Best Dog Trainers in Washington

Spokane Dog Training Club says it has taught public classes for more than 50 years and calls itself the only AKC sanctioned training club in the greater Spokane area. Pet classes start with Star Puppy for pups 3 to 6 months old or Beginning Home Companion. Dogs can move on to obedience, rally, agility, nosework, tracking and conformation. Each class session is 8 weeks long, listed on their site at $65 per dog, or $45 for a first class with a recently adopted shelter dog.

Pawsitive Connection Dog Training is a Spokane training center with group classes called Puppy Prep, Reactive Rover and Obedience. The site says its methods use positive reinforcement and are always gentle. An At Home option gives you video lessons to watch and rewatch on your own schedule. The center also runs a small daycare capped at 15 dogs and a warm water hydrotherapy pool. Trainer credentials and prices aren't listed, so ask who teaches the class you want and what it costs.

Unleashed Academy works from Spokane Valley. Its board and train is a two week program where your dog lives with a trainer around the clock. Private lessons target specific behavior problems, and four week group classes cover obedience and behavior basics. The academy also custom trains ADA service dogs, with financing available. The site says it teaches obedience through respect and understanding instead of relying on treats, and some packages include lifetime support. It lists no staff certifications or prices.

Canine Community Center is run by head trainer Shayla LaMonica, who has more than 13 years of professional experience. Board and train happens in her home outside Spokane for two to six weeks, a few dogs at a time. She also teaches lessons at your home or in public and small group classes of up to 10 dogs. Specialty work covers puppies, reactive and aggressive dogs, and therapy dog prep. She describes a balanced approach built on praise and structure. Pricing follows a free in person consult.

Nine Realms Canine Training in Medical Lake is run by Karin Wagemann, an ASCTI certified Master Trainer with a master's degree in canine behavioral science. Her site describes more than eleven years training dogs for law enforcement and service work. Pet owners can book private training, board and train or group classes, and waitlists are open for January 2027 groups. Behavior work covers obedience and select problems such as dog reactivity. She also trains service dogs and police K9s. She calls her approach balanced and science based.

Notre Dog Academy in Tacoma is the business of Stephanie Beausoleil, whom our records list as a CBCC-KA and Pet Professional Guild member. The site describes positive, science based training with a personal plan for each dog. Off leash hybrid puppy classes start every Saturday, and a separate page covers puppies under 14 weeks. Private lessons and group classes are taught by a certified trainer, and our records also list help with aggression and reactivity. Day School trains your dog while you work, and severe behavior cases get behavior consulting. Visits are by appointment, and no prices are posted.

Zoom Room Tacoma is an indoor dog training gym where you train alongside your dog, with no drop offs. Classes cover puppy training, obedience and agility, along with tricks and scent work. You can start with a free orientation without your dog, which covers clicker basics, or a 30 minute one on one evaluation with your dog. The site says it uses positive reinforcement only. Classes run evenings, weekends and weekdays with no fixed six week commitment, and private training passes are offered too.

Positive Approach in Tacoma says it has been in the dog training and daycare business for more than 20 years. It offers private lessons, group classes and themed workshops, and a separate page covers behavioral consultations. The site says all of its head trainers hold the CPDT-KA, the credential from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. It also runs a staffed daycare floor with pools and offers boarding and grooming. No training prices appear on the home page, so ask which class fits your dog's age and level.

Jean Whitehead, MA, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, handles dog behavior cases for Another Approach Behavior Solutions. Our records list her in Tacoma and as an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator. Work is one on one only, in your home across the greater Puget Sound area or through a virtual consult. Cases include aggression toward people or dogs, leash reactivity, separation anxiety and dogs with a bite history. The practice says its methods are reward based with no punishment, and it offers no group classes.

