The Best Dog Trainers in Columbus, OH of 2026

This is a list of the top dog trainers in Columbus, OH, based on votes from the Sniffspot community and the general public.

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  Sarah Dugger

  Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP)

  Reactive dog training, In home training, Off leash training, Puppy training

  Dublin, Worthington, Hilliard, Upper Arlington, Grove City, Westerville, Gahanna, New Albany

  I first realized the power and impact of training in 2012. At the time, I was working at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, observing Wouter Stellaard, a world-renowned animal trainer, train rats to complete an obstacle course. The five rats all named after different types of cheese, took the stage together. Four scurried around a pool, while one swam across, using the shortcut to get to th...

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  Elissa O'Sullivan

  Aggressive dog training, Deaf dog training, Reactive dog training, Service dog training, Agility training, In home training, Off leash training, Puppy training

  In-home visits: Columbus, Gahanna, Westerville, Upper Arlington, Dublin, Powell, Pataskala, New Albany, Worthington, Bexley, Delaware, Marysville

  Private practice since 1993.

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  Jacey Torrisi

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  Jacey grew up around a lot of animals as her mother is a veterinarian. She spent a large portion of her childhood volunteering at veterinary hospitals and animal shelters.Jacey worked as a veterinary technician while majoring in biology in college. After college, Jacey rescued her Belgian Malinois, Akira, who at the time had some behavioral issues. Akira really set Jacey on the path of being a ...

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  “Jacey trained my rescue dog Boomer who was about 1.5 yr at the time. Boomer is a 55lb hound dog mix who struggled with high anxiety, high prey drive and leash pulling. After spending two weeks with Jacey, Boomer is able to walk in a heel, has perfect recall, dog neutral, down on command even in disruptive environments like public transit etc. Even after training, Jacey was quick to answer any and all questions I had for her regarding keeping up with his e-collar training. We moved from Columbus, Ohio to NYC and Boomer adapted seamlessly from the quiet suburban lifestyle to bustling life in Manhattan. He rides with me in the subway, buses etc. I could not say enough good things about Jacey and would truly recommend her to all.”

  — SOWBHAGYA G.

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  Ellie Salyers

  Board and train, In home training, Protection/guard dog training, Puppy training

  Meet Ellie, a valued team member of our business. With a deep passion for canine companionship, Ellie brings boundless energy and dedication to her role. Her love for dogs shines through in every interaction, as she delights in caring for them and engaging in playful activities that bring out their best.When Ellie isn't at work, you'll often find her with her loyal German Shepherd, Knox, by her...

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  Allison Linkous

  Agility training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  "When I was young I dreamed of being a dog trainer. In November of 2019 my fiance and I rescued our dog Nova from Virginia. Nova (pictured on the right) is a 3year old Australian Shepherd and Corgi mix. In 2021 we also adopted a 5 month old Australian Shepherd/Poodle/Border Collie mix. Henry (pictured on the left) is now about 1.5 years old and has settled nicely into our home. Henry has taugh...

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  Phil Reale

  Agility training, Puppy training, In home training

  Phil is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner! Phil started training pups in 2006 through volunteering in The Ohio State Universities Puppy Kindergarten classes. After working with the OSU animal behaviorists Phil found his love of dog training and has never looked back.Phil has helped Animal Care Center at Cherry Way build a behavioral department since 2010. With over 17 years of ex...

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  Selena Schaney

  Agility training, Puppy training, In home training

  Selena is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. Growing up there was never a time in her life when she didn't have a pet to take care of. She is a 2022 graduate of The Graham School. Selena originally wanted to be a Veterinarian Technician, but in her senior year of high school she interned at Reale Dog Training. I never thought I would find such a perfect job for me, she says. Th...

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  Miranda Steenburgh

  Agility training, Puppy training, In home training

  Miranda is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She has been working in animal care for over seven years. She started training after getting her dog, River! After experiencing the bond that was created with River through positive reinforcement training, she made it her career!

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  Desiree Osterloh

  Agility training, Puppy training, In home training

  Desiree has always wanted to work in the animal field. She's had many exotic and non-exotic pets in her lifetime. She found Reale Dog Training which satisfies her desire to work with animals in a positive environment as well as make a change for the better in the animal world! She plans to enroll in the Karen Pryor Academy in the near future.

