An aggressive dog reacting - get professional reactive dog training in Grand Rapids, MI from Dog Training Elite.

Professional

Fearful & Reactive Dog Training

Dog Training Elite West Michigan

Request Free Assessment


Request Free Assessment


Our Reactive Dog Training Could Help:

Reduce fear-based reactions
Manage leash reactivity
Improve focus in distracting environments
Build confidence around other dogs
Minimize aggressive tendencies
Teach calm behavior in public
Strengthen trust with owner
Enhance socialization skills

Dog Training Elite

The Best Grand Rapids Reactive Dog Trainers

Fear and reactivity in dogs can lead to stress and aggression, making daily life difficult for you and your dog. The Dog Training Elite team works to desensitize dogs to their triggers through controlled exposure and consistent training.

Our fearful and reactive dog training in Grand Rapids, MI is customized to meet your dog’s needs, helping them become more relaxed in environments that previously triggered anxiety or aggression. By focusing on gradual exposure and rewarding calm behavior, we help your dog gain the skills they need to handle stress more effectively.

In addition to desensitization, we provide tools and techniques for you to manage your dog’s reactive behavior issues at home. This includes strategies for handling sudden triggers, electronic collar training, and creating a more predictable routine that minimizes anxiety.

Contact us today to learn how we can support you and your dog!

See Training Packages

Get Your Free Assessment

You and your canine companion really can have it all. See how easy it can be to become a member of the elite pup society by requesting a free consultation today!

Additional Behavioral Training

Dog Training Elite West Michigan - Grand Rapids Dog Socialization Classes. DTE
Socialization
Dog Training Elite West Michigan - Stop Puppy Biting in Grand Rapids, MI. DTE
Biting
Dog Training Elite West Michigan - Destructive Chewing and Digging Training in Grand Rapids, MI
Destructive Chewing & Digging
Dog Training Elite West Michigan - Separation Anxiety Training for Dogs in Grand Rapids, MI. DTE
Separation Anxiety
Dog Training Elite West Michigan - Excessive Barking Training in Grand Rapids, MI. DTE
Excessive Barking
Dog Training Elite West Michigan - Staying and Coming Training in Grand Rapids, MI. DTE
Staying & Coming
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Stealing Food, Clothing, or Other Objects
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Resource Guarding
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Food Guarding & Begging
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Mouthing, Nipping & Rough Play
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Anxiety & Submissive Urination
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Jumping Up & Hyperactivity
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Excessive Licking
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Leashing
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Escaping
Dog Training Elite West Michigan -
Heeling
Dog Training Elite West Michigan - Dog & Puppy Potty Trainer in Grand Rapids, MI. DTE
Potty Training
A group of dogs being trained by the expert team at Dog Training Elite West Michigan.
Dog Training Elite West Michigan light star icon.

