Find a trainer who
gets your dog.

Dog trainers, behavior consultants and service dog programs across Minnesota and South Dakota, from a first puppy class to serious fear and aggression work.

Most behavior problems are fixable with the right help, and a good trainer is often what keeps a dog in its home. The trainers below work across our region. Nearly all of them use force-free, reward-based methods, which is what we recommend for rescue dogs: a dog that's already been through something hard doesn't need to be intimidated into behaving. Further down you’ll find service dog training, how to find a behaviorist and trainer certification in Minnesota.

Trainer, consultant, or veterinary behaviorist?

These three titles get used loosely, and picking the wrong one wastes time and money.

A dog trainer teaches skills: sit, recall, loose-leash walking, polite greetings. Start here for puppies, manners, and everyday obedience. Look for CPDT-KA, CTC, or KPA-CTP after their name.

A behavior consultant handles emotions rather than skills: fear, reactivity, separation anxiety, resource guarding, aggression. Look for CDBC, CBCC-KA, or ACAAB.

A veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) is a veterinarian with a behavior specialty. They can diagnose medical causes and prescribe medication, which makes them the right call for severe anxiety or aggression that training alone hasn't moved. In our region that's Veterinary Behavior Specialties of MN.

Dog training is an unregulated industry: anyone can use the title without a single credential. Best Friends has a good primer on what to ask before you hire someone, and our General Pet Care page collects free training guides you can start with tonight.

Trainers & Behavior Consultants

Showing all 14 trainers.

  • Behavior Matters Pet Training
    Maple Grove, MN
    Serving the Twin Cities metro and surrounding areas.
  • Cash & Eddie's Dog Training
    Maple Lake, MN
    Cruelty-free, motivation-based training school. Small-group classes in obedience, puppy, reactivity, scent work, and agility, plus private lessons.
  • Giffy Dog
    St. Paul, MN
    Force-free training and behavior consulting.
  • Go Anywhere Dog
    Twin Cities
    Positive reinforcement, puppy training, group classes.
  • The Golden Academy
    Sioux Falls, SD
    In-home training and behavior modification: private lessons, day train, and board & train for obedience and behavior issues.
  • Hippie Dog (Inga From, CDBC)
    Richfield, MN
    IAABC-Certified Dog Behavior Consultant. Specializes in trauma-induced behaviors and rescue dogs.
  • Kristy Francis Dog Training
    Champlin, MN (classes in Albertville)
    Academy for Dog Trainers (CTC) graduate. Force-free, fear-free, rewards-based training and behavior modification, including fear and aggression cases.
  • Leaps and Hounds Behavior
    Twin Cities + Western WI
    Behavior consulting and training.
  • Nerdy K9 Academy
    Sioux Falls, SD
    CPDT-KA certified trainer with a background in animal welfare. Private behavior modification, obedience, and group classes, with a focus on fearful and rescue dogs.
  • Paw & Order Twin Cities
    Twin Cities
    Family-dog specialist, certified through CATCH Canine Academy.
  • Paws & Effect MN
    Stillwater, MN
    Positive reinforcement training, in-home, fear/aggression specialty.
  • Twin Cities Obedience Training Club
    Twin Cities
    Behavior consultations and group classes.
  • Veterinary Behavior Specialties of MN
    Serves MN/SD/ND/WI/IA/NE
    The only board-certified veterinary behaviorists in our region, for severe behavior issues. They can prescribe medication.
  • Wild Acre Kennels
    Le Center, MN
    Hunting and field-dog trainer offering obedience and upland/waterfowl programs. Note: uses e-collar and force-fetch methods, a different approach from the force-free trainers listed here.

Know a trainer we should add, or had a great experience with someone on this list? Tell us. This directory grows from what our adopters and fosters report back.

Service Dog Training

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service dog is a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Dogs whose only job is comfort or emotional support don’t qualify. The ADA doesn’t require professional training or certification: people with disabilities can train their own dogs, and the certificates and registrations sold online give a dog no rights under the ADA. A dog still in training isn’t covered by the ADA, though some state and local laws cover dogs in training. The ADA service animal FAQ has the details.

There are two usual paths. You can apply to a nonprofit that breeds or selects, trains and places service dogs, or you can train your own dog with a professional’s help, using a certified trainer from the list above. A few accredited programs will also consider working with an owner’s own dog.