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  Abigail Curtis

  Protection/guard dog training, Off leash training, Puppy training, In home training, Agility training

  Abigail has been training dogs since 2002. Her personal dogs have competed in agility, obedience, rally and barn hunt and she is captain of the flyball team here in Columbus. 'At home she has Gina-an ancient border collie mix, Sulley-a chihuahua mix, Flux-a Border Collie Jack Russel mix, and Mouse a whippet.‚ Some of her qualifications include:Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State ...

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  Trish Wilson

  Off leash training, Puppy training, Agility training

  Trish teaches all of Adventure Unleashed's Nosework classes.
  
  Trish is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP) and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). She is also a C-Wags Scentwork judge.

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  Allison Marcum

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Deaf dog training, In home training

  Allison has been training dogs of all ages and breeds since 2009 when she started as a kennel tech at her father's franchise. Allison followed her passion back to school and became a certified trainer before starting a professional business of her own. Allison believes you can understand a dog's psychology and emotion simply by observing their behavior. She's honed her techniques through years...

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  Walter Mott

  Agility training, In home training

  Walter Mott is our Lead Dog Behaviorist and Professional Dog Trainer. Walter is certified as an AKC Certified Evaluator, SIRIUS Accredited Dog Trainer as well as through the ADPT (Association for Professional Dog Trainers). Walter was educated at the Dunbar Academy, which advanced and expanded upon the positive reinforcement principles that he had already been practicing for over 15+ years with...

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  Sarah Rutland

  Agility training

  Most memorable accomplishment: My favorite agility moment was winning the 12 inch Challengers round at NAC 2022. I was really proud of our 2023 competition year. My papillon Primo and I made all three international teams. We won our spot onto the EO team, and we placed 9th cumulatively in Pentathlon at our first WAO.

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  Teresa Millwater

  In home training

  Teresa grew up in a military family and moved frequently. Having dogs as part of her family assisted tremendously during the transition from one place to the next. As a military nurse, Teresa spent 20 years taking care of patients in both peace time and deployed environments. Early in her career, she determined that she had a passion for teaching and continued formal and informal instruction t...

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  Joel Slaven

  Board and train

  Joel Slaven has over five decades experience in the animal industry. His career started at the world-renowned Darby Dan Farms where he trained racehorses in Columbus, Ohio. Joel then began raising and training exotic animals at the Columbus Zoo for Jack Hanna. He has been the head animal trainer and show producer for parks such as Cypress Gardens, Silver Springs, Six Flags over Texas and Georgi...

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  Jennifer markiewicz

  Puppy training, Agility training

  My name is Jennifer Markiewicz; I am a happy wife, loving mother and North Linden resident. Making my dreams come true while helping serve my community. I am the proud owner of Proper Pups Dog Training. My whole life I knew I was supposed to be working with animals, so after High School I went to Vet Tech school where I graduated in 2009. Shortly after I graduated from Vet Tech school I complet...

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  Paige markham

  Puppy training, Agility training

  My name is Paige, I am a devoted cat mom of 3 fat cats, who probably have more say in my life than I do, and have been happily married since 2021! Growing up we always had dogs which led me to my first job working with dogs. I knew I had found my passion in the animal world and started looking for ways to expand my knowledge and find a way to ensure I could stay working with dogs. In 2018 I sta...

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  Mitchell Christian

  Board and train, In home training, Protection/guard dog training, Puppy training

  Mitchell Christian, is the owner and head trainer at Christian K-9 Academy and the president of the non-profit German Shepherd Rescue Ohio. Mitch's love for dog training started in childhood, but it really blossomed while serving in the United States Marine Corps, where he spent some of his time around the handlers of the military working dogs and his passion grew. At the end of his active duty...

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  Dean Harris

  Board and train, In home training, Protection/guard dog training, Puppy training

  Dean is a versatile member of our team, serving not only as one of our skilled pet dog trainers but also as a dedicated decoy for our police and protection dogs. His passion for training extends to police K9s, where he finds great joy in honing their skills and ensuring they are prepared for the field. In addition to his work with dogs, Dean is an accomplished horse handler and frequently showc...

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  Tommy Cross

  Board and train, In home training, Protection/guard dog training, Puppy training

  Tommy is our dedicated kennel manager, ensuring that operations run smoothly and that all the dogs receive the highest standard of care. In addition to overseeing daily kennel activities, Tommy expertly sets up training scenarios for our police and protection dogs, helping to prepare them for real-world situations. As an Iraq combat veteran, he brings a wealth of experience and discipline to hi...

