Testimonials

Elisabeth was one of the key people in helping maintain the spirit and integrity of Lola’s life. Everyday Lola looked forward to her time with Elisabeth. It was a great relationship that we all rejoiced in. Elisabeth is a kind dog genius. Her help cannot be overestimated and went far beyond what one can buy. Lolabelle loved her.

We all loved her.

We had gone through several trainers with our standard poodle Annie. We got Annie at four months and she was already fearful ,aggressive and barking non stop. Elisabeth came to the rescue with her patience, humor and dog whispering talents. I highly recommend her. Your dog and neighbors will thank you.

Elisabeth gets great results quickly. The lessons are a happy, fun experience for the dog and the rest of the family.

Our dog (Max) is always really delighted to see her and has learned so much in a very short time.

Elisabeth is a fount of information about training and other topics such as diet, health care, grooming and even travel tips.

No one ever wants to admit that dog training can be very dull for the dog and for us. Not so with Elisabeth! She turns training into a fascinating exercise! The dogs can’t wait for her to walk into the room. Elisabeth sees the world from the dogs’ perspective and she will give you a whole new view of your canine friend. She views “training” as education. This is a significant distinction. Suddenly, with her help, you and your dog are speaking the same language, learning and playing on the same page. I make sure that Elisabeth meets every new dog who walks into my life. She’s helped me solve what appeared to be unsurmountable behavioral problems. She’s a brilliant and sensitive trainer. Get her in as early as possible!

What I love about Elisabeth is that she looks at the companion animal as a whole being!! She considers how and what the dog is being fed, the lifestyle and all established habits in the relationship between the client and the dog. Then she starts.

Elisabeth is quite focused. I can truly say that she understands the dogs’ needs and the reasons for their behavioral issues. She makes it easy for the humans to see the roots of the difficulties they are experiencing and creates an effective path to improvement in quality of life for all.

Thank you so much for your knowledge and kindness. I don’t know what we would have done without you!!!!!

I mean that!

Winky is a very, very sweet fellow and quite well behaved thanks to you.

Everyone, everyone, everyone is so in love with him and ALL say: Wow, what a calm and well behaved puppy he is, so charming, sweet and happy.

I cannot thank you enough for having gotten Winky to this point. I take him with me wherever I go and you have really made it all possible. Grazie mille!

My ex-wife and I have a now 11 year-old Border Collie named Oreo. In late September, 2013 she completely tore her ACL and partially tore the medial meniscus on her left hind leg. Needless to say, we were besides ourselves. She had surgery the next day, and did well in the post-op period. One thing the vet made clear from the beginning was the importance of good physical therapy and rehab starting a few weeks post-op. We did some research, and ended up with two referrals: the physical therapist in the animal hospital, and Elisabeth Weiss of DogRelations. We had Oreo see both, to figure out which one we liked better. Elisabeth started off with a comprehensive evaluation of Oreo and her needs from a very holistic approach. She gave recommendations about Oreo’s feeding and her weight, her general behavior, and her rehab plans. After a few sessions with Elisabeth, we dropped the other PT like a hot potato. What can I say about Elisabeth? She’s phenomenal! She has a great rapport with our dog and is constantly giving Oreo praise and TLC. Oreo responded to her right from the get-go. Over the past three months, Oreo is a changed dog! She’s running around, dancing sideways and is clearly more agile now then she was before the injury. Elisabeth has gone from focusing primarily on the injury, to working on Oreo’s arthritis and even working on some of her “bad” behaviors. Oreo loves to see Elisabeth and is always exhausted after her workouts. Quite simply, Elisabeth is great. You can tell that she truly loves dogs, and is working with a great deal of knowledge in the field. Parenthetically, she’s extremely professional, reliable, and trustworthy. Thanks, Elisabeth for everything that you’ve done for Oreo!!

My experience with Elisabeth of Dog Relations has been consistent and remarkable for 2-1/2 years. It is not my experience. It is the experience of me, my family and my staff – all of whom were trained by her so that we acted consistently to our new puppy. She was empathetic, compassionate and patient with us as she was with our dog.

We met her when we were frustrated by the pup who was not fresh from a litter and being 8-12 weeks old, but rather more like five months old and was accustomed to running with a “pack” of other dogs, all Tibetan terriers who like independence and are not people-pleasers like golden retrievers.

