Last Updated on January, 2025
Dog training isn’t easy, and becoming the best at it is a tough nut to crack; that does not mean the teeth can’t be pulled.
After quite a bit of research, we’ve come up with what we think are the best dog trainers ever to step foot on this planet; if you want to know who they are, keep on reading.
Quick Summary
The 10 best dog trainers in the world include Ian Dunbar,Victoria Stilwell, Zak George, Brandon McMillan, Michael Ellis, Paul Owens, Cesar Millan, Adrienne Farricelli, Grisha Stewart & Martin Deeley.
All 10 trainers focus on positive reinforcement-based training methods and stress-free training techniques.
Each trainer has their own unique background and specialties, and they offer various online courses and resources for dog training.
The Top 10 Best Dog Trainers in the World
1. Ian Dunbar
Dr. Ian Dunbar is not only a well-respected expert in the dog training industry but also a veterinarian, writer, and animal behaviorist who holds a Ph.D. in animal behavior.
He is an expert in the realm of modern psychological dog training and behavior counseling fields, and he is also known as the ‘Father of Modern Dog Training’.
The first ever famous dog training video, which is also the all-time best-selling dog video, ‘The SIRIUS Puppy Training Video,’ was produced by him.
Dr. Dunbar also developed the very first SIRIUS puppy training classes.
His unique reward-based training methods and off-leash training techniques have been acting as a better alternative to inane leash pulling.
Techniques from SIRIUS are being followed and adapted by many dog trainers across the world.
He also founded (the APDT) Association of Pet Dog Trainers in 1993, which is also the largest dog trainer association in the world. It allows the training associates to meet, network, and learn from one another.
Dr. Dunbar and his family continue to help dog parents with various dog breeds worldwide, even today.
They offer face-to-face puppy dog training and online dog training courses.
For his dog training, go to Dunbar Academy.
We’ve reviewed his course on our website. Here’s Ian Dunbar’s Top Dog Academy Course Review.
2. Victoria Stilwell
Victoria Stilwell is a certified dog trainer who is a positive training expert and an author.
She is best known as the star of the international hit TV series; It’s Me or the Dog.
She is the CEO of the Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training (VSPDT) which is a network of dog trainers, and also the founder and president of the Victoria Stilwell Academy (VSA) for Positive Dog Training and Behavior Modification.
She doesn’t believe in punishment training.
She only promotes positive reinforcement-based dog training methods. She believes the owner and their puppy must establish a relationship with love and respect.
The staff of Victoria’s VSA faculty are professional trainers in the topic they teach and meet her high standards for teaching the program with the same positive reinforcement philosophy.
Victoria has won many awards for the help and service she provided in the rehabilitation of several dogs.
Check out her latest book, “The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Puppy,” which was published in the UK by Hamlyn.
Go to vsdogtrainingacademy.com to check out her courses on dog training and how to become a dog trainer.
She also runs positively.com, where she shares short and straightforward information for those willing to learn about dogs.
3. Zak George
Zak George is a Youtube broadcast personality and a celebrity dog trainer.
Zak has also produced and starred in two of his own dog training TV shows – “SuperFetch” on Animal Planet and “Who Let The Dogs Out?” on BBC.
He still holds the title of the most subscribed dog trainer on Youtube.
His dog training revolution channel on youtube is the choice of many for those who want to bring a positive behavioral change in their dog.
He advocates positive reinforcement dog training and has built his reputation by teaching people to connect with their dogs in ways never known before.
Zak is a favorite among many dog owners as they find his creative way of teaching and his high energy interesting. He makes even the complicated techniques easy to understand, flashy, energy-packed, and concise.
To access his website, Go to this link. You can also subscribe to his youtube channel to view energy-packed, flashy, and helpful dog training videos.
4. Robin James
Robin James, founder of Master Dog, is the ultimate puppy whisperer and celebrity dog trainer.
Using personally developed, unique sign and sound training techniques, his puppy courses and legendary residential puppy boot camps have delivered hundreds of impeccably behaved, well-socialised, house-trained dogs and even more delighted dog owners.
Robin is also a specialist puppy finder, working with leading ethical breeders and providing comprehensive DNA health-checks to help you and your family find the perfect pre-trained pup.