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  Marty Ferguson

  Aggressive dog training, Board and train, Reactive dog training, Off leash training, Puppy training

  Marty was born and raised in Ohio. He has spent his entire life living with dogs and is very familiar with many different breeds and mixes.
  
  Marty formally started dog training in 2012. His specialty is e-collar and off-leash obedience training and we were excited to welcome Marty to the Off Leash K9 Columbus team in 2019.
  
  When he is not training, Marty enjoys spending time wit...

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  Austin Schuetz

  Aggressive dog training, Board and train, Reactive dog training, Off leash training, Puppy training

  As a seasoned handler with several years of professional experience, Austin truly fell in love with dog training when he realized that a dog's freedom, through proper training, was making a huge impact on the bonds between owner and dog. What a rewarding job! He believes life with your dog shouldn't be confined to your home but that it should be full of traveling, hiking, patio dinners and more...

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  Carissa Maney

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  Carissa grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and began working at an animal shelter at the age of 18. She has been working with dogs ever since. Carissa is familiar with many breeds and has a background in veterinary medicine.
  
  Carissa became interested in training while working at the animal shelter. Many of the dogs who came in did not have great manners, so she assisted the training team in t...

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  Tiffany Copley

  Puppy training, In home training

  Tiffany has spent her whole life working with dogs. As a small child, she trained the family dogs, and started working at the local animal shelter as a teen. At age 16, she started teaching dog obedience classes, and has helped people and dogs improve their relationships for over 20 years now. She has titled several dogs in obedience, agility, rally, and conformation, including the first Anatol...

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  Sarah Karr

  Agility training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  "I absolutely love helping dogs and owners learn how to have the best relationship possible. I have been working with dogs in a daycare and in training settings for 3 years. My favorite things to work on are "party tricks" and socialization, but above all I just love watching dogs learn and engage with their people! I have two rescues pups! Hunter is a 3 year old Pittie Hound mix, Roscoe is an ...

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  Shannon Busher

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  Shannon has been a certified Canine Academy trainer for the last 3 years, and has trained over 375 dogs with positive experience techniques! Before finding her true passion as a dog trainer, Shannon was educated in Equine Studies. Shannon began her dog training career as an agility handler where she competed in CPE trials with her dog. Shannon believes that dog training is important because dog...

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  Jacey Wentz

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  Jacey is our second successful graduate from the Canine Academy Training Apprenticeship Program. She has trained over 100 dogs! Before becoming a trainer, Jacey worked as a Kennel Technician on our Care Team where she worked diligently to ensure every dog on our property was cared for while not in training. Jacey's passion for dogs originated from her childhood pup, Milo, and while she might ...

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  Emma Sines

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  Emma joined Canine Academy in early 2022, but her desire to become a trainer started with her grandparents' yellow lab, Sunny. At a young age, Emma would spend time training Sunny in her grandparents backyard and attributes her love of dogs to the bond dogs created between her, her Grandfather and her uncle, Shawn. Since joining Canine Academy, Emma has trained and tutored over 100 dogs! Emma b...

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  Alex Ebert

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  Alex's desire to become a trainer started in 2011 when he had an out of control German shepherd puppy named Titan. His mom gave him an ultimatum to get him trained or he had to go! That led him to Alex seeking ecollar training. Alex and Titan did so well with the training that Terry offered him a job as a trainer.Alex is passionate about training because he loves to see the better quality of l...

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  Kayla Crist

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  Kayla is a graduate from our Trainer Apprentice program. Prior to starting her own apprentice training, Kayla was a member of our care team for over 2 years, helping got make sure all of our dogs were happy and loved while at school! Kayla has spent her life around animals, which started when she joined her local 4H program and continued to support that program as a leader and mentor. Kayla lov...

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  Karin Coyne

  Protection/guard dog training, In home training, Board and train

  Karin has been training dogs since 2005. Her personal dogs have competed in flyball, agility, obedience, rally, barn hunt , disc and dock diving. At home she has Kevin-a Malinois Border Staffy, and Carl a Sports Mix and Lyra-a cat who acknowledges she exists. Some of her qualifications include: Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed Founder of the International Dog Parkour Asso...

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  Casey Goldberg

  Off leash training, Puppy training, Agility training

  Casey has been training dogs since 2014. Her personal dogs, a husky and a chow mix, like to play at agility, rally, barn hunt, and doing so many silly tricks for husbandry and for fun.
  
  Casey is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) who likes to puzzle out the Good Dog in any dog, and in particular enjoys fluffy dogs with a lot to say.

