Local Dog Trainers in Richmond, VA

It has been pleasure meeting you Matt for home assessment it was wonderful experience and we are looking forward to start regular training.

I absolutely believe we have the best trainer, Matt. He has come into our home and won the trust of our 10 month old GSD, Bocephus. It’s amazing the transformation we have witnessed by Matt’s training. Not only is Bocephus retaining what he has taught him, Matt, has taught us how to understand our dog as well. So, if you are reading the reviews to make sure this is the place for your dogs, then please trust in this company!! Best decision we have ever made!! Matt is THE BEST!!!

We had our consult with Matt today for our puppy. He was very organized and helpful. We discussed a plan for our dog and I’m very excited to select a program and begin training! The whole process has been simple and straight forward. We also met and worked with Paul during our process. He was great to work with and our puppy is really catching on well to the training!

Excellent information for my introductory meeting. Would trust working with him!

When we started working with Paul at Dog Training Elite, our newly adopted one-year-old German Shepherd, Wyatt, was not leash trained, had tons of energy, and just about knocked us over when he jumped on us. If Wyatt saw another dog while we tried to walk him, he barked and lunged like crazy, and it was tough to hold him back. He's a big boy! He wasn't aggressive but just wanted to play with other dogs, and he made it known. After we started lessons in our home with Paul, we saw the difference immediately. By the fifth lesson, Wyatt's leash walking improved significantly, and he learned and followed the place, sit, down, heel, and off commands. Now, we can walk him anywhere and he does an amazing job. Other dogs, kids playing, and wild rabbits are still triggers for him, but it's easy to get him back in the zone with all the training we learned to apply with him. Yes, Paul trained us too! 😊 We have graduated to group lessons with other dogs, which Wyatt loves. Below is a picture of Wyatt in the place command, on a platform, in group training. We are so thankful to Paul for showing us how to train Wyatt. It has given us so much freedom to know we can take him for walks and do so many things we couldn't before because he is a pretty well-behaved dog now. 100% worth every penny!

Matt was excellent! I am hoping to contract them to help train my greyhound to be a service animal. Fingers crossed!

Very kind and very knowledgeable with my dog! Great customer service and we so glad we made the right choice to pick Dog Training Elite! Matt is the best!!!!

Matt did a great job explaining how the training will work and what to expect. Looking forward to begin training with him!

We enjoyed the visit.

We have just recently had our 5th class with Dog Training Elite of Richmond and Matt has been great to work with. As I have an older dog, his body tires out faster than his brain… Matt gave me ideas on activities/things I can teach my dog to tire out his brain. He’s been patient and offered a wealth of knowledge on the importance of confidence building with my reactive dog. I’m am looking forward to the day that we can easily to regular dog things: walk around other dogs, go to the park, hike a trail, walk Cary street, go to the pet expo, and maybe even run the lure course at the pet expo! I’m hopeful that sometime we’ll be able to these things soon!!

Matt was professional, nice, and knowledgeable at our free home assessment for my dog Butch! I'm excited to start scheduling training sessions to help with Butch's separation anxiety behaviors and basic training. Thanks Matt!

Very informative, knowledgeable with dog training and puppies behavior, learning tips for puppy, training programs and payment plans are available with ease. All in all a pleasant visit and looking forward to participating in a training program.

Paul was a pleasure to work with! He helped bring structure into myself & my dog’s life which has substantially improved her behavior & willingness to obey! He was so patient with her & helped me adapt & learn how to take control back over my home. I would recommend he & his business to everyone! The training techniques they use are beyond effective & I saw improvements in as little as 2 sessions.

Matt Perales gave an interesting and persuasive presentation; and I have no doubt that he would have helped me to train my dog very well. The ONLY reason that I didn't sign up for training right then and there is because Dog Training Elite uses electronic collars during their training sessions. As Matt explained, only very low settings are used except in cases of dogs who know what the commands are and the dog is refusing to obey. But I don't want to use any amount of aversive conditioning to train my dog. Thank you for coming out to see us, Matt.

Matt gave so much information and I appreciated it.

Matt was very professional, assessed quietly with great observations. Took his time quietly getting to know teddy's personality. Was very honest and fair in his explanation of assessment. Explained program very thoroughly. I would feel very comfortable and confident with Matt guiding us through the process.

I've only had an assessment session with Matt, but it was great! I might be seeing what i want to see, but my dog was more calm and her behavior was better for the rest of the day after meeting with him!

Matt is great with both Mercy our GSD and her two humans. Calm, steady, thorough - he teaches all of us with clear instruction and walk-through, then guides us through hands on work with her. She really loves him and is "getting it". Thanks Matt!

Dog Training Elite did wonders for our dog, Charlie! We thought he was untrainable, but Paul worked his magic, and it's like we have a new and improved pooch! Thank you, Paul!

Paul is such a caring and knowledgeable trainer. I have a difficult dog and Paul is very patient and helpful. Highly recommend.