  • Can Do Canines
    New Hope, MN
    Assistance dogs for mobility, hearing, seizure, diabetes and autism, plus facility dogs. Accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI).
    Cost
    Dogs are placed free of charge apart from a $50 application fee. After placement, you cover the dog’s care.
    Who can apply
    Minnesota and Wisconsin residents for the mobility, hearing, diabetes and seizure programs. The mobility program starts at age 10, and the seizure, diabetes and hearing programs at 18. Autism assist applications are closed for now because of the wait list.
    Own dog
    An owner-provided dog program for mobility, diabetes, hearing and seizure applicants.
    Contact
    9440 Science Center Drive, New Hope, MN 55428. 763-331-3000, weekdays 8 am to 4 pm.
  • Helping Paws
    Eden Prairie, MN
    Service dogs for people with physical disabilities and for veterans and first responders with PTSD, plus facility dogs. A fully accredited ADI member since 2007.
    Who can apply
    Residents of Minnesota or the bordering areas of nearby states who can attend team training in Eden Prairie. The application fee is $100.
    Right now
    Letters of interest and applications are paused until June 2027 while they serve their wait list.
    Contact
    6569 City West Parkway, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. 952-988-9359.
  • Believet Canine Service Partners
    Northfield, MN
    Service dogs for U.S. military veterans with PTSD, TBI or MST, at no cost to the veteran. Accredited by ADI.
    Who can apply
    Veterans with an honorable discharge and a verifiable diagnosis of PTSD, TBI or MST, who can complete 120 to 200 hours of in-person training in Northfield. Travel and lodging are the veteran’s cost.
    Contact
    3885 100th St E, Northfield, MN 55057. 507-581-4226.
  • Pawsitivity Service Dogs for Veterans
    Saint Paul, MN
    Rescues shelter dogs and trains them as service dogs for U.S. military veterans living with PTSD and other disabilities. Veterans are never charged for a dog or for training.
  • Assistance Dogs International Member Search
    National
    Find ADI-accredited service dog programs that serve your area, wherever you live. A few accredited members will consider working with privately owned dogs.

Finding a Dog Behaviorist

For fear, aggression, separation anxiety or reactivity, start with the kind of help that fits how serious it is. A certified behavior consultant works on the emotions behind a behavior. A board-certified veterinary behaviorist is a veterinarian who can also look for a medical cause and prescribe medication. Behavior consultants on our directory above include Hippie Dog (CDBC), Giffy Dog, Leaps and Hounds Behavior and the Twin Cities Obedience Training Club’s behavior consultations.

  • Veterinary Behavior Specialties of Minnesota
    Minnetonka, MN
    Board-certified veterinary behaviorists for aggression, severe anxiety, phobias and compulsive behaviors in dogs and cats. They serve clients in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska.
    How to start
    Fill out their new client form and behavior history questionnaire. The first consultation includes a virtual intake with a behavior therapist, then an in-person visit with the doctor.
    Contact
    10029 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55305. (612) 554-1182, weekdays 9 am to 5 pm.
    Call first
    To ask about current wait times. Their site says appointments book 2 to 3 weeks out.
  • IAABC Find a Consultant
    National
    Search for behavior consultants near you who hold International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants credentials, such as the CDBC.
  • CCPDT Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant Directory
    National
    Find trainers and behavior consultants certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA, CPDT-KSA and CBCC-KA).
  • Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Directory
    National
    The Animal Behavior Society’s list of Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB and ACAAB). The society itself doesn’t offer behavior counseling.

Help for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs

Growling, snapping, lunging and biting are serious. The ASPCA calls aggression the most common and most serious behavior problem in dogs. It says some kinds can be reduced and sometimes eliminated, but no dog can be guaranteed cured, so keeping everyone safe stays part of the plan. Work through it in this order.

1. See your vet first

Pain and illness can cause aggression. The ASPCA names orthopedic problems, thyroid and adrenal problems, cognitive dysfunction, seizure disorders and sensory loss among the medical causes, and says to see a veterinarian before you do anything else. Veterinary Behavior Specialties of Minnesota gives the same advice: your regular vet can rule out medical causes first.

2. When to see a veterinary behaviorist

Veterinary Behavior Specialties of Minnesota says a dog that growls, snaps or bites, especially at people or other animals, needs a veterinary behaviorist, and that reactivity which tips into aggressive or very fearful behavior may call for one too. A veterinary behaviorist can look for medical causes and prescribe medication alongside a behavior plan. Its first consultation starts with a virtual intake with a behavior therapist, then an in-person visit with the doctor. If dogs in the same home are fighting, every dog involved comes to the first visit. Contact details are in the behaviorist section above.

3. Muzzle training basics

  • Use a basket muzzle. The Muzzle Up! Project says a well-fitted basket muzzle lets a dog take treats, drink and pant comfortably, but not bite.
  • Train it before you need it. Start with a training plan, keep sessions short and pair the muzzle with treats and things your dog enjoys, so it means good news. If your dog paws or rubs at it, go back to an easier step.
  • Then add movement and calm. Once the strap is buckled and your dog is relaxed, add target games and puzzle toys, then practice settling on a bed.
  • It is a safety tool, not a fix. The Muzzle Up! Project says a muzzle won’t fix reactivity or aggression toward other dogs on its own, and isn’t a reason to walk a dog into situations that set it off.