We had a Tibetan terrier and wanted another one and knew that with enough loving, we would make it work. After one month of trying it on our own and with traditional trainers, we called friends for help who had dogs with behavioral problems and they said that she was the “dog whisperer”. They urged us to be in touch.

She met our dog and we watched her in action. Her results were clearly visible and she gave logical and easy-to-understand instructions to us, getting inside the head of the dog to establish “a relationship”.

Our patience had come to frayed edges by that time, however, and although we saw improvement over the next two weeks, we saw that we were not consistent with her counsel and that a lot of different people were dealing with the same animal and he was playing each one of us and he was winning.

We embarked upon a radical plan which was: we left town for close to three weeks. She moved in to our home. Everyone was in boot training who remained in the residence. The dog was the principal being trained.

When we returned to the United States, our dog listened to us (after we were trained by Elisabeth) and has never stopped listening. Sit. Stay. Up. Down. Patience. Restraint. Polite. Give paw. Walks well. All the things a dog could do and should do. He sits when getting to curbs. Doesn’t bark or bother other dogs on the street. Plays well with others. Is friendly with everyone. Does not steal or beg for food. It was magic.

Elisabeth has continued the reinforcement and the dog is constantly learning more and more problem-solving, having greater stimulation and she has become part of his life and our lives.

It has been a revelation and a blessing.

We recommend her to anyone at any time

1000 thanks to Elisabeth Weiss for so positively effecting our home life. we have a beloved, but super rambunctious standard schnauzer and rebbe’s behavior was starting to dominate our every move.

Elisabeth trained Reb (and me) with patience and humor and affection . she’s made it possible to enjoy our dog with out constantly having to worry about his next outburst. she’s also a great resource when it comes to his health issues – truly a holistic approach that’s made me feel like i’m not going it alone.

Hi Elisabeth!

Simba is doing great!

I love the change – he got more calm since I switched his food and treats, and he loves his crate now as well.

The turn around has been amazing!
This is a message from our walker…
“Okay, who is this new dog I’m walking, and what have you done with Maddie? She is a whole different girl!”

This is just after the initial consultation!

I cannot thank Elisabeth more…the change in our dogs has been miraculous!

We have a 5 year old Papillon and recently adopted a 1 year old Papillon. Our older dog Henry always had serious behavioral concerns yet we somehow learned to “live” with them. With the addition of our new dog Mochi, Henry’s problems somehow became magnified. To add insult to injury, Mochi was exhibiting fear aggression issues that needed to be addressed immediately.

Elisabeth was recommended to us and we could not be any happier. Her patient and gentle approach with our dogs has helped transform them into much happier and well adjusted dogs. She partnered with us and gave us weekly exercises that we could practice with both dogs – we saw change in them immediately. Her training methods are logical and results oriented. As novices, we learned how to use a clicker, ignore undesirable behavior and reinforce the right behaviors.

Henry’s incessant barking is so much less. Mochi now allows strangers to pet her and has virtually stopped growling. We were so worried for so long and can now breathe a sigh of relief.

In addition, Elisabeth is always available via text or phone or email should you need a quick fix. She encourages the owner to reach out and ask questions and provide updates on how the dogs are doing. Elisabeth always responds quickly and provides a solution.

Our little “imperfect Paps” have a long way to go on the road to becoming model dogs. We feel so lucky to have found DogRelations and know we have a true partner in Elisabeth on this journey.

We ADORE Elisabeth and so do Mochi & Henry!

Elisabeth Weiss is a gifted trainer and a true animal lover. When I adopted my adorable and lovable cock-a-poo from the AC&C he came with a host of challenging behavior issues. Elisabeth has successfully helped me resolve his problems. What I liked most was that she made it easy for me.

The lessons for my dog were so much fun that my smart cat started to participate in the dog’s lessons. I then asked Elisabeth to set aside some time to train the cat as well!

Both dog and cat training have been huge successes! We all look forward to their lessons every week!

Hi Elisabeth,

I’ve been meaning to write and thank you, just haven’t had a moment.

