About the Trainer

Elise grew up surrounded by animals. Whether giving them surprise birthday parties or a mock doctor
exam, from her early years she strove to improve their quality of life. Her family of pets included dogs, cats,
ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, fish and a tree full of baby raccoons.

Professionally, Elise was intrigued by the psychology of people and animals. She worked with horses in an
animal assisted therapy program for emotionally disturbed children. Afterwards, she pursued social
services and for the next twelve years helped families find ways to live together successfully. She
designed and implemented training curriculum's for up to fifty staff members and supervised teachers,
clinicians and direct care staff.

Armed with extensive clinical experience and years of practice as a trainer, Elise left social services and
returned to her work with animals full time. Her inspiration for making the transition was a little border
collie named Kai who came to her full of fearful aggression. After having the luck of owning a lifetime of
fairly normal pets, finding herself with an aggressive dog was an overwhelming experience. As she
learned how to best work with him, she was immersed in the world of animal behavior and training.

After returning to the animal field, she accepted a position as Lead Trainer for a blossoming dog facility in
Springfield - Dog Days and Nights. Elise designed and taught a wide variety of curricula for pet dog
owners including basic obedience, CGC, and more specialized classes like Rally and Agility. Between
classes she had the awesome opportunity to observe and learn from the daycare dogs - increasing her
understanding of dog communication and play styles.

Elise has worked with and studied under the best trainer's in the country and continues to advance her
learning. She is a dynamic and enthusiastic teacher, an empathetic and understanding listener, and an
incredibly skilled consultant. Her methods are based on the science of effective animal training - which
include the use of strong motivators like food and praise, structure, and consistency. She often uses
clickers or other marker signals in training. Because of Elise's background with family work, she is an expert
in finding ways to help the family system be successful (this includes the family pet) and keeping it
relevant and simple.

Currently, Elise's expertise is in working with dogs, specifically with problem behaviors such as aggression,
anxiety, house soiling, and obedience issues. She enjoys working with cats and has experience with feline
problem behavior as well. Elise is certified through the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the
International Association of Animal Behavior Con sultant s. She is also a certified evaluator for the
American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Program.