​​​About Us  ​

Get to know us 

A soon-to-be psychiatric service dog (PSD) socializing with children in a classroom setting!

Dog's Downtown takes pride in its trainers and their proven training methods and strict ethics. We use balanced training skewed towards positive reinforcement training methods, including praise, treat, and toy or life rewards as reinforcement.
 With every new client we will have an initial consultation session in which our trainers will discuss YOU and YOUR dog's specific needs, because we know that not all dogs can be trained the same way. Dogs are individuals and it is important that their training sessions are tailored to what will work best for them. Each of our trainers are experienced in working with a variety of different types of dogs-- different
ages, breeds, and quirks. 

Our focus is on training dogs that will be good citizens in the home and out in the world, off and on-leash, whether that be as a pet, a therapy dog, or a service dog.  The foundation for well behaved dogs is helping owners understand what their dog needs and is trying to communicate to them with their body language and behavior.  Our trainers' proven methods focus on educating the owners and the dogs so that they can have a better relationship and reach their training goals! 

Dog's Downtown is a certified facility for:  
 American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluations
Therapy Pets Unlimited Evaluations

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See What Our Clients Are Saying!

"Wonderful trainers, great dog supplies, excellent source of sound advice!(Full Review) -Elizabeth

"I am so happy we found Dogs Downtown...(Full review) -Helen

"I love this place!...(Full Review)"-Jayson

"This place is wonderful!...(Full Review)"-Katlyn 

"Very professional and knowledgeable trainers...(Full Review)."-Jed

Read our 180+ 5 star reviews on Google!

​You can reach us by phone, email, online form, or
WhatsApp Messenger!​

Call 703- 463-2188

Book online!

WhatsApp Message!

Meet our Trainers: 

Leah​
​Director of Training Services​

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 ​​Leah has 25+ years of experience in business management working with fortune 500 companies as a management consultant and has developed Human Resource programs for large multi-national companies.  Her love of dogs has been lifelong and she has helped develop service dog training programs to help people with disabilities for her entire working career.  She is a Master trainer with tremendous insight into dog behavior and how they interact with people with unique mental and physical needs.  Her strong leadership skills and insight into the dog and human relationship is the bedrock of our training program​ ​

She is a certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator ​

Sophia 
Head Trainer - ​CCDTK; CPDT-KA

​​Sophia has studied extensively in animal behavioral theory, with a focus on mitigating communication between humans and canines Her specialty is evaluating, selecting and training service dogs for disabled individuals.  She has ~10 years of professional training experience working on Basic and Advanced Obedience, Behavioral Modification (with a focus on fear based behaviors), Therapy Dog and Service Dog development. Currently she has two German Shepherd dogs-- Liesel, and Sira! 

She is a certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator & Therapy Pet Evaluator

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Alexa
Master Trainer - ​CPDT-KA 

Alexa is a Master Trainer with extensive experience working one-on-one with people teaching them how best to communciate with their canine best friends. She has always loved animals and pursued her passion first in 4-h clubs then by reading everything she could get her hands on and eventually training her childhood dog, Callie, as a therapy dog. From there she spent years as a groomer and daycare supervisor, then a competition obedience club, until she became a full trainer with specialty in fearful and reactive dog behavioral modification as Rally Obedience and Trick Training. Her special interest is in Service Dogs and she has had a Service Dog herself since 2013. Currently she has three dogs- Rajaka her 5 year old Doberman Service Dog, Dorothy- a mini Dachsund pup- and Shadow, a 9 year old German Shepherd Dog!

Sean
​Master Trainer CPDT-KA

After an enduring love of dogs since getting a childhood dog at 5 years old- Zoey a black lab- Sean has developed his skills by volunteering in rescue shelters, working in boarding kennels, and eventually studying to receive his CPDT-KA certification. Since transitioning to full-time training 3+ years ago, he has garnered extensive experience with basic, intermediate, and off-leash advanced obedience training and holds a special interest in behavioral modification for fearful and reactive dogs as well as in Service Dog task training and development.  Currently he has only one dog- an adult German Shepherd named Kylo!

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​Individualized Training Program

At Dog's Downtown, we use balanced training methods with a focus on using positive reinforcement methods to get the best results for every dog. This means that we use a variety of different rewards to get a response from the dog. A good reward is different for every dog though-- sometimes it's a ball, a praising voice, a tummy rub, or a dog treat! Every dog is different and so we tailor every  training plan to what motivates your dog. There is no such thing as a one size fits all approach to successful training, but all of our training approaches center around one main concept:a dog will learn best if the training program is individualized based on the dog and your goals!

​Benefits of Training for your Dog:

• Improved Communication Between Dog and Owner
• A Stronger Bond
• ​Long-lasting Obedience Results
• ​Useful for ALL Types of dogs- pets, therapy dogs, service dogs​
• Gives Your Dog an Outlet for His Energy
• Fun and Engaging for the Whole Family

Contact us for more information!