The Best Dog Trainers in Washington of 2026

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

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  Jenny Black

  CCPT-KA CBCC-KA FFCP

  Hi! I'm Jenny and I'm currently the Behavior Program Senior Manager at Homeward Pet Adoption Center in Woodinville, Washington. I've worked in shelters in Washington State coming up on a decade now, and truly found my passion for shelter behavior here.
  
  I'm originally from Texas, graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in Biomedical Science. I'm a Certified Professional Dog ...

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• 

  Keiko Swanberg

  Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI) AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Evaluator

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

  Issaquah, Sammamish, Bellevue, Mercer Island, New Castle, Renton, Burien.

  Keiko Swanberg, the owner of Zen Dog Seattle, LLC is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI), a licensed AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluator, and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). Keiko moved to the U.S. from Japan in 2000 and has been a long-time shelter/rescue volunteer and foster parent ever since. Her...

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  Amanda Boyd

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

  Port Orchard, Olalla, Gig Harbor, Tacoma, Bremerton

  Amanda is equal parts dog person and people person; you and your dog are both important to her! She is committed to using progressive, force-free training methods to improve dog and human communication and relationships. After graduating from Olympia High School in WA state, she earned a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Stanford University and has a strong background in the art and science ...

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  Katie Carman

  CCS, UW-AAB

  Aggressive dog training, Deaf dog training, Reactive dog training, Board and train, In home training, Off leash training, Puppy training

  Everett, WA and Snohomish County

  I started my career in the pet industry in 2011 where I worked as a daycare attendant at a doggy daycare, boarding and training facility called The Dog Spot. In the first year at The Dog Spot, I started assisting in dog training classes and soon realized that is where my passion lay. In 2012, I got my CCS certification in dog training and behavior through the Northwest School of Canine Studies....

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  Sara Cohen

  KPA-CTP, CDPT-KA

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

  Bellingham

  Sara has been working with dogs in the mountains for over fifteen years and loves bringing her diverse and dynamic background to her pet dog teams she coaches.

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• 

  Danette Johnston

  Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Certified Family Dog Mediator (CFDM), Certified Fear Free Professional (CFFP), AKC CGC & Tricks Evaluator

  Aggressive dog training, Deaf dog training, Reactive dog training, In home training, Puppy training

  Seattle

  Danette Johnston, Owner or Dog's Day Out, is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), a Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP) Trainer and Fear Free Coach, and a Certified Family Dog Mediator (FDM). Prior to becoming a dog trainer and behavior consultant, she worked as a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) in the state of Washington. She has trained dogs (and people!) working in animal...

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  Olivia Petersen

  CCS SAPro FDM

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

  Seattle; all neighborhoods, Burien, Kent, Bellevue, Mercer Island

  Olivia Petersen, Owner, is certified in canine studies (CCS), SAPro (Separation Anxiety Pro Trainer), and FDM (Family Dog Mediator) of Sound Connection Dog Training.
  
  Olivia is passionate about continuing her learning and education and takes courses, webinars/seminars that focus on canine science and behavior. Through working with clients, she has also gained more knowledge as every fa...

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  Nikki Johnson

  Aggressive dog training, Reactive dog training, Service dog training, In home training, Off leash training

  Redmond, Kirkland, Bellevue, Issaquah, and Sammamish WA.

  I've worked in the industry since 2003 and have a passion for helping people and dogs, because I don't want people to rehome their dogs. Most dogs are abandoned because the owners didn't know how to manage the dog's needs. I aim to help fix that in as many families as possible. My expertise is in PTSD service dogs and dogs with fear based aggression, but I most commonly work with every day fami...

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• 

  Cynthia Howell

  Certified Professional Dog Trainer- Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) Certified Family Dog Mediator (FDM) Certificate, Canine Studies (CCS)

  Reactive dog training, In home training, Puppy training

  Georgetown, Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, other areas by request

  My career with dogs began in 2003 at a large scale dog daycare in Seattle. I quickly saw how this unnatural, stressful environment was detrimental to the very dogs it was supposed to care for. I started a private dog walking and pet sitting service, Road Dog Walks, as an
  alternative. Then, I was offered a position at a large pet insurance firm, Trupanion. I continued to operate my
  pet...

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  “Cynthia is a rare gem and an integral part of our extended dog-family! We’ve relied on her for years for our type-A, high anxiety doodle, and we recently turned to her, once again, for help navigating the addition of a second dog. She has both an intrinsic understanding of dog behavioral needs and a commitment to continually expanding her expertise through study. We are the fortunate beneficiaries of her knowledge and skills; she continually amazes us with insights into the psyche of our animals and a seemingly endless toolkit to solve every scenario we encounter—from reactivity to puppy rearing. The result of working with her is a deepened connection with our dogs and simple, practical techniques (ask her to teach you the “1-2-3”!) that make daily life happier and calmer for us all.”

  — Annie A.

  “Diamond Dogs helped me reframe my understanding of what dogs need, particularly my dog. Cyn taught me how to listen/understand/observe my unique dog where now we do things that I know is bringing us both joy instead of what I thought we should be doing based on old ways of thinking/training. It has transformed our relationship and lives! We are still on our journey to get where we want to be but we have a solid roadmap. I’m very thankful Cyn saw what a wonderful creature Brandi is and how she could thrive more peacefully.”

  — Amy M.

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• 

  Jen Gumas Gumas

  CDBC, CPDT-KA, CBATI-KSA, M.Ed

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

  Redmond, Kirkland, Bellevue, and Woodinville, WA

  Jen Gumas is the founder and owner of Wiggles and Woofs Dog Training and Pet Care. A zoology graduate from Michigan State University, Jen has volunteered with rescue dogs for many years, including with Seattle Animal Shelter and Seattle Humane. In 2021, Jen worked with a group of local trainers to launch the Humane Alliance of Rescue Trainers (HART), a national organization that connects rescue...

