Hello! I’m Dan.
I’m a professional certified dog trainer, pet behavior specialist, and the owner of Raymer Family Dog Training. Over the last 16 years, I’ve worked with and helped thousands of dogs and cats.
Dogs are part of our families. They deserve kind treatment and respect. Our training supports your dog’s welfare with a fun activity while also achieving excellent training results.
In our dog training programs we’ll work together using positive reinforcement training to teach the dog behaviors you desire, solve behavior problems, and make life easier for your whole family.
As a previous volunteer and employee of the SPCA of Wake County, I’m very honored to offer training services for their Pet Behavior Network.
Education/Certifications:
- Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) with Honors – The Academy for Dog Trainers with Jean Donaldson
- Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Applied Animal Behavior – North Carolina State University
- Certified Dog Walker – Dogbiz Dog Walking Academy
- Elite Fear Free Certified – Fear Free Pets Animal Trainer Program
- Aggression in Dogs Certificate of Completion
Tracy Mitchelson and Derby the Lurcher, NC:
“Dan is a fantastic positive reinforcement trainer that Derby absolutely loves working with. I met with 5 trainers before deciding to work with Dan. He had a great rapport with Derby from the start and he took the time to explain his method of training. He also does the training at my house which works best for me. He works with Derby and then shows me what he did so I can work on it with Derby between visits. Derby seems to know when Dan is coming and he is so excited to see him…every time! He has learned so many commands and he has also worked with him on enrichment activities (i.e. games, puzzles, etc.). I highly recommend Dan but also know from how they interact that Derby does too!”
Sarah Pennington, The Academy for Dog Trainers:
“Dan is a superb trainer with a solid understanding of animal learning and a commitment to using modern science based methods. He is skilled in assessing behavior and his user-friendly instructions will make the training process easy for owners to understand and follow. I highly recommend Dan, no matter what the issue he will be able to help.”
Sarah and Maggie, Chapel Hill, NC:
“Dan worked with me and my dog Maggie on her anxiety issues. She is a very shy anxious dog who is afraid of strangers and terrified of men. Dan was incredibly patient with her and over the course of our sessions together she warmed up to him. Maggie and I are still working on her anxiety, but Dan encouraged us to keep at it, and we are making progress!”
Jean Donaldson, Founder of The Academy for Dog Trainers:
“I have been around dog trainers a long time, and could not recommend Dan Raymer more highly. He is a superb technician, with a stellar grasp of the intricacies of assessment, behavior and procedures and how they fit into the big picture of helping clients live successfully with their dogs. On a par with all this is his ethical compass. Dog training is still unregulated and there are pockets without qualified practitioners. Not so in Wake County, whose dogs and their guardians are in the best possible hands.”
Kathie and Bob Sowan, and Kodi, Clayton, NC:
“Dan was great with Kodi, our rescue Great Pyrenees. He was great reading Kodi’s body language. He helped us understand different types of barks and what different body language meant. He gave us exercises to do with Kodi and how to setup different scenarios to work on. We will be working with Kodi and have scheduled Dan to assess our progress. Thanks for giving us peace of mind!“
Megan and Kristen Whitaker, and Bentley, Cary, NC:
“We hit the jackpot finding Dan Raymer! While we get frustrated quickly with our young energetic dog Bentley, Dan exudes kindness, patience, and gentleness with him. He is very knowledgeable in what motivates dogs and how and why they will respond to various situations. Dan was also incredibly gracious with his time and expertise in helping us navigate a tricky situation by email in between training situations. He is very easy to work with! We were so nervous trusting our dog with a trainer, but Dan comes recommended by the SPCA of Wake County (a great organization) which calmed our fears and gave us the confidence to take a chance. As a bonus, he is also a lover of pit bull-type dogs in a world where that stigma still exists – this was so important to us. We’d recommend him to anyone!“
Cory Tischbein, Joel Reiner, and Archer, Roxie, Daisy, Durham, NC:
“Dan has been working with our three dogs for more than six months now, and we have seen many positive changes in all three. All our dogs began as anxious rescues, but thanks to Dan, they now respond to numerous basic commands, are much calmer, communicate their needs in healthier ways, and get along relatively well. Dan’s positive reinforcement training has been very effective and easy for us to use between training sessions. Dan’s also always patient, flexible, and understanding, which helps make training fun and productive for all. He also continues to teach us about what motivates our dogs and how we can address bad behavior as it crops up, and he’s always accessible between sessions to help us navigate tricky situations. We (and our dogs) strongly recommend Dan and are excited to continue working with him!“
Raymer Family Dog Training 