Private Dog Training for Reactive Dogs and Everyday Manners: Built on Trust, Not Force

Whether your dog is reactive, easily overwhelmed, or just needs a bit more focus, our in-home sessions work with your family's routine and the science of how dogs actually learn.

Comprehensive & Personalized Animal Training Services

What Can Private Dog Training Help With?

  • Aggression and Reactivity: Reduce pet aggression and reactivity for a safer, happier dog.Puppy Fundamentals: Get your puppy off to a great start with basic training and socialization.

  • Potty Training Issues: Resolve potty training challenges quickly and effectively.

  • Command/Obedience Training: Teach your dog essential commands and good manners.

  • Recall Training: Ensure your dog comes when called, every time.

  • Leash Training: Stop leash pulling and enjoy relaxed, loose leash walks.

  • Crate Training: Make crate training a positive experience for your dog.

  • Calm Greetings: Stop your dog from jumping on people and encourage calm interactions.

  • Behavior Solutions: Address biting, chewing, digging, excessive barking, and more.

  • Resource Guarding: Handle resource guarding issues effectively.

  • Counter-Surfing and Food Stealing: Prevent unwanted counter-surfing and food theft.

  • Separation Anxiety: Reduce separation anxiety and help your dog feel secure when alone.

  • Calm Car Rides: Make car rides a stress-free experience.

  • Preparing for a New Baby: Help your dog adjust to the arrival of a new baby.

  • Switching to Positive Training: Transition from aversive or balanced training to our positive, force-free methods.

Our Dog Training Philosophy

Personalized, 1:1 Attention


Some dogs do best without the distractions of a group class. Private sessions meet your dog exactly where they are — shy, reactive, or just needing more focused reps.

Positive & Force-Free

We train using positive reinforcement: rewarding the behavior you want instead of correcting the behavior you don't. It's a lower-stress way to learn, for your dog and for you.

In-Home Convenience

Training happens in the environment your dog already knows, on a schedule that fits your life — no group class time slot to build your week around.

Builds Trust, Not Just Commands

The goal isn't just a dog who "listens." It's a relationship where your dog trusts you, and you trust them — which is what actually makes new skills stick.

Ellen says, “training animals constantly reminds me that clear communication with people and animals is invaluable and key to success. Having recently adopted a new dog into our family, I practice what I preach and have a renewed appreciation for the amazing capacity of dogs to learn, grow, and evolve.”

Experienced Animal Trainers

Our lead dog trainer, Ellen, brings over a decade of experience — including hundreds of private lessons and 400+ group classes taught earlier in her career — to every session. She has experience working with dogs and birds of prey. She learned from world-class trainers, such as Barbara Heidenreich and Dr. Susan Friedman. Ellen brings an upbeat, energetic, and practical approach to dog training.

Press: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/animal-trainer (prices have changed since the publication of this article)

Dog Trainer Reviews

  • I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ellen and her in-home dog training business since 2009. While the dogs have changed over these many years, Ellen’s compassionate, positive-reinforcement training tailored to each dog’s unique needs and challenges has remained the same. My confidence and trust in Ellen is so strong that she was instrumental in recently helping pick a new rescue who would be a good fit with my 12-year-old dog with whom she has also worked numerous times since I adopted her. I have recommended Ellen to many neighbors and friends, who also speak highly of her skills, training techniques, and adoration for their dogs.

    - Caryn Melton

  • Ellen Schneiderman did an amazing job of helping us train our spirited, Labradoodle, Fudgie. We were not sure how well it would go because Fudgie is already 9 years old and he seemed pretty old for training, but Ellen was confident she could help us and she was right. Ellen's work with us was very effective and helped us feel more confident as dog owners. Ellen was so effective that we only needed a few visits with her. She is gifted in her knowledge and understanding of dog psychology, and we decided she is our local dog-whisperer.

    Overall, Ellen was excellent at establishing rapport with Fudgie. She took the time to understand the issues and also understand our specific needs. She modeled techniques that continue to work well, even several months later. Once we observed Ellen’s techniques, she helped us learn to apply these techniques. Then after we had practiced them a bit, Ellen came back to meet with us again to see how it was going, problem-solve, reinforce the techniques she had taught us, and add some additional nuances. Ellen also gave us helpful summaries after our meetings and followed up with us. Ellen is excellent and we recommend her without reservation.

    - Beth Schreiber and Russell Kahn

  • I enthusiastically endorse Ellen Schneiderman as a top-notch dog trainer. I firmly believe that training with Ellen helped us raise a happy dog who was eager to please.

    We learned valuable insight into how dogs are motivated and there was a consistent emphasis on positive encouragement for desirable behavior, which resulted in a loving pet who was comfortable and content. We were very grateful for Ellen’s instruction and support.

    - Jill Johnson Miller

A La Carte Option

A one-on-one à la carte dog training session is tailored specifically to meet your dog's unique needs, covering any topic of your choice. This could range from basic obedience to more specific behavioral issues like barking or leash manners. Ellen will work closely with you and your pet during the session, providing personalized guidance and hands-on demonstrations. This approach ensures that you learn effective training techniques that are most applicable to your situation, helping you achieve targeted outcomes in a way that fosters a positive learning environment for your dog.

Dog Training Pricing

60 min $140

Ready to Transform Your Dog's Behavior?

Contact us today to schedule your first session of private dog training in Fitchburg, WI, Madison, WI, Middleton, WI or Verona, WI. Let’s work together through positive, force-free training!

Training Request

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