Meet Ellen Naumann: Fetch! Pet Care’s Resident Dog Trainer

dog training

We have a new pack member here at Fetch! Pet Care and her name is Ellen Naumann, Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and Certified Behavior Adjustment Training Instructor (CBATI), also known as Ellen the Dog Trainer. You may have seen Ellen live on our Facebook or YouTube channels over the past several months where she’s been guiding you on how to better understand why dogs do what they do and to give you the tools you need to keep them happy, healthy and safe.

Ellen began her career in dog training by volunteering at the Los Angeles County Animal Shelter in Agoura Hills, California. It was there that she experienced first hand the tremendous variety of breeds, dispositions, and behavior issues. She also realized how just a little bit of training could have a huge impact on the dog and their future families. Inspired by the transformations at the shelter, and most importantly from her own dog Beatrix, she soon began devoting her time to working with dogs on a professional level. Ellen’s philosophy is: “Training rooted in science; delivered with skill, compassion, and love.”

The method of dog training that Ellen uses is called Positive Reinforcement Training. Positive Reinforcement means we train our dogs by adding something the dog likes (a reward such as food, toys or praise) immediately after they’ve done a behavior that we like!  Because the reward makes him more likely to repeat the behavior, positive reinforcement is one of your most powerful tools for shaping or changing your dog’s behavior.

It is an ideal scenario for all of us to be responsible dog owners with well-mannered dogs. This makes for copacetic interactions within the dog / human world. But why is it important to actually understand what makes your dog tick? What are the benefits of having a more diversified dog parent toolkit? Understanding your dog’s behavior and body language can make all the difference. Here are just a handful of the perks of understanding dog behavior and training your dog by virtue of Positive Reinforcement Training:

✔Positive Reinforcement teaches your dog what to do! It clears up the communication channel which makes training go much faster. 

✔Training your dog using Positive Reinforcement will help your dog release pent up energy and will give them healthy mental stimulation. You’ll engage their mind and their body in learning new behaviors (so long garden digging)!

✔Behavioral problems have a much greater chance of decreasing with positive reinforcement training.

✔You will develop a stronger bong with your dog as your dog will learn to trust you more.

✔Positive reinforcement is easy to do which allows the whole family to be involved (so long as there is adult supervision when children are present).

If you haven’t had a chance to tune-in into Ellen’s shows, here’s the library so you don’t miss out…

dog training, positive reinforcement

Meet Ellen & her dog Skittles

July 4th pet safety & preparedness

Dog body language: eyes, ears, tails & more with guest Kristin Burke

How to properly hold a leash

What’s in a yawn?

Tips for keeping your pets mentally active with guest Irith Bloom

The great outdoors with our dogs & cats with guest Irith Bloom

Teach your children the proper way to greet a dog

When asked about her experience in working with Fetch! Pet Care, Ellen’s reply was: “What an honor to be the Resident Dog Trainer with Fetch! Pet Care. Fetch! offers what every pet guardian needs to provide the best care for their animals through their dog walking & pet sitting services. With the Facebook Live feeds and Video Tips, pet guardians can get even more from Fetch!”

Stay tuned for more valuable lessons from Ellen the Dog Trainer. Have a question about your dog’s behavior? Save them for Ellen the Dog Trainer’s Facebook Live events where you may ask her in real-time. If you aren’t able to attend one of her events, simply leave your question for her in the comments section of the video. To learn more about Ellen Naumann and her work visit her website here.