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  Kevin Ivasku

  Agility training, Puppy training, Protection/guard dog training, In home training

  Owner of Capital Canine Dog Training, Head Trainer and proud small business owner. When I started Capital Canine I began my mission to help as many dogs and to educate as many human as possible. I believe that dogs are truly an amazing gift the world has given us and we should do everything in our power to build a strong, meaningful bond and give them the best life possible. I've been training ...

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  Andreia Langenberg

  Aggressive dog training, Agility training, Herding training, Deaf dog training, In home training

  Andreia grew up doing what she loved most, working with animals. She has had and taken care of her dogs since she was young. As a young teenager, she volunteered to work in kennels. She enjoyed working at a farm helping take care of horses. She attended schooling at the career center for Animal Management where she learned to care for many different animals. She earned a few different certifica...

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  Molly Miller

  Protection/guard dog training, Service dog training, Off leash training, Puppy training

  Molly was born and raised in Cincinnati, Oh. After graduating from Ohio University with her bachelors in Communications and two minors in Marketing and Social Media. She started her career in the Marketing and Social Media industry. After graduating college, she adopted a Red Heeler mix named Bear. Bear sparked her interest and passion in dog training which encouraged her to change career paths...

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  Jeff Turner

  Off leash training, In home training

  Jeff Turner serves as President of K9 Solutions Center. Jeff started K9 Solutions Center in early 2001. Jeff has spent more than 20 years training civilian and Police K9's in a variety of skills. When not training dogs and trainers Jeff is an active duty Police Officer in Ohio.

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  Hannah Lairmore

  Board and train, Puppy training

  Hannah Lairmore is our Support Trainer as well as the Administrative and Communications Director. Hannah is the one you will communicate with during onboarding and for scheduling. She tries her best to make becoming a pack member super easy and fun! Hannah, raised in Columbus, has a degree in anthropology from The Ohio State University and loves seeing the similarities and differences between h...

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  Jennifer Crank

  Agility training, Board and train

  Favorite part of teaching: While teaching the handling skills and proper obstacle performance is always rewarding, my favorite part is coaching the teams. Finding out their goals, building a plan to help them achieve those goals, and being there to celebrate in their victories.Most memorable accomplishment: My most memorable experience in recent time was winning the 2018 Silver Medal at the FCI...

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  Susan Crank

  Agility training

  Favorite Part of Teaching: The opportunity to help others learn and improve handling techniques and obstacle performance. To show handlers the fun and teamwork they can develop and enjoy with their pets.
  
  Most memorable accomplishment: Winning my way onto the 2015 AKC World Team with Speedo.

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  Abbey Beasley

  Board and train

  Favorite Part of Teaching: Getting to watch my students and their dogs improve and ultimately achieve their goals.
  
  Most memorable accomplishment: My WAO Pentathlon Gold Medal in 2016 with Dreamer was an incredible individual achievement. My Team Jumping Silver Medal in 2019 at the Agility World Championships with Swindle meant so much as it was a group effort where I was running not ju...

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  Shane Gant

  Agility training

  Favorite Part of Teaching: Helping students. Watching them have great moments and then succeeding.
  
  Most memorable accomplishment: Twofold....Being able to get my own nerves, for the most part, under control and making the finals in a national championship....

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  Karey Dufour

  Puppy training, In home training

  Karey has always had a love of animals and a desire to teach and care for those in need. She was the kind of kid that brought every stray or injured animal home to nurse, recover, and train. However, she took a different approach in life and joined the Air Force in 1995 as a nurse. Karey retired from the Air Force after 26 years of service in June 2021. While serving as a flight and trauma nur...

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  Jackie Brandal

  Agility training, Board and train

  Ever since she can remember, Jackie has always loved animals and dreamed about working with them one day, which led her to the Ohio State University where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Animal Science. Prior to graduation, Jackie started her dream career working for Joel Slaven's Professional Animals, which produced the animal show Surfin Safari at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, as w...

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See The Best Dog Trainers In Other Cities Near Columbus

Ordered alphabetically, only included cities where there is enough data to compile a list

• Akron, OH
• Cincinnati, OH
• Cleveland, OH
• Dayton, OH
• Toledo, OH

See The Best Dog Trainers By Type In Columbus

• Aggressive dog training
• Agility training
• Board and train
• Deaf dog training
• Herding training
• In home training
• Off leash training
• Protection/guard dog training
• Puppy training
• Reactive dog training
• Service dog training

FAQ: Top Dog Training Services in Columbus, Ohio

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