canine Good Citizen and therapy dog prep. Prices aren't posted.

Breakthrough K9 Training in Mechanicsville focuses on board and train, with boarding offered too. Dogs stay on a 20 acre farm with a climate controlled kennel and an indoor room set up like a home.

Training covers obedience and leash manners, and the site lists behavior work for reactivity and fear as well as resource guarding. Aggression cases are taken case by case, and the site names special needs dogs. Board and train is listed on their site as $2,675 for two weeks and $3,775 for four weeks.

Instinct and Intelligence Canine Training runs a training facility in Roanoke. The site says it covers everything from puppy classes to advanced dog sports.

You can book private training, and group classes and day training programs are offered as well. The facility hosts rally and agility open ring times, where teams can practice on their own, and it has run barn hunt sign ups. The site doesn't describe its methods or list prices, so ask about both on the first call.

Confident K9 is run by Sarah Bartley in Roanoke, and our listing shows her as a Pet Professional Guild member. The site says she has worked with owners since 2015.

She offers three programs. The puppy program covers early training, the reactivity program is for dogs that overreact on walks, and a third program is for fearful or shy dogs. Testimonials describe sessions at the client's home and in public places, with an emailed summary of each session and what to practice. Prices aren't listed.

Field of Dreams Dog Training and Doggie Day School is in Vinton and serves the Roanoke Valley. Owner Karen Hough has competed in NADAC agility for nearly two decades, and the business has run for more than 20 years.

Doggie Day School is structured, with group play and training games in groups of five dogs or fewer. Agility comes as beginner and continuing classes plus private lessons, and there's training for teams getting ready to compete. The site says training is positive reinforcement only, with no fear and no force.

Off Leash K9 Training serves the New River and Roanoke Valleys from appointment only locations in Christiansburg and Blacksburg, plus a third in Vinton. Its service area also reaches Salem and Radford.

Basic Obedience is four private lessons, and Basic and Advanced doubles that to eight. The two week board and train focuses on everyday obedience, and the site says off leash goals depend on your dog. Puppy Lessons take dogs from 10 weeks to 6 months, and Puppy Jump Start is a three week stay in a trainer's home. An Aggressive Dog Package is eight lessons.

Off Leash K9 Training Lynchburg is part of the Off Leash K9 network. The site lists Nick White as owner and says he's a former U.S. Marine and Secret Service member. The site says this location specializes in electronic collar training and also uses marker training.

Packages are listed on their site with prices. The Obedience Package is $625, and Basic and Advanced Obedience is $950. The Aggressive Dog Package and the Therapy Dog Development Course are each $950. A two week board and train is listed at $2,800.

Atlantic Coast K-9 Training Service says it has trained dogs since 1999. Training Director Ralph Smith has more than 30 years in the field, including competition dogs and tactical K9s. The site places the company in Stanardsville, about 30 minutes west of Charlottesville, with in home training around both towns.

The service list runs from puppy training to on and off leash obedience, plus board and train. Working dog programs include IGP and protection, plus detection. The site calls the approach balanced, built on positive reinforcement after a look at each dog's temperament.

Our listing places Valerie Balwanz in Scottsville, but Dog Training by Valerie holds classes in a 5,000 square foot classroom on Harris Street in Charlottesville. Her listed credentials are CBCC, CSAT, PCDT and PMCT, and she's a Pet Professional Guild member.

Group classes cover general manners, and puppy classes focus on early socialization. Training is force free, and students get a clicker or use a spoken marker like "yes." Private behavior consultations handle bigger problems. A one hour puppy consult is listed on their site as $185.

North Star Canines is run by Virginia Dare, a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner based in Scottsville. The site says she started training in Virginia in 1991, then worked in New York and Connecticut before returning in 2025.

She offers private lessons and behavior consultations, puppy training and a puppy board and train. Live video consultations are open to owners anywhere in the U.S. In person, she covers Scottsville and southern Charlottesville plus parts of Nelson and Fluvanna counties. The site calls her approach reward based.

Virginia Company Dog Training is run by Melissa Hays, who our listing shows as a Pet Professional Guild member. She trains one on one in your home across Augusta and Nelson counties.

Behavior work is a big part of the list. Separation anxiety and resource guarding are both named, and so are fence aggression and reactivity. Puppy training covers crate and potty training and socialization. Puppy Preschool is a daytime program where your puppy learns in a family home while you work. The site describes positive, humane methods.

Blue Ridge Dog Training Club was founded in 1967 and holds classes year round in the Training Room at the Sportsplex on Commonwealth Drive in Winchester. The site says classes are open to the public and describes them as positive training classes.

