10 Popular Dog Trainers in St. Louis, MO

There are a lot of dog trainers in St. Louis and its surrounding areas. Making the decision on which is the best one for your purposes is hard, especially since they all seem to have different training techniques. Thankfully, we have done the research to break down the different benefits of the top dog trainers.

For how many dog trainers there are in the area, there are few trainers within the St. Louis city limits. However, there are plenty of options that are just a short drive from the city. Of the facilities we listed below, none are more than an hour’s drive away.

10 Popular Dog Trainers in St. Louis, MIssouri

1. Petropolis

• Website: http://www.petropolis.com/

• Address: 16830 Chesterfield Airport Rd, Chesterfield, MO 63005

• Phone: (877) 738-9899

Hannelore Bugby and Dr. Paul Schifano run the family owned Petropolis Pet Resort. Their goal in opening their doors in 1988 was to create the first all-inclusive pet center in the country servicing every pet’s needs “all under one woof.” They pride themselves on having experienced, certified staff members.

The Petropolis Training School offers free training evaluations. This is meant to help the trainers get a feel for your dog and suggest a customized plan for reaching your training goals. Their philosophy is that every dog is unique, and to help them learn, you must cater your approach to their strengths.

2. The Watering Bowl

• Website: http://thewateringbowl.com/

• Address: 7409 S Lindbergh Blvd, St Louis, MO 63125

• Phone: (636) 692-6620

The Watering Bowl strongly promotes the socialization of dogs to encourage much-needed exercise and healthy interactions. For this reason, they seek to make environments conducive to pets gathering to play without leashes or cages.

The Watering Bowl’s main services are daycare and boarding, but they have several training classes, including a Stay & Train, puppy class, in-home training, intermediate class, and basic obedience. Tracy Pritchard, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, leads all of the classes.

3. No Leash Needed

• Website: http://www.noleashneeded.com/

• Address: 9330 Manchester Rd, Rock Hill, MO 63119

• Phone: (314) 395-5900

After dealing with her own personal pet struggles, Shannon M. began No Leash Needed Dog Training in 2007. She started looking for new training techniques after coming across several other trainers who used methods that did not work for her pup TJ.

No Leash Needed offers adult and puppy classes in three locations throughout the St. Louis area. They provide group classes, private lessons, in-home availability, flexible scheduling, dog day training to fit your hours, and much more.

4. The Dog House

• Website: http://www.doghouseinc.com/

• Address: 6701 Antire Rd, High Ridge, MO 63049

• Phone: (636) 677-3131

All of the trainers at The Dog House have attended and been certified as Professional and Master Dog Trainers by the Tom Rose School and graduated at the top of their classes. Dave Van Garderen and Jacob Plascencia are the main trainers.

The Dog House believes that the way a dog behaves depends on how you interact with them. They teach that a dog’s behavior is related to your ability to understand and implement the three training principles: consistency, motivation, and timing. This forms the basis for all of their training classes.

5. Kennelwood Pet Resorts

• Website: http://www.kennelwood.com/

• Address: 2008 Kratky Rd, St Louis, MO 63114

• Phone: (314) 429-2100

Kennelwood Pet Resorts has several locations throughout the metropolitan St. Louis area. They were originally founded in 1974 by Donald Danforth Jr., the grandson of Purina founder William H. Danforth. Their mascot is a cute black lab named Woody, who likes to write about the boarding experience.

Kennelwood strives to give pet parents the skills and knowledge needed to effectively communicate with their dogs. The help owners manage problems like getting on furniture, jumping, disobeying commands, pulling on the leash, and barking uncontrollably.

6. Rosie’s Doggie Day Care and More

• Website: http://www.rosiesdoggiedaycare.com/

• Address: 6012 Telegraph Rd, St Louis, MO 63129

• Phone: (314) 293-9889

As the name suggests, Rosie’s Doggie Day Care and More is much more than just a training school. They offer grooming, walking, spa, and daycare services as well. Their staff has years of dog handling experience, and they advertise that they are dog behavior experts.

Rosie’s offers several levels of private and group lessons as well as day training. The training sessions begin with a consultation where the trainer finds out your dog’s history and your desired goals for the training. Once the sessions are complete, you will have access to continued email support.

7. Baxter’s K-9 Complex

• Website: http://www.baxtersk9complex.com/

• Address: 2901 South Old Highway 94, St Peters, MO 66376

• Phone: (636) 939-3000

Baxter’s K-9 Complex was founded by Tony Lampert. From an early age, he began working with pets, opening his first business, Pets Etc., right after he graduated from high school. The namesake for the facility is Tony’s Belgian Malinois, Baxter, who has won several Iron Dog titles.

The Sit Means Sit dog training program is offered at Baxter’s. Their mission is to supply training programs that result in confident, obedient, and happy dogs. They want you to be able to call your dog and be rewarded with instant obedience, walk your dog off leash, be in charge, and more.

8. WestInn Kennels

• Website: http://www.westinnkennels.com/

• Address: 7333 Weldon Springs Rd, Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368

• Phone: (636) 441-8948

WestInn Kennels also goes by the names of "Everything Under One Woof" at their Wentzville location and K9 Bed n' Breakfast. Their specialty is boarding, but they also provide daycare, grooming, training and sell a variety of products.

WestInn Kennels approaches their dog training with the philosophy that pets should be trained with positive reinforcement and love. They offer over a dozen different classes from Puppy Preschool to competition-level agility classes. They have private lessons, day training, and board and train.

9. K-9 Pack Leader

• Website: http://k9packleader.com/

• Address: 1445 Becker Rd, Arnold, MO 63010

• Phone: (314) 660-5316

K-9 Pack Leader has the stated mission of aiming to reduce the number of dogs euthanized due to the owner's lack of knowledge of how to control their dog. They believe there are better options for furry companions than giving them up to high-kill shelters.

K-9 Pack Leader seeks to teach a whole host of skills, including obedience training, master walking your dog, service dog training, behavior modification, strengthening bonds, family protection, bed bug and drug detection, and animal rehabilitation.

10. Helping Hounds Training

• Website: http://helpinghoundstraining.com/

• Address: 26 Jason Ct, St Charles, MO 63304

• Phone: (314) 369-6557

Helping Hounds Training serves St. Louis and St. Charles Counties with their force free training. They choose this method of training because they aim to develop strong relationships between dogs and their owners. They have used this technique to teach thousands of dogs not to jump, pull on leashes, or chew.

The head trainer and owner of Helping Hounds is Erin Wigginton, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. After she adopted her female pit bull Ava in 2005, Erin’s training philosophy changed drastically as she went from traditional methods to the clicker training.