In-Home Dog Trainer in Silver Spring, MD
If your dog is reactive, aggressive, anxious, or just hard to manage — and group classes haven't helped — in-home training is a different thing entirely. The work happens in your space, with your dog's actual triggers.
I'm Adam Hartman, a certified dog trainer serving Silver Spring and the surrounding DMV area. I've done 750+ private in-home sessions, working on everything from leash reactivity and aggression to separation anxiety and conflict between dogs in the same home.
What I work on in Silver Spring:
Leash reactivity and dog-to-dog aggression
Aggression toward people
Fear, anxiety, and nervous behavior
Conflict between dogs in the same home
Off-leash reliability and recall
Jumping, pulling, and general obedience
How it works:
Sessions are $175 each, pay-as-you-go. No packages. The first session is 90 minutes; follow-ups are one hour. I work with you and your dog together, so the training doesn't disappear when I leave.
If you want faster results, the 2-week board and train is $3,500. Your dog stays with me near Annapolis, trains every day, and comes home with the foundation already built.
Serving Silver Spring and nearby:
Silver Spring, Wheaton, Takoma Park, Colesville, Burtonsville, White Oak, Kensington, and throughout Montgomery and Prince George's County.
Book a session: (443) 808-7373
Certified trainer. Tarheel K9 graduate. 5.0 stars on Google.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you train on Silver Spring’s trails and sidewalks, or just inside the home?
Both. We start inside your home, then move to your street and the places you actually walk — Sligo Creek Trail, downtown Silver Spring, Wheaton Regional Park. We only move on when your dog is ready. The goal is a dog that holds it together on a busy Silver Spring sidewalk, not just in your living room.
I live in an apartment. Can you still help?
Yes. A lot of Silver Spring dogs live in apartments and condos, and that's often where the problems show up — hallways, elevators, lobbies, neighbors' dogs. I train in those spaces with you.
Do you work with puppies, or only dogs with behavioral problems?
Both. I work with puppies on foundation skills — house training, bite inhibition, crate work, socialization — and with adult dogs on more complex behavioral issues. Starting early prevents the problems that bring most people to a trainer in the first place.
What’s the difference between your sessions and a board and train?
In-home sessions keep your dog at home while building your skills as a handler — you’re part of every session. The board and train is for dogs who need faster, more intensive work: your dog stays with me for two weeks near Annapolis, trains daily, and comes home with the foundation already built. Both approaches work; the right one depends on your dog and your goals.