Educate, Empower, Elevate, Elite

Victory Begins With Elite Education

Hear From Our Customers

Learn Why Dog owners choose Dog Training Elite

  • Mary N
    May. 8, 2025
    Carrie has been great to work with It took some getting used to her approach but it works!I highly recommend Dog Training Elite West Michigan. Mary Nalbach
  • Elise VanDyken
    May. 6, 2025
    Carrie's expertise was so appreciated We needed to get our black lab that was adopted at age 3 to learn to heel on walks. Fantastic coaching!! Rocky will be great on a leash because of her.
  • Julie Schmuker
    Apr. 24, 2025
    Carrie has been absolutely amazing with my girls. We saw an immediate improvement in their focus and attitude after the first meeting. I never knew my girls were so smart and eager to learn. Thank you Carrie for helping us keep our little stubborn one. What you have taught us and them has truly transformed the way we all interact.
  • Ann-Marie Ellis
    Apr. 17, 2025
    Would HIGHLY recommend Dog Training Elite! We have worked with Carrie and are so impressed with her knowledge, professionalism, and care. She has been invaluable in teaching us how to best train our dog. She makes a point to understand our family and home so she can best help us to train our dog effectively. We have already seen such gains with our dog (that is only 6 months old). We are so grateful for Dog Training Elite.
  • amber deneen
    Apr. 15, 2025
    We have been working with Carrie for a few weeks now and are seeing some very positive results! The e-collar is an excellent tool to communicate with our dog and has helped us with some frustrations. Carrie is very knowledgeable and patient with us. In a positive way, she has brought to our attention things we were doing as owners that weren't so helpful. I have enjoyed the in home training session because I am able to learn the commands first hand. This type of personalized training has helped me gain more confidenc. I am looking forward to group training soon and learning more!
  • jodi morton
    Apr. 9, 2025
    We are so thankful for Carrie and her expertise! We contacted Carrie once we were at our wits end with our 6 month old puppy who had separation anxiety and aggression. She helped us feel more in control and she gave us tools to help our puppy (and us!) feel successful! Carrie is a life saver!
  • Heidi Maroney
    Mar. 23, 2025
    We trained with Carrie about 8 months ago. The website said she was good with training dogs with anxiety and aggression. This was why we hired her. We have 2 rescue dogs. Our youngest had a lot of anxiety and was acting aggressively. Challenge was she wasn't even a year old and we wanted to help train the fear and aggression out of her. Unfortunately, when they were tired they got into a fight. My husband put his hand in-between them and was bitten. This was NOT a normal thing and it has not happened again. As expensive as the training was, we couldn't complete the socialization group classes because she insisted we put a muzzle on her. We tried and the amount of anxiety, fear and aggression increased with the muzzle. So we couldn't go to the classes. We have been socializing her and she LOVES people now. She shows zero aggression and is no longer so fearful! The tools the trainer used were good and we are still using them. I am only doing this review so other dog parents dont try to use this company for anxiety and aggression training. What worked is a lot of love, using the buttons and keeping them from rough housing when playing. The buttons work however we now just have to show them we are about to button them for them to do exactly what we ask them to. They do seem to understand English! So in a lot of ways this training gave us some great tools. Socialization has happened on lots of walks and the vet. They sit before meeting anyone and are doing really well. Just keep in mind the suggestion for muzzles for aggressive dogs with anxiety. The pictures below are our dogs. The youngest one is the one thinking she is a cat!
  • Timothy Ellis
    Mar. 21, 2025
    Carrie has been amazing to work with, and we have seen incredible results with our Golden Retriever (Moose). We started working with Dog Training Elite West Michigan when Moose was a puppy. My wife is new to dog ownership and Carrie gave us tips and training that made even the puppy stage a blast. We are now training with the e-collar, and seeing incredible results. I'll be honest I was initially skeptical because I figured e-collar meant shock training. This is completely different, the e-collar serves more as gentle nudge to each command, not a shock for punishment. We all even tested the feeling of the e-collar as a family prior to using. I appreciate Carrie's professionalism, and highly recommend Dog Training Elite West Michigan.
  • Vanessa Walstra
    Feb. 23, 2025
    We have had such a positive experience with Carrie and Dog Training Elite! They have been helpful and patient and clearly love the animals they work with and believe in the work they are doing.
  • Britt Barnett
    Feb. 21, 2025
    Carrie is the best! We have two dogs. One is seven years old and one is three months old. She started training them at the same time and it’s made a world of difference after just three sessions!
  • Kent Walstra
    Feb. 20, 2025
    I’ve been very impressed with Ozzy’s progress. He loves working with his trainer, and he’s eager to learn and practice new tasks—largely because of what he and my daughter are learning together. This has been a very good choice for our family.
  • Samantha Goodwin
    Feb. 20, 2025
    I am so thankful to have found Dog Training Elite. Their unique training approach has been a perfect fit for us. I am always impressed by the passion, dedication and progress in our sessions. Eloise is already such a well behaved member of our family and will one day be a great therapy dog. Highly recommended this company!
  • AJ Walstra
    Feb. 7, 2025
    This training has been absolute gold! What I’m learning about training my dog and, maybe more importantly, communicating and working with my dog, is truly priceless.
  • Sally Jo Klokkert
    Dec. 19, 2024
