About Us

Victoria and Irish setter - greatWho We Are

The Greater Saint Louis Training Club offers force-free dog training classes, sponsors AKC competition events, and provides continuing education to dog owners.  Our mission is to advance the human-canine bond.  We have the very best classes for dog lovers!

Founded in 1940, we’re a non-profit 501c3 with a community focus.  We use only positive training methods, as veterinarians recommend. Our trainers are volunteers with deep experience working with all breeds and temperaments.  Many have professional certifications. Our diverse members include everyone from family pet owners to competitors who are active in every branch of dog sports.

Whether you’re looking for training classes, seminars, AKC competition events, or are interested in pursuing a career as a professional dog trainer, GSLTC has something for you!

What Makes Us Different


At the Greater St. Louis Training Club, we stand out from the crowd.  We’re a volunteer-run training organization that offers the highest quality of training and education for the public.  Our administration, programs, events and lectures are all run by qualified volunteers.  We understand the heart of any non‐profit group is its volunteers and we pride ourselves on our strong volunteer base.

But we don’t stop there.  Our classes are taught by qualified volunteers who are highly knowledgeable and certified.  When you take classes with the GSLTC, you’ll be learning from award winning dog trainers, certified professionals and PhD’s.  Our trainers are AKC CGC Evaluators, AKC Judges, Certified Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT), Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVT), Fear Free Certified, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners (KPA-CTP), just to name a few. In short, we know our stuff!

And we’re endorsed by the veterinary community as well.  Local vet Stephen A. Brammeier, D.V.M., of Kingsbury Animal Hospital, has this to say:

“We at Kingsbury Animal Hospital support and endorse the Greater St. Louis Training Club and its mission to enhance the human-canine bond through public education and awareness of force-free training, methods and techniques, as well as their training and behavior services for the public.”

Still looking for more?  In addition to our quality services, the competition workshops, seminars and lectures, social events and class discounts, we also offer our Dog Behavior and Training Basics Course.  Those interested in becoming volunteer trainers for the club may apply to the six-month course, apprentice with experienced trainers, and eventually become assistant and head trainers for the club.

We love helping people and their dogs achieve a better quality of life, and make it our goal to educate the public and foster a community of professional trainers.