Rocky is doing so well! We had an especially nice long walk this morning. He was able to pass many dogs, even big ones, without trouble (he pulled a little, but I told him to sit and wait and he did!). He barks a bit at the door, but calms quickly.

I’m still training him regularly and feeding him the raw diet, and it’s really making a difference. A few neighbors with dogs he’s always barked at before have even remarked on how much better behaved he is!

So, thank you thank you thank you Elisabeth!

I am not certain it is possible to have a puppy without Elisabeth! To me Elisabeth does what no other trainer can (or is willing to commit to) and takes customer service to an entirely new level. I secretly think she has Petzi and Cosi trained to answer emails – it’s the only explanation. She has become such a support system providing me with endless skills, knowledge and tranquility through all the magical little “puppy crisis” moments along the way. To Madison, she is playtime!

Having grown up in a house surrounded by horses and dogs I was reluctant to get a trainer, as I clearly knew what I was doing.
Think again! Madison was a far cry from the “I’ll do anything for you” labs I grew up with. She was a pint-sized ball of nervous fun with so much enthusiasm that needed directing. From the day we first met Elisabeth I knew this would be the best thing I could do for myself, and my dog.

Before Elisabeth I was worried I would be evicted because my little Pomeranian screamed and barked as soon as I walked out of her line of sight. After 2 sessions and a couple emailed instructions Madison learned that sitting, not screaming, gets her everything she desires.

It is amazing to watch Elisabeth interact with Madison because you can see how she listens to the dog and tailors the training to them.

In the beginning of our training when Madison was literally bouncing off her, she used that energy and made her focus on tricks that played to Madison’s innate ability to spin around. Once trust was gained she progressed to more “serious” games and now I can proudly say that my pup will sit still whenever she needs to; something I know would not have happened without Elisabeth.

Maddie and I are so grateful a Google search placed her in our lives and can’t imagine life without her!

Hi Elisabeth, after you left today, I took Chi-chi for a walk. She peacefully walked past at least 5 dogs on the street!!!! Thank you God and Elisabeth! !!!Will contact you soon for another session. We had a great day today. She’s smiling!!!! Me too. Thanks for helping to make this day possible.

Thanks for everything.

My dogs and I have never personally met Elisabeth, but thanks to the internet we’ve been able to communicate. Elisabeth has given me really good advice with dietary problems I had with my dogs and the results were instant. It was amazing!  I also have been reading her great articles on dog training and behavior  She helps me be a more responsible guardian. My dogs are very grateful and would love to meet her. I can only imagine what she could do for us in person!!!!

Elisabeth was fantastic with Isis, our Havanese. Despite our best efforts Isis had been doing her business all over the house and was not good at listening. Elisabeth was able to train her in a couple of sessions to listen and do her business in the right places. Elisabeth engaged Isis with interactive tasks which she found challenging and fun. Having Elisabeth come to train Isis was the highlight of her week. Isis was connected and engaged with Elisabeth at all times. I would recommend Elisabeth to any dog guardian. Her loving care and her practical advice have been invaluable to me.

We can only say wonderful things about Elisabeth.  We got Sydney, an 8 week old Weimaraner puppy, and didn’t have any of the proper training tools in our pockets.  Sydney lived in a rule free house until he was 8 months old.  Although we loved him very much, we were getting frustrated with his inability to settle down in the house.  We were considering various training methods when a fellow Weimaraner owner referred us to Elisabeth.  All we can say is what a blessing!  Immediately upon meeting Elisabeth we knew she was the right trainer for us.  Her methods are loving and gentle while producing the desired result–a well trained companion!  Sydney immediately loved her and responded to her techniques after the first session.  He now lives in a home with rules that requires him to use his mind and enables him to settle while in the house.  We have been working with Elisabeth for a few months and Sydney is a different dog!  He still has his loving, gentle, funny personality while being able to listen and respond to commands.  As Sydney continues to work with Elisabeth every week he continues to come leaps and bounds from the rule free puppy he once was.

All we can say about Elisabeth is that she saved us!  What a professional!!
We brought home two 12-week old puppies from the North Shore Animal League in May and although we were excited and loved them immediately, there was a lot of reorganizing to do around the house.  First and foremost was to start having the pups house trained .