    Carrie was so kind and patient with my girl Billy and I. I’m so happy and proud of the progress we have made and would HIGHLY recommend dog training elite west Michigan to anyone
  • Sally Jo Klokkert
    Dec. 19, 2024
    Carrie was so kind and patient with my girl Billy and I. I’m so happy and proud of the progress we have made and would HIGHLY recommend dog training elite west Michigan to anyone
  • sally klokkert
    Dec. 19, 2024
    I’m a 62 year old woman who rescued a beautiful black and tan on hound. She is as strong as a bull and sweet as pie. She pulled me to my knees to many times to count and when guest came over she would almost knock them over with affection.i needed help and a friend found elite training for me. I signed up and with some training myself and a little help with my dog my dog is a well behaved love who will stay put until I give the command. Carrie worked miracles at showing my pup and myself who we could be. 💜
  • sally klokkert
    Dec. 19, 2024
    I’m a 62 year old woman who rescued a beautiful black and tan on hound. She is as strong as a bull and sweet as pie. She pulled me to my knees to many times to count and when guest came over she would almost knock them over with affection.i needed help and a friend found elite training for me. I signed up and with some training myself and a little help with my dog my dog is a well behaved love who will stay put until I give the command. Carrie worked miracles at showing my pup and myself who we could be. 💜
  • Melissa Weining
    Dec. 12, 2024
    We have been blessed with a few wonderful dogs as family pets. But in September we had the opportunity to get a Belgian Malinois puppy, Dakota. She is a joy, but we knew that for her to reach her full potential as our pet, we would need professional help. Carrie and Dog Training Elite West Michigan have been a tremendous help and Dakota is making amazing progress! With each training session we see growth and discipline in Dakota's behavior. My husband and I agree it is money very well spent for our furry companion! Dog Training Elite is convenient, professional, knowledgeable, and all around fantastic!! Carrie takes her job very serious for the sake of our dog and our family, and has exceeded all of our expectations!!
  • Kylie Kamppinen
    Dec. 10, 2024
    Carrie with Dog Training Elite has been absolutely wonderful. My silver Labrador retriever named Opal is so well trained. She has helped us through all of the hard puppy stages. I have gotten so many compliments on how well behaved my dog is and it is all thanks to Carrie.
  • Christy Moore Greenman
    Nov. 13, 2024
    Our puppy has officially graduated from Dog Training Elite West Michigan! Investing in Carrie and her training techniques was the best choice I could have made! We welcomed our puppy into our home with the hopes of him becoming a therapy dog at my school. He has learned so much with Carrie! Although therapy dog training will start a little bit later, we finally enjoy walking him and having people over without him jumping on everyone! If you’ve ever thought about investing in training for your own dog(s), I would highly recommend Carrie.
  • Mary N
    May. 8, 2025
    Carrie has been great to work with It took some getting used to her approach but it works!I highly recommend Dog Training Elite West Michigan. Mary Nalbach
  • Elise VanDyken
    May. 6, 2025
    Carrie's expertise was so appreciated We needed to get our black lab that was adopted at age 3 to learn to heel on walks. Fantastic coaching!! Rocky will be great on a leash because of her.
  • Julie Schmuker
    Apr. 24, 2025
    Carrie has been absolutely amazing with my girls. We saw an immediate improvement in their focus and attitude after the first meeting. I never knew my girls were so smart and eager to learn. Thank you Carrie for helping us keep our little stubborn one. What you have taught us and them has truly transformed the way we all interact.
  • Ann-Marie Ellis
    Apr. 17, 2025
    Would HIGHLY recommend Dog Training Elite! We have worked with Carrie and are so impressed with her knowledge, professionalism, and care. She has been invaluable in teaching us how to best train our dog. She makes a point to understand our family and home so she can best help us to train our dog effectively. We have already seen such gains with our dog (that is only 6 months old). We are so grateful for Dog Training Elite.
  • amber deneen
    Apr. 15, 2025
    We have been working with Carrie for a few weeks now and are seeing some very positive results! The e-collar is an excellent tool to communicate with our dog and has helped us with some frustrations. Carrie is very knowledgeable and patient with us. In a positive way, she has brought to our attention things we were doing as owners that weren't so helpful. I have enjoyed the in home training session because I am able to learn the commands first hand. This type of personalized training has helped me gain more confidenc. I am looking forward to group training soon and learning more!
  • jodi morton
    Apr. 9, 2025
    We are so thankful for Carrie and her expertise! We contacted Carrie once we were at our wits end with our 6 month old puppy who had separation anxiety and aggression. She helped us feel more in control and she gave us tools to help our puppy (and us!) feel successful! Carrie is a life saver!
  • Heidi Maroney
    Mar. 23, 2025
