Your dog stays and trains
Your dog stays and trains with Aaron for six or nine weeks. Daily videos show what your dog is practicing and how Aaron teaches it.
Board & train
Dog training across Greater St. Louis & Metro EastBetter training.
Happier dogs.
Disabled veteran owned
Board & train
Private lessons
Puppy Development
2026 Best Dog Trainer Award Winner
What we do
Training built around your dog and your life.
Marmon Family Dog Training helps families across Greater St. Louis and Metro East with board and train, private lessons, and puppy development. Based in Fairview Heights, IL, Aaron works with your dog himself. Start with a free phone consultation to choose a program and confirm the training location.
You learn the handling
Aaron coaches you and your dog together, from house manners to parks and dog-friendly stores. Tell him your city and ZIP code so you can confirm where lessons will take place before booking.
Private trainingGood habits from the start
Build house manners, crate and potty routines, early socialization, and focus with Aaron. You learn the handling from day one, so the training grows with your puppy.
Puppy Development
No shortcuts
Real results
Behavioral science approach
Expert-led
Proven methodology
Meet the trainer
The person who will actually train your dog.
Before he ever trained a family dog, Aaron worked dogs in the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, handled search-and-rescue across three teams, and ran working dogs for an executive security firm.
In 2021 he brought his family back home to the St. Louis Metro East and started Marmon Family Dog Training. Today he works with every type of dog on the spectrum, from puppies getting started on the right paw to serious aggression cases and everything in between. He offers board and train, private in-home lessons, and puppy development. One trainer, start to finish. Board and train includes daily educational video updates and lifetime training support.
Why families drive across two states
The Motivational Method includes training for your dog and handling practice for you.
Aaron calls his approach the Motivational Method. He starts with engagement, builds core skills, and practices them in real-world settings. You learn the handling to continue that practice at home.
- 1
Read the engagement
Engagement is the name of the game. Does your dog want to be near you?
- 2
Build the drive
We train in drive, pairing Aaron with what your dog wants most.
- 3
Run the drills
Repeat the core skills: come, walk, settle, and place.
- 4
Practice with distractions
Then we practice in busier places, so your dog works on the same skills around everyday distractions.
- 5
Hand it to you
The recall comes first. Then the leash goes in your hand.
The aim is engagement: a dog that wants to work with you, supported by handling you can practice.
Trained where it’s hard
Practice beyond the living room.
Aaron practices skills in progressively busier settings, including the local places shown here.
QuietMaximum distraction
Training outings include places such as Busch Stadium. At handoff, Aaron explains the handling for continued practice in your own routines.
How board & train works
Your dog is with Aaron the whole way, and you see every step.
1
Free phone consult
Start with a straight phone call. Tell Aaron your dog’s real problem, his temperament, and what you need out of daily life. You get an honest recommendation and a plain answer on what it costs. No bull.
2
Foundation
Engagement first, then the drills, built one clear step at a time and matched to your dog. On board and train you get a short video every day, so you can watch it come together.
3
Real-world proofing
Aaron practices the skills in parks, stores, and other real-world settings, working through distractions in stages.
4
Handoff + follow-up
You get a hands-on handoff, your videos to keep, and the follow-up support to keep it solid at home. You walk away the handler, not a spectator.
Real dogs, real families, real results
What families in two states say about Aaron Marmon
44 five-star Google reviews and 16 Facebook reviews with 100% recommending Aaron. Named dogs, named problems, outcomes their owners wrote themselves.
“He is worth every penny and more. The training, care and continued support we received from Aaron over the years has CHANGED OUR LIVES! I could go on and on but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND him for all things dog.”
The Rowland Family · 5★ · Google
Eleanor, rescue Anatolian
Mike TaylorMaggie · Google
★★★★★
Aaron’s training with Maggie was the best investment you can make into our dog, our family, and our sanity!
Alex VillegasRanger · Google
★★★★★
Look at that default down with Ranger! Aaron provided a sigh of relief that no other trainer was able to do. There is nobody else I would want to train our dogs. They absolutely loved him and so did we!
Felecia S.Josey · Google
★★★★★
Aaron did wonders with our Blue Heeler, Josey. She no longer has anxiety, knows her commands, does great on and off leash, and our hikes are so much more enjoyable! He also helped her with socializing.