4. Trainers who take aggression cases

Each of these says on its own website that it works with aggression. The ASPCA suggests asking any trainer about their education and experience with aggression, because general trainer certification doesn’t require it.

  • Leaps and Hounds Behavior (Twin Cities and western Wisconsin). Says its specialty is consulting on aggression in dogs, from growling and lunging to snapping and biting.
  • Hippie Dog (Richfield). Behavior consulting and aggression rehab with positive reinforcement. Its Inga From is an IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant.
  • Paws & Effect MN (Stillwater, in-home in the East Metro). In-home training and behavior modification for dogs with fear, anxiety and aggression.
  • Kristy Francis Dog Training (northern Hennepin, eastern Wright, southeastern Sherburne and western Anoka counties). Force-free behavior modification for fear, aggression, leash reactivity and resource guarding.
  • Behavior Matters Pet Training (Maple Grove). Private sessions for anything from manners to aggression, serving Maple Grove and surrounding areas.

Near Otsego and Elk River, Kristy Francis Dog Training’s service area covers eastern Wright and southeastern Sherburne counties, and Behavior Matters is in Maple Grove. Adopted your dog from us? Mookie’s Fund in our Together Forever Program helps eligible adopters get professional training and support.

Dog Trainer Certification in Minnesota

You don’t need a certification to work as a dog trainer, but it shows clients that your knowledge has been tested. The credentials below come from national programs you can complete from Minnesota, online, at a testing center or through virtual workshops. The CCPDT suggests building hands-on experience by shadowing certified trainers, volunteering at shelters, working as an assistant trainer, assisting group classes or apprenticing. If you want more time with dogs while you learn, fostering with us puts a dog in your home.

  • CCPDT Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
    Exam
    An independent certification exam, not a school.
    To qualify
    Be 18 or older with a high school diploma or GED, log at least 300 hours of dog training in the last three years, and get a signed attestation from a CCPDT certificant, a veterinarian or another approved professional.
    The exam
    200 multiple-choice questions at a testing center or by remote proctoring. Certificants recertify every three years. The CPDT-KSA is the next level, a hands-on exam submitted by video.
  • Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional
    Online + workshops
    An online course of 21 lessons with hands-on workshops, attended in person (regional, national or world formats) or virtually. Graduates who meet every requirement earn the KPA Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP) credential.
  • The Academy for Dog Trainers
    Online
    Jean Donaldson’s online school. Its Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) is designed to be completed in two years.
  • IAABC Credentials
    Behavior
    Third-party credentials for people who work with animal behavior, including dog behavior consultants.

Training Questions

How do I get a service dog in Minnesota?
Apply to a nonprofit program such as Can Do Canines, Helping Paws, Believet or Pawsitivity, or train your own dog with a professional’s help. Each program has its own rules about who can apply, and some have long wait lists. Under the ADA, a service dog doesn’t need professional training or certification.
Is an emotional support animal a service dog?
No. Under the ADA, a service dog is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Dogs whose only job is comfort or emotional support don’t qualify as service animals.
What is the difference between a dog trainer and a behaviorist?
A trainer teaches skills such as sit, recall and loose-leash walking. A behavior consultant works on fear, reactivity, separation anxiety, resource guarding and aggression. A veterinary behaviorist is a veterinarian who can look for a medical cause and prescribe medication.
Do dog trainers have to be certified?
No. Certification isn’t required to work as a dog trainer, which is why credentials such as the CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, CTC or CDBC are worth asking about when you hire someone.
How do I become a certified dog trainer in Minnesota?
Build hands-on experience, then earn a national credential. The CCPDT’s CPDT-KA exam asks for 300 hours of dog training in the last three years, while the Karen Pryor Academy and the Academy for Dog Trainers teach through online courses that lead to their own credentials.
Can an aggressive dog be rehabilitated?
It depends on the dog. The ASPCA says some kinds of aggression can be reduced and sometimes eliminated, but no dog can be guaranteed cured, so safety and management stay part of the plan. Start with your vet, then a veterinary behaviorist or a trainer who takes aggression cases.
Where can I get help for an aggressive dog in Minneapolis?
Veterinary Behavior Specialties of Minnesota in Minnetonka has board-certified veterinary behaviorists. Leaps and Hounds Behavior, Hippie Dog, Paws & Effect MN, Kristy Francis Dog Training and Behavior Matters Pet Training each say on their own sites that they work with aggression.
Should my dog wear a muzzle?
It can help keep everyone safe. The Muzzle Up! Project says a well-fitted basket muzzle lets a dog take treats, drink and pant, but not bite. Train it before you need it, and treat it as a safety tool rather than a fix.

Note: We don't formally endorse every trainer, program or school listed. These are resources we've compiled to help you find support. Methods, pricing, and availability change, so please research what fits your dog and your situation best.

Keep exploring

General pet care

Free training guides, behavior help, and more.

The 3-3-3 rule

What to expect as a rescue dog settles in.

Community resources

More resources for pet owners.