Bark Busters Olympia is the local office of the Bark Busters home training company, listed in our records at Camp Murray. Trainer Karen Briggs works one on one in your home, with outdoor sessions when needed. Her area includes Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Puyallup and Tacoma. Services cover puppy training and problems such as aggression, barking, leash pulling and separation anxiety. The site says training uses no treats and no punishment, and it rejects pinch, shock and choke collars. No prices are posted.

Let's Talk Dogs in Lacey is run by trainer Dorothy Turley, and its site shows logos for the CPDT-KA credential, the APDT and the NACSW instructor program. The main focus is K9 Nose Work, which the site calls fun scent detection work for dogs. Classes, private lessons and seminars are listed, and the business hosts nose work trials. Turley describes positive, common sense training that works from basic manners through competition and fear or aggression issues. Class details are on separate pages of the site.

Carol Andrew is listed in our records as a NADOI Certified Instructor in Vancouver. Her website, CJ's Dog Training, shows 1985 as its first year, and classes meet at the Minnehaha Grange. Puppy Kindergarten takes pups from 9 to 18 weeks old, and Beginning Obedience is for adult dogs and puppies over 18 weeks. The site says training uses rewards and positive reinforcement, not pain or punishment. Classes also teach you to read canine body language. Private lessons aren't mentioned, and prices aren't posted.

The Humane Society for Southwest Washington runs public training classes in Vancouver, held at Camp Good Puppy for now. Puppy Pre-School is a single 50 minute session for pups 9 to 16 weeks old, listed on their site at $20. Puppy Essentials, Teen Manners and Basic Manners are six week series at $180 each, and Reactive Rover is $250. Private sessions are listed at $80 in person or $60 virtual. Classes use positive reinforcement. Enrollment for classes beyond Puppy Essentials was set to open in early November 2026.

Tracy Gorham runs Whispering X K-9 Training Academy in Bellingham and is listed in our records as a NADOI Certified Instructor. Her site says she has trained dogs for more than 35 years and was head trainer for the Chuckanut Dog Training Association. She's a certified AKC FIT DOG instructor and judges obedience and rally. Classes include three puppy stages and three obedience levels, plus rally, agility, treibball, parkour and dock diving. Training is reward based, using treats or toys. Class fees are listed on their site from $165 to $245.

Sara Dimas runs Fetch Focus Flourish and serves Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and greater Whatcom County. Our records list her Karen Pryor Academy credential. Private packages cover reactivity, stranger directed aggression, cooperative care and life with dogs and young children. Semi private reactivity training pairs you with one matched dog and handler for four lessons. Small group classes cap at four dogs. The site says training is reward based, without prong collars, electronic collars or intimidation, and every path starts with a free discovery call.

4 Paws DogWorks in Richland is a training and dog sport center with more than 16,000 square feet indoors and over 30,000 square feet of outdoor space. Basic manners classes include S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Companion and Canine Good Citizen. Sport classes cover agility, canine fitness, obedience, rally and nose sport. Private training is listed too, along with open practice time. The site names eight trainers but doesn't list methods, certifications or prices, and it notes that November 2026 classes may change length.

Mattox Dog Training Academy trains dogs on a farm in Eltopia and serves the Tri-Cities and southeastern Washington. Its core program is board and train, which pairs obedience work with structured boarding. Graduates get lifetime support, and refresher lessons and group training are offered afterward. The team also builds service, therapy and facility dog programs. The site lists more than 67 years of combined experience and describes treating dogs like dogs, with pack order and clear expectations. No prices are posted.

Yakima Canine Club teaches positive reinforcement classes in Yakima. Its five week group classes are Puppy Kindergarten for pups 3 to 6 months, Puppy Prep for 6 to 10 months and General Obedience for dogs 10 months and up, each with off leash socialization time. The site says groups resume in fall 2026 and are offered as private packages until then. Private lessons with trainer Jess are listed on their site at $100 for one session or $275 for four. The club also helps with AKC Canine Good Citizen prep.