Facebook recommendations
More owners recommend Aaron.
Doug BarnesFacebook · Recommends
Chester came back more focused, better on leash, and responsive to commands.
Dinnius PhotographyFacebook · Recommends
We highly recommend him. His experience and skills are unmatched.
Daleana M EubankFacebook · Recommends
We took our pup Bogey to him for a board and train, Aaron is amazing!
Proved, not promised
Watch Aaron and the dogs at work.
Browse Aaron’s training videos to see the dogs, settings, and handling for yourself. The catalog includes work at local parks, dog-friendly stores, Busch Stadium, and the Gateway Arch. Bring questions about your own dog to the free phone consultation.
The highlight reel
- Watch the handlingLook at the dog, the handler, and the surrounding distractions. Use what you see to prepare questions for Aaron.
- See the practice settingsThe clips show training in different places. They are examples of individual dogs at work, rather than a promise about every dog’s outcome.
- Real places, real distractionAaron doesn’t stay inside a facility, so dogs are filmed at local parks, dog-friendly stores, Busch Stadium, and the Gateway Arch, where the pressure is real.
The recall challenge
Put my off-leash recall next to anyone’s.
The recall is the one skill everything else is built on. In the reel you’ll watch a dog sprint away, turn on a dime, and come back in full drive, and you’ll read it in his body language: he’s next to me because he can’t think of a place he’d rather be, not because he’s avoiding anything.
Find another trainer’s off-leash recall, set it beside mine, and you make the call.
Aaron Marmon, owner & trainer
Where we train
Serving Greater St. Louis and Metro East.
Marmon Family Dog Training is based in Fairview Heights, IL. Private lessons usually cover about a 40-minute drive; outside that area, Aaron charges a $25 travel fee and travels no more than one hour for lessons. Board-and-train dogs can come from beyond the lesson area. Confirm the lesson or handoff arrangements during your free phone consultation.
Illinois
Missouri
Straight answers
Common questions
Do you serve Greater St. Louis and Metro East?
Marmon Family Dog Training is based in Fairview Heights, IL. Private lessons usually cover about a 40-minute drive; outside that area, Aaron charges a $25 travel fee and travels no more than one hour for lessons. Board-and-train dogs can come from beyond the lesson area. Confirm the lesson or handoff arrangements during your free phone consultation.
What dog training method do you use?
It’s called The Motivational Method, and it’s relationship-first. Aaron teaches you how your dog thinks and how to become someone your dog wants to listen to, so your dog wants to do what you ask instead of being forced into it. Never through fear. Never through force. Then he proofs it in the real world. Daily video updates are included with board and train.
Will my dog be kenneled the whole time during board & train?
No. During board and train your dog lives and works with Aaron, not warehoused in a run. Dogs train in real environments, the home, the neighborhood, and public spaces, and you get a short daily video so you see exactly what your dog is learning and how.
What happens after my dog comes home from board and train?
When your dog comes home, Aaron walks you through everything the dog learned in a hands-on handoff, and you keep the detailed session videos for reference. You get handling guidance and follow-up support for continued practice in your day-to-day life.
Can you help with puppy development?
Yes. Aaron helps puppies build house manners, crate and potty routines, early socialization, and focus through private training. You learn the handling from day one, then build on that foundation as your puppy grows. Start with a free phone consultation to talk through what your puppy needs.
Do you work with aggressive or anxious dogs?
Yes. High-energy, high-anxiety, reactive, and aggressive dogs are Aaron’s specialty. He names the real problem, lunging, barking, anxiety around other dogs, pulling, and builds a plan to resolve it, the same way he took Josey the Blue Heeler from anxious to calm and enjoyable on the trail.
How much does dog training cost?
Private lessons are $125 each or $600 for five. Board and train is $4,000 for six weeks or $6,000 for nine weeks. Service dog training is scoped individually. Start with a free phone consultation to discuss which program fits your dog. Compare all training prices and packages.
Disabled veteran owned & operated
Tell us what your dog is doing. We’ll tell you straight.
Start with a free consult. Tell Aaron your city, ZIP code, and what your dog needs. He will recommend a program and confirm the training location and travel arrangements before you book.
★★★★★ 5.0 from 44 Google reviews