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• 

  Sugako Sasaki

  CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT Family Dog Mediator Certified Fear Free Trainer Certified AKC CGC and Tricks Evaluator

  Aggressive dog training, Reactive dog training, Service dog training, In home training

  Seattle, W Seattle, S Seattle, Burien, White center, Tukwila, Kent, Renton, Des Moines, Normandy Park, Auburn

  Sugako, originally from Japan, started her dog training career as an intern with Companion Animal Solutions and Georgia Peaches Puppy Rescue while completing degrees in Canine Behavior Analysis and Animal Assisted Therapy. She then transitioned to working with autistic children under the supervision of Board Certified Behavior Analysts. After 5 years, Sugako returned to her love of dog behavior...

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• 

  Barbara Lombard

  Agility training, Puppy training

  Snohomish and King County

  I have been a top Agility competitor in the USA since 2000. I competed on the AKC agility World Team traveling to Finland, Portugal and Germany earning two Silver medals. I owned and operated Turbo Charged Agility in Southern California for 15 years offering Agility classes, private lessons in home and at my facility. Now living in Washington State and offering classes at French Creek Pet re...

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• 

  Amanda Dwyer

  CTC, SAPro, FFCP-Trainer

  Aggressive dog training, Reactive dog training, In home training, Puppy training

  North Kitsap County: Kingston, Poulsbo, Bainbridge, Hanesville, Suquamish, Indianola

  Amanda is a co-founder and working board member of the Humane Alliance of Rescue Trainers (HART)
  
  They graduated from the Academy of Dog Trainers with honors, and are a SAPro and Fear-Free Certified Trainer.
  
  The journey into dog training started for Amanda at the Seattle Humane Society, where they volunteered as part of the Dog Behavior and Socialization team, and were promote...

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• 

  Margaret Hughes

  SF SPCA CTC, CPDT, AKC CGC, Trick Dog, ACT Evaluator

  Agility training

  Woodinville, Maltby, Bothell, Duvall, Redmond, Snohomish

  "Margaret Hughes brings her life-long love of dogs together with positive training techniques that both you and your dog will enjoy." Twenty+ years ago I wrote that sentence on my first advertising brochure. It still holds true today. I love training dogs but I love training people more. My dog training background is in obedience, family style dog training, behavior modification and aggressi...

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• 

  Jacelyn Young

  ADT-IAABC

  Deaf dog training, Reactive dog training, Board and train, In home training, Off leash training, Puppy training

  Seattle, Bellevue, Bothell, Edmonds, Kirkland, Issaquah, Everett, Shoreline, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, U District, Wallingford, Ballard, Queen Anne, West Seattle

  I'm an active competitor in a variety of dog sports, such as Rally, Disc, and even protection sports! I'm passionate about helping dog owners learn about how fun and rewarding dog sports can be, as well as making them more accessible for the average owner! I also love working behavior modification training plans and seeing the long term results from those cases!

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  Erica Wells

  In home training, Off leash training, Puppy training

  NE Seattle, Lake Forest Park, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, Kenmore, Bothell, Maltby, parts of Snohomish and Woodinville

  I came in to dog training 18 years ago when I moved to Seattle. I worked in a small dog daycare for most of those years and that really gave me insight in to canine body language and managing arousal in adolescent dogs. I also owned a very reactive dog at that time and learned how to manage him in a much bigger urban environment than we lived in prior. When I adopted my failed foster, a Brittan...

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  Tahnee Holcombe

  KPA-CTP and Family Dog Mediation

  Reactive dog training, In home training, Puppy training

  Silverdale, Bremerton, Port Orchard, Belfair, High Harbor, Bainbridge Island, and Poulsbo

  Getting her start 10 years ago training sea lions, Tahnee learned quickly that positive reinforcement is key to working with large predators. Now a certified pet trainer, she uses the same principles working with dogs, cats, and their families. Sea Lion Way provides private training, day training, and dog walking. We focus on the whole pet (their health, environment, routine, past experiences, ...

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  Mercedes Moore

  abcdt, ccpdt, cbcc, fdm

  Aggressive dog training, Reactive dog training, Board and train, In home training, Puppy training

  Pierce and South King county

  I was born and raised right here in Pierce County, Washington where today, I've built my life around dogs.I became a professional dog trainer in 2011, after earning my dog training certification through Animal Behavior College (ABC). But that was just the first step I'm devoted to staying current on the most effective and humane training methods and on our evolving understanding of learning and...

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  Alexis Brinkley

  CCS

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

  Greater Seattle Area, Lynnwood, Shoreline, Mill Creek

  Alexis grew up with dogs and from a young age she always knew she wanted to work with them as a career. At the age of just eight years old, she was training basic obedience and tricks to her two rescued Chihuahuas, and now is trialing her dog Molly (a hound mix) in multiple sports. She has learned from some of the best positive reinforcement trainers in Washington State.  
  
  Alexis love...

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  Halley Hopkins

  CPDT-KA

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

  Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma

  I've been certified CPDT-KA since October of 2020 and have worked with many types of personalities and behavioral challenges since I started my R+ training journey in 2018! Whether I'm teaching group classes, or working one on one, learning how our K9 friends communicate to us has always been of importance to myself, and I'm determined to spread my knowledge! My line of expertise typically fall...

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See The Best Dog Trainers By City In Washington

• Olympia, WA
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