Kelley's K-9 Camp sits on a 20 acre apple orchard in Tieton and serves Yakima, Selah, Naches and nearby towns. Trainer Janet Kelley lists more than 40 years of dog training and past work as a veterinary technician, and she has studied with Dr. Ian Dunbar's training academy. Private in home lessons are listed on their site from $100, and six week group series at $180. Board and train is listed at $125 per 24 hour period for adult dogs. The site describes positive reinforcement and lure reward methods.

Wenatchee Kennel Club runs year round training classes at its training center in East Wenatchee, and you don't have to be a member to sign up. Pet Foundation classes take dogs from puppyhood through adulthood. Sport classes include agility, obedience, rally obedience, tracking, conformation and hunt tests. Most classes last seven weeks and start every two months. The club welcomes purebred and mixed breed dogs and their handlers and says it teaches positive training methods. Class details are on its registration page.

Crossroads School of Dog Training sits about five miles south of George, near Quincy, and is led by Master Trainer Cara Putnam, who lists more than 20 years of experience. Puppy Pre-School is listed on their site at $350 and uses only reward based training. Adult Dog Obedience, listed at $1,685, starts with private lessons and moves into group classes. A READY ONE program for owner trained therapy and service dogs is listed at $4,200. Corrections are part of the adult training, and the site says they are done in a humane way. The school doesn't offer board and train.

Awesome Dog Training in Walla Walla is run by Carol Duvall, and the site says the business specializes in reactivity and aggression. Training comes as one on one sessions, board and train, or a larger package called Ultimate Transformation. The site describes the training as force free. Boarding, daycare and leash training walks are offered too. The service area covers Walla Walla, College Place, Milton-Freewater and smaller towns such as Waitsburg and Touchet. A free 30 minute consultation call is the first step, and that's a good time to ask about pricing.

Sea Change Canine is Sarah Becker's positive training business in Sequim, serving Sequim, Port Angeles and Carlsborg, plus Port Townsend for a travel fee. She lists KPA CTP, CNWI and TTouch credentials and is an NACSW certifying official and trial judge. Private sessions and group classes cover manners, leash pulling, puppies and teenage dogs. Behavior work focuses on reactive, fearful and anxious dogs. An Intro to Nose Work series was open for registration when we checked. No prices are posted.

Pete Stevenson runs K9Runner in Port Angeles and is a CBCC-KA certified behavior consultant through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. His site says he has spent about 15 years working with rescue dogs that are fearful or over reactive. He offers private training and behavior coaching in your home, plus hands on work for leash reactive dogs. His approach starts with exercise and enrichment. He's taking new clients in Port Angeles and Sequim and may travel about 30 minutes within Clallam County. No prices are listed.

Suzanne Bryner runs Lucky Fido Behavior and Training, based in Friday Harbor in our records, and her site also lists Lopez, Shaw and Orcas. She holds a CTC from Jean Donaldson's Academy for Dog Trainers, plus CNWI and Fear Free credentials. Group classes include puppy and teen classes for dogs 8 weeks to 18 months, manners for all ages, K9 Nose Work and agility. Her Reactive to Proactive program is for reactive dogs. She says she will never use tools that choke, prong or shock.

Adventure Trails Dog Camp in Coupeville is run by Kristy Mathenia, and it's the only Whidbey Island trainer on this list. Our records list her as an AKC Evaluator with a CDT credential and as a member of the Pet Professional Guild. She offers private training and group training, along with behavior consulting. Our records also list help with separation anxiety, and with aggression and reactivity. Her website didn't load when we checked, so ask on your first call which classes are running and what a program costs.

Evergreen School for Dogs trains at locations in Marysville and Arlington, including five acres in Arlington, with trainers Tommy Grammer and Corday Rice. In home private lessons reach much of Snohomish County, and board and train serves families across Western Washington. A free behavior evaluation is the first step. Other services include aggression work, new puppy training, workshops and virtual lessons. The site says it trains for real life and shows owners how to train step by step. No prices or credentials are posted.