Basic obedience and life skills classes take dogs of all ages. For sports, the club teaches agility and competition obedience, plus rally and scent work. Canine Good Citizen test prep and a tricks class are offered too. The club also sponsors AKC trials and Fast CAT events.

Sit Means Sit Harrisonburg is led by owner and lead trainer Ron March and serves Rockingham County and the greater Shenandoah Valley, including Staunton and Elkton.

The Off Leash Freedom Program is day training with three lessons for you, and your dog goes home each night. Calm & Controlled is a slower program for anxious or reactive dogs. Puppy Foundations takes dogs from 20 weeks to one year. The company's own remote electronic collar is central to its system. Group classes follow the one on one programs, and evaluations are free.

Our listing places Red Dog Run Training and Behavior in Clifton, and it covers Fairfax and Prince William counties as well as Loudoun and Arlington. The site says behavior problems are its main focus.

Private lessons happen in your home, and day training is offered. You can also book online training. Small group classes include puppy and obedience classes, a scent class and a fun agility class. There's also a Reactive Dog class, which a client says keeps groups small.

A Click Above is a women owned training facility in Leesburg that the site says has run for over 25 years.

Group classes run year round. Family Pet teaches basic manners like sit and stay, and Puppy Kindergarten is for young dogs. Obedience runs from basic levels through Utility. Rally and foundation agility are taught for both pet owners and competitors. The site says it uses positive reinforcement only. Registration opens six times a year, and new dogs are tested before they join.

Commonwealth Pet Care is a home based training business in Lake Ridge that serves Northern Virginia. A trainer named Alex is mentioned in a client review, and the site shows logos for the CCPDT and the AKC.

You can book 30 or 60 minute private sessions, and group classes are offered as well. Board and train is on the list, and video conference training is an option. The site describes its methods as balanced and science based, with a goal of reducing stress for both dogs and owners.

Steadfast K9 is a Northern Virginia trainer founded by Matt Jessie, who the site says has more than 15 years of dog training experience.

Group classes run five weeks. Puppy Obedience is for dogs under 6 months, and Novice Obedience takes dogs 6 months and up. Classes meet outdoors in Woodbridge and can be canceled for bad weather. Private training in your home is offered for puppy problems or an unruly dog. The site also lists service dog training and search and rescue dogs.

Blue Ridge Canine in Culpeper is owned by Krystal Inman. The site lists a master's degree in Human Canine Life Sciences and more than 20 years of training.

Service dog training is the main focus, with psychiatric and PTSD service dogs listed. Seizure response and mobility dogs are on the list, and so is allergen detection. Owners can train their own dog with her help. The Virtual Service Dog Academy uses online courses, and a hybrid plan adds up to three in person or virtual lessons a month plus group outings.

Professional Canine Services runs a training facility in Culpeper and says it works with dogs of any age or breed. Every client starts with an evaluation.

From there you can choose private training or group classes, and there's puppy training and AKC training as well. Board and train is offered too. The site describes behavior modification for reactive and aggressive dogs, with work on distance and triggers. Its methods are based on operant conditioning and shaping. The company also trains law enforcement K9s.

The K9ology Center sits at the corner of Route 211 West and Old Hollow Road in Sperryville. Charlotte Wagner, BSc (Hons), is listed on the site as a certified dog trainer and behaviorist.

The site describes a reward based approach grounded in science, with coaching for you as well as your dog. Group classes are offered, and the center has an outdoor exercise and agility yard. Our listing also shows puppy classes, behavior modification and show ring lessons, plus a board and learn program.

Northern Neck Dog Training is run by Dawn Kelley in Heathsville. Our listing shows her as a CPDT-KA trainer who is Fear Free Certified. She's also an AKC evaluator for Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy, and a Pet Professional Guild member.

The site lists basic programs and specialty programs, along with behavior services and group classes. It also offers family dog mediation, a newer service for homes where dogs and people aren't getting along. The service area covers Northumberland County, including Kilmarnock and Reedville.

Merrimac Dog Training Club is an AKC licensed club in Hampton on the Virginia Peninsula. Classes run from puppy level up to competition.

The club teaches obedience and agility, and rally is on the list too. It also offers barn hunt and conformation handling, which is useful if you plan to show your dog. The club holds AKC obedience and agility trials and hosts seminars. Members get discounted classes and peer mentoring. The site doesn't post class prices or methods.

On Command Dog Training calls itself a family fun training center. Its building is on J. Clyde Morris Boulevard in Newport News, and it serves Yorktown and the rest of Hampton Roads. Owner Becky Hendrickson leads a team of about ten trainers.

Classes run from puppy obedience through advanced obedience, plus agility and several levels of scent work. Therapy and service dog classes are offered too. The site describes positive methods, and you get daily homework. You book classes online, and puppies need their first three rounds of shots before they start. Class prices aren't posted.