A regular contributor on GB News as their go-to dog expert, you can also listen to Robins’ wealth of knowledge and expertise via his regular podcasts on Apple and Spotify and watch his range of helpful dog training tips on Instagram and Facebook.
Get in touch with Robin today or book a consultation for first-class, fast-track puppy training, puppy boot camp, or puppy finding.
Dedicated to finding and training the perfect puppy for you!
5. Michael Ellis
Michael Ellis is a reputed dog trainer and teacher with over 30 years of experience in companion dog training and competitive dog sports.
He has taught various groups of trainers, from police departments, competitive sports trainers, the US military, and service dog trainer agencies, to search and rescue groups and also for pet dog trainers worldwide.
His clear, concise, and patient style of training has made him one of the most popular coaches of trainers in the world.
If you wish to join the class or learn more about Michael Ellis, you may visit this website. You can choose either online or physical classes. You can also watch some of his free dog training videos and read testimonials on the website.
6. Paul Owens
Paul Owens, also famously known as the “Original Dog Whisperer,” has been a positive and non-violent training expert for over 45 years.
He is also the best-selling author of the book “The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate Non-violent Approach To Dog Training,” which has been rated a ‘classic’ and sold over 35000 copies around the world.
He has also produced and is featured on three Dog whisperer DVDs.
His DVDs and books are translated and sold worldwide. Many dog trainers use the DVD version, saying that it is the best guide to a pet’s basic training.
He focuses on stress-free training methods for dogs. Stress management methods for dog owners are also taught as a part of his class to foster a healthy relationship between you and your dog.
He offers both one on one and group training classes. He also runs a blog and Youtube Channel sharing solutions on behavior modification, nutrition, health, communication issues, and trick training.
Paul Owens is also certified by the Pet Professional Guild And Professional Canine Trainer-Accredited through The Pet Professional Accreditation Board.
Visit this link to check out his website and join his one-on-one or group dog training classes.
7. Cesar Millan
Cesar Milan is a famous Mexican-American dog behavior expert with over 25 years of experience. He is one of the best dog trainers ever known.
His “Dog Whisperer” program produced from 2004 to 2012 was nominated for an Emmy.
He is also the best-selling author of ‘The New York Times’ and has his own line of DVDs and dog products under the Cesar Millan brand.
Prior to his Dog Whisperer series, Cesar Millan rehabilitated any severely aggressive dogs.
He founded a rehabilitation complex- the Dog Psychology Center in East Los Angeles, which he later moved to California. There he provides expertise for problems that are extremely tough to handle.
Millan has helped millions of dog owners via books, seminars, and live TV by providing simple tips and solutions for several dog problems.
Although his TV programs are centered on the rehabilitation of canine behavior, he simultaneously teaches the dog owner the dog handling philosophy.
Along with his wife, he founded the Cesar Millan Foundation, which was later called the ‘Cesar Millan PACK Project’ in order to provide financial support to animal shelters and organizations engaged in rescuing, re-homing, and rehabilitating abandoned and abused animals.
He believes that a dog owner must play the role of a calm assertive pack leader and provide a lot of exercises. He says that the dogs are happier and calm when they trust their leader. Otherwise, the dog will get confused and act in anti-social ways.
Millan uses unique vocal marks, gestures, and body language to communicate with dogs rather than the dog’s name or speech, as he believes that dogs sense, understand, and even respond to a person’s energy rather than his speech.
‘Cesar’s Way; The Natural Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems’ is a book written by him that is about his life and ideas about training dogs.
Cesar Millan repeatedly reminds people to only try new methods on their dogs with professional help.
To access his course, click on this link. You can also reach him on Youtube at Cesarsway.
Also you can checkout the famous halo collar, founded by Cesar Millan.
8. Adrienne Farricelli
Adrienne Farricelli is a CPDT-KA certified dog behavior consultant and a professional dog trainer.
She has trained dogs for over 10 years and has been helping dog owners to eliminate any bad dog behavior from their pets.
She has trained service dogs for military veterans and has also been helping to train dogs to behave well and be obedient.
She also teaches dog owners to bring out the ‘hidden talents’ in their little pooch.
