With a combined 130+ years*
of experience training and caring for dogs (and their people!), and more letters after our names than you can shake a bully stick at, we’ve got the expertise to make life with your dog easier.
* That’s no typo!
Puppy Classes
Puppy Classes
Start your puppy off on the right paw with our fun group puppy classes and Puppy Party socials focused on bringing you real-life results and relief.
Adolescent & Adult Dog Classes
Adolescent & Adult Dog Classes
From Basic and Intermediate through Sports, CGC and Tricks, our training classes are fun-filled experiences designed to get you results in real life, right where you need them most.
Day School and Board & Train
Day School and Board & Train
Let us be your partners. We’ll do the training for you, then show you how it’s done.
Private Dog Training
Private Dog Training
Get customized support to reach your dog training goals through private dog training sessions at our campus or in the convenience of your own home.
Nosework Classes
Nosework Classes
Put your dog’s sniffer to good use in this fast-growing dog sport. Nosework is easy to learn, helps build confidence and focus, and is a great fit for dogs of all ages, kinds, and sizes.
Daycare & Boarding
Daycare & Boarding
Not your typical dog daycare, our exclusive program carefully groups small numbers of dogs to maximize safety, fun, and individual attention for each dog.
Why WOOFS!
We’re experienced, professional dog trainers
We don’t just love dogs—we speak dog (and puppy, mutt, pooch, and hound). Our instructors are highly certified dog trainers with many years’ experience and a commitment to ongoing education in our field.
We use only science-based, dog-and-people friendly methods
In an unregulated industry we employ only the most up-to-date, humane, scientifically researched training methods. We want you feel good about how you (or we) get your training results, and how we care for your dog.
We’re not your typical training and daycare facility
No same-old, same-old here. At WOOFS! you’ll see we do just about everything differently. That’s because we believe in doing things the best they can be done, whether it’s training your dog, caring for him, or taking care of you.
We believe in real-life results
Whether it’s training classes, private training, or dog daycare we want you to see a difference with your puppy or dog at home, where it really counts—or anywhere else you choose to take your best friend.
The WOOFS! Team
Dr. Laura Sharkey, KPA CTP, has owned and led WOOFS! since 2002. An accomplished, certified professional dog trainer, Laura regularly presents to her peers at professional training conferences across the country. Her strong science background—including a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Georgetown—informs her choice of the modern, humane, rewards-based training methods used at WOOFS!
WOOFS! Blog
Joelle Cuprak Earns Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
WOOFS! Dog Training Center would like to congratulate trainer Joelle Cuprak, who has graduated with distinction and been named Certified Training Partner by the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior. Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior is an innovative institution committed to educating, certifying, and promoting the next generation of animal… Read more »
High value dog treats that are easy on the stomach
If you have taken a WOOFS! class you have probably heard us request that you bring high value food rewards to class. So what’s with the obsession with food, you might ask? To begin with, we are positive reinforcement trainers. This means that we use rewards (technically reinforcers) to teach dogs to respond to the… Read more »
Why teach tricks?
Teaching tricks is great for dogs. It provides them with both mental and physical stimulation and helps create a stronger working relationship between the dog and the handler. To start: want better basic obedience skills? Teach some tricks. The more things you teach your dog, the better he gets at learning. The more often you… Read more »