PROUDLY SERVING AMERICA'S BEST FRIENDS
Veteran Owned. Family Trusted. Dog Approved.
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ABOUT
Ruff Patriots was founded by Teresa Anderson, a U.S. Navy Nuclear Surface Warfare Officer and professional dog trainer dedicated to helping dogs and owners succeed together.
What began as dog sitting quickly grew into a passion for canine behavior, training, and reliable care—after seeing firsthand how many families lacked trustworthy training options.
With the support of her husband, Jeremy, Teresa built Ruff Patriots on one core belief: there are no bad dogs—only dogs waiting for the right guidance.
Her training approach blends compassion, structure, and real-world experience, including hands-on work with her working-line German Shepherd in scent detection and trailing.
Serving the DMV region, Ruff Patriots delivers disciplined, ethical training that builds confident dogs and lasting partnerships.
TRAINING SERVICES
PUPPY TRAINING
Start young and give your puppy—and your family—the foundation for a lifetime of success.
Our Puppy Training Program is designed for puppies from 8 weeks to 3 months old, when early experiences and routines can have a lasting impact on behavior. Training focuses on crate training, potty training, puppy biting, confidence building, proper socialization, early obedience, handling skills, and healthy household habits.
We use patience, structure, and positive reinforcement to help puppies learn how to live calmly and successfully with their families.
BASIC OBEDIENCE & EVERY DAY MANNERS
Designed for dogs over 3 months old, our Basic Obedience Program focuses on building better manners, clearer communication, and more reliable behavior at home and in everyday situations.
Training may include sit, down, stay, recall, loose-leash walking, polite greetings, place work, doorway manners, impulse control, and remaining calm around distractions.
We also help owners understand how to reinforce good behavior, set clear expectations, and communicate more effectively with their dog.
REACTIVITY & BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
Our Behavior Modification Program helps dogs struggling with reactivity, fear, anxiety, resource guarding, excessive barking, over-arousal, and other challenging behaviors.
Each dog is evaluated individually, and training is tailored to their temperament, history, environment, and needs. We focus on better communication, safer habits, and realistic, lasting progress.
Behavior change takes time, consistency, and owner involvement. We do not promise quick fixes, but we do provide honest guidance and a clear path forward.
ADVANCED & WORKING DOG TRAINING
Our Advanced and Working K9 Training programs are for dogs ready to move beyond basic obedience.
Advanced training strengthens reliability, off-leash control, impulse control, and focus around distractions. Working K9 training prepares suitable dogs for specialized roles such as service work, scent detection, tracking, or sport.
Ruff Patriots evaluates each dog honestly based on temperament, drive, health, and stability. Not every dog is suited for working roles, but they can still become an outstanding family companion.
Why Choose Ruff Patriots
Experienced Trainers
Personalized Approach
Proven Results
HAPPY TAILS
VADER
I have been using Ruff Patriots to help train my pup. They have been great and their work speaks for itself. They have also been very helpful in teaching me how to continue his training while at home with videos and in person instruction.
CHENEY & BASILONE
We also have an almost 9 year old shepherd that could use a refresher on her training and work on her confidence so she went along with him. Best choice we could’ve made! They both came back so happy and with noticeable differences in their confidence and training
GRIMMY
From our very first meeting, I could tell Teresa was different. She understood Grimmy's behavior in a way no one else had, and her approach was both compassionate and effective. We started with some sessions, including overnight training weekends, and the transformation in Grimmy was remarkable.
Our Partners
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