Her insight into dog-owner relationships has appeared in dog magazines such as ‘E-how, Daily Puppy, and USA today’.
Adrienne has also authored an online brain training course for dogs which is known as the ‘Brain training for dogs’. It is an inexpensive but high-rated course with training programs that help dog lovers to beat behavioral and any other issues in their loving dogs.
This program is a Force Free Training program that could increase your dog’s thinking and intelligence capacity without the use of any intimidating techniques. It could also increase your dog’s temperament and the bond between you and your pet.
You can visit this link to access her course details and join the course.
Read our Brain Training For Dogs Review.
9. Grisha Stewart
Grisha Stewart is a professional dog trainer, author, and international speaker who has spoken at dog seminars worldwide. She is based in Oregon, USA.
She specializes in dog reactivity and canine empowerment. She is the founder of Ahimsa Dog Training in Seattle in 2003, which has earned many awards, including Best of Seattle and Best of Western Washington.
‘Ahimsa’ is a Buddhist doctrine for non-violence on all living things, which shows Grisha’s focus on force-free training methods for the well-being of dogs and their owners.
She is an avid, innovative, and entertaining presenter as she creates seminars that provide a variety of learning styles. She also provides dog training and behavior seminars worldwide and online.
Her training method provides various scientific learning principles in order to serve for different canine behavior, including aggressive dog training. Her training focuses on the health of the whole family life.
‘Behavior Adjustment Training: BAT for Aggression, Reactivity and Fear in Dogs’ and the latest ‘The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual: A Practical Force-Free Guide to Problem Solving and Manners’ are two of her books which come in handy for both rehabilitating and dog training.
The (BAT) – Behavior Adjustment Training developed by Grisha helps build social skills for puppies and re-educate dog behaviors like reactivity issues.
For family dog training or reactive dog training, you could choose Grisha Stewart, a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Dog Trainer.
Visit this website to join her online school.
10. Martin Deeley
Martin Deeley is an internationally renowned and certified trainer of gun dogs and behaviorally challenged dogs and has been recognized for 35 years for his work in various fields of dog training. He is also an author.
He is the founder of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP), which is an organization for dog professionals.
Their objective is to increase the professionalism of the professional groups that work with dogs.
Martin has acted as an Advisor and Consultant for Cesar Millan since 2008. Their common goal is to achieve a successful man-dog relationship based on a balanced life for dogs and their owners.
Martin is also the founder of the Florida Dog Trainer. He focuses on training dogs to reinforce healthy behaviors on and off-leash. The Florida dog training center offers one-on-one training and boarding while training programs.
He is also an American Ambassador for the Animal Foundation Platform. He has also obtained many awards for training military dogs and was even named by Gun and Garden Magazine as one of South East USA’s top six Gun Dog Trainers.
Click on the following link to join his program.
Want To Train Your Dog?
All of the dog trainers above have their own dog training center and online dog training programs, but one thing is for certain, none of that is cheap except for one, Adrienne Farricelli’s ”Brain Training For Dogs” which comes in at $47.
If you have an untrained pup and are looking for a good dog training program, I’d say it is one of the best online dog training programs on the internet.
But even if that seems too high for you, K9 Training Institute (K9ti) is the way to go. This is a FREE online training program put together by two well-known trainers: Dr. Alexa Diaz (Ph.D. in animal behavior) and Eric Presnall (host of Animal Planet TV show “Who Let the Dogs Out”).
Even though not on this list, both are two great dog trainers who know their stuff. For a free dog training program, K9ti is stacked; it contains:
- Potty training techniques to teach your dog to relieve outside.
- Techniques to put an end to unwanted barking.
- Leash Training and tips to stop pulling.
- Obedience commands like ”COME” when called.
- Techniques to help your dog avoid distractions
And so much more!
Not many paid programs offer this much content; this is great. Plus, everything is easy to follow too, even for a beginner. So if you want a good training program, this is an excellent starting point.
Final Words
So there you have it, the best in the business. These are all the trainers we think are the best at what they do. Let us know if you agree or disagree with our picks, along with who you think is the best according to you.
That’s it from us, and sorry if we’ve missed out on your favorite trainer.
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