    We trained with Carrie about 8 months ago. The website said she was good with training dogs with anxiety and aggression. This was why we hired her. We have 2 rescue dogs. Our youngest had a lot of anxiety and was acting aggressively. Challenge was she wasn't even a year old and we wanted to help train the fear and aggression out of her. Unfortunately, when they were tired they got into a fight. My husband put his hand in-between them and was bitten. This was NOT a normal thing and it has not happened again. As expensive as the training was, we couldn't complete the socialization group classes because she insisted we put a muzzle on her. We tried and the amount of anxiety, fear and aggression increased with the muzzle. So we couldn't go to the classes. We have been socializing her and she LOVES people now. She shows zero aggression and is no longer so fearful! The tools the trainer used were good and we are still using them. I am only doing this review so other dog parents dont try to use this company for anxiety and aggression training. What worked is a lot of love, using the buttons and keeping them from rough housing when playing. The buttons work however we now just have to show them we are about to button them for them to do exactly what we ask them to. They do seem to understand English! So in a lot of ways this training gave us some great tools. Socialization has happened on lots of walks and the vet. They sit before meeting anyone and are doing really well. Just keep in mind the suggestion for muzzles for aggressive dogs with anxiety. The pictures below are our dogs. The youngest one is the one thinking she is a cat!
  • Timothy Ellis
    Mar. 21, 2025
    Carrie has been amazing to work with, and we have seen incredible results with our Golden Retriever (Moose). We started working with Dog Training Elite West Michigan when Moose was a puppy. My wife is new to dog ownership and Carrie gave us tips and training that made even the puppy stage a blast. We are now training with the e-collar, and seeing incredible results. I'll be honest I was initially skeptical because I figured e-collar meant shock training. This is completely different, the e-collar serves more as gentle nudge to each command, not a shock for punishment. We all even tested the feeling of the e-collar as a family prior to using. I appreciate Carrie's professionalism, and highly recommend Dog Training Elite West Michigan.
  • Vanessa Walstra
    Feb. 23, 2025
    We have had such a positive experience with Carrie and Dog Training Elite! They have been helpful and patient and clearly love the animals they work with and believe in the work they are doing.
  • Britt Barnett
    Feb. 21, 2025
    Carrie is the best! We have two dogs. One is seven years old and one is three months old. She started training them at the same time and it’s made a world of difference after just three sessions!
  • Kent Walstra
    Feb. 20, 2025
    I’ve been very impressed with Ozzy’s progress. He loves working with his trainer, and he’s eager to learn and practice new tasks—largely because of what he and my daughter are learning together. This has been a very good choice for our family.
  • Samantha Goodwin
    Feb. 20, 2025
    I am so thankful to have found Dog Training Elite. Their unique training approach has been a perfect fit for us. I am always impressed by the passion, dedication and progress in our sessions. Eloise is already such a well behaved member of our family and will one day be a great therapy dog. Highly recommended this company!
  • AJ Walstra
    Feb. 7, 2025
    This training has been absolute gold! What I’m learning about training my dog and, maybe more importantly, communicating and working with my dog, is truly priceless.
  • Sally Jo Klokkert
    Dec. 19, 2024
    Carrie was so kind and patient with my girl Billy and I. I’m so happy and proud of the progress we have made and would HIGHLY recommend dog training elite west Michigan to anyone
  • Sally Jo Klokkert
    Dec. 19, 2024
    Carrie was so kind and patient with my girl Billy and I. I’m so happy and proud of the progress we have made and would HIGHLY recommend dog training elite west Michigan to anyone
  • sally klokkert
    Dec. 19, 2024
    I’m a 62 year old woman who rescued a beautiful black and tan on hound. She is as strong as a bull and sweet as pie. She pulled me to my knees to many times to count and when guest came over she would almost knock them over with affection.i needed help and a friend found elite training for me. I signed up and with some training myself and a little help with my dog my dog is a well behaved love who will stay put until I give the command. Carrie worked miracles at showing my pup and myself who we could be. 💜
  • sally klokkert
    Dec. 19, 2024
    I’m a 62 year old woman who rescued a beautiful black and tan on hound. She is as strong as a bull and sweet as pie. She pulled me to my knees to many times to count and when guest came over she would almost knock them over with affection.i needed help and a friend found elite training for me. I signed up and with some training myself and a little help with my dog my dog is a well behaved love who will stay put until I give the command. Carrie worked miracles at showing my pup and myself who we could be. 💜
  • Melissa Weining
    Dec. 12, 2024
    We have been blessed with a few wonderful dogs as family pets. But in September we had the opportunity to get a Belgian Malinois puppy, Dakota. She is a joy, but we knew that for her to reach her full potential as our pet, we would need professional help. Carrie and Dog Training Elite West Michigan have been a tremendous help and Dakota is making amazing progress! With each training session we see growth and discipline in Dakota's behavior. My husband and I agree it is money very well spent for our furry companion! Dog Training Elite is convenient, professional, knowledgeable, and all around fantastic!! Carrie takes her job very serious for the sake of our dog and our family, and has exceeded all of our expectations!!
  • Kylie Kamppinen
    Dec. 10, 2024
    Carrie with Dog Training Elite has been absolutely wonderful. My silver Labrador retriever named Opal is so well trained. She has helped us through all of the hard puppy stages. I have gotten so many compliments on how well behaved my dog is and it is all thanks to Carrie.
  • Christy Moore Greenman
    Nov. 13, 2024
    Our puppy has officially graduated from Dog Training Elite West Michigan! Investing in Carrie and her training techniques was the best choice I could have made! We welcomed our puppy into our home with the hopes of him becoming a therapy dog at my school. He has learned so much with Carrie! Although therapy dog training will start a little bit later, we finally enjoy walking him and having people over without him jumping on everyone! If you’ve ever thought about investing in training for your own dog(s), I would highly recommend Carrie.