Of course, we didn’t think about this BEFORE we brought the puppies home.  We were so excited because they were so cute and cuddly that getting them home was all we cared about.  Then reality set in!  Big time!  Elisabeth came so highly recommended from a woman that we met while sitting in the waiting room of our veterenarian’s office that we called her immediately when we arrived back home.

The beauty of this story is that Elisabeth came to our rescue THAT SAME DAY!  When I called her, she asked me a bunch
of questions about what was happening and she gave very helpful advice over the phone so that we could get through the night without barking puppies!  We were hooked on Elisabeth from that moment on because she showed us immediately that she cared.  She cared and she knew exactly what she was talking about.

That was almost four months ago and today, our puppies are incredibly well-behaved and learning more and more everyday.  They are approaching seven months old and we can not believe the difference in them in such a short amount of time.  The joy they bring is incredible anyway but imagine the joy they bring when there is zero chaos?  We are having the time of our lives with them and we would not be in this position if it were not for Elisabeth’s incredible knowledge and talent with animals.  The puppies absolutely adore her and it just makes us smile.  We are confident they are getting the best of care and for us, that makes all the difference.

We highly highly highly recommend Elisabeth and would be happy to talk to anyone looking for a
referral.  There is no one better!

I’m so glad to be asked to write a testimonial because I want to tell everyone how great Elisabeth Weiss is with dogs and people! Animal behavior is my field of interest. I’m a marine biologist working with reef and estuarine ecosystems. I specialize in fish professionally, but dogs are my main hobby. I’ve read maybe 20 books on dog behavior and watched hundreds of hours of video footage on dogs.

Over the last ten years I’ve worked with I think four trainers and a dog psychologist, but didn’t keep it up past a few hours with any of them because I didn’t really like how it was going. Elisabeth Weiss is different from other trainers. Her background is different and I think her methods are more highly advanced and refined. People say “Oh, Your dog is so smart!!”, but I tell them it isn’t my dog, it’s my trainer. I think Elisabeth could train any dog.

I love to watch Elisabeth work with my dog too, because it’s a joyful and happy and funny experience. That’s different from the other trainers too, who made me feel anxious.

My dog Bebo now has 34 tricks or behaviors he can do, some of which can be seen on this website.  Thank you, Elisabeth.

As you can see from the picture the feedings are going a lot better now that they are doing sit and stay before their meals. I can even put them next to each other, no problem………..a million thank you’s. Bella is so much more confident, coming out to greet customers and showing much more affection.  We noticed this after 2 days.  Amazing!

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would! Elisabeth is a gem. When we decided to add a new pup to our family I was very nervous and overwhelmed by all the options for training, diet, grooming, etc. From the start, Elisabeth eased my nerves and provided me with the tools to really set up our pup for success. Our puppy’s transition from the breeder to our home felt seamless because of Elisabeth’s guidance. As a trainer, Elisabeth is the best. Not only does our pup LOVE her, her style of training is exactly what you would hope for. She is patient, kind, understanding and fun! Her energy and demeanor is something that cannot be replaced and is why she is so talented and successful. With Elisabeth, our puppy learns quickly and retains easily. Its so fun to watch her work! Our puppy consistently looks forward to Elisabeth’s visits and knows her by name. Beyond training- Elisabeth has become my go-to for all pet care questions and issues. She truly values and cares for her clients and is always there for questions or advice. I cannot recommend her services enough!

I came to Elisabeth with an older dog that had some behavior issues that were inadvertently reinforced by me and somehow defied the skills of various trainers over the years.

Elisabeth is one of those unusual and special people whose personality, temperament, interests and talents all come together in her work in a profound way.

She has an unlimited repertoire of creative techniques to keep my very smart dog engaged and loving to learn instead of searching for situations to react to. The behavior issues become non issues over time.

I’ve learned so much thanks to Elisabeth’s generosity of time and support and willingness to share information. And her positive reinforcement approach is at the forefront of current behaviorist thinking.

Working with Elisabeth and Dog Relations has far exceeded my expectations. I can’t imagine that she won’t be a part of our lives for a very long time.

Elisabeth came to our home for the standard 90 minute consultation. It was the perfect amount of time. We worked on basic puppy manors and learned the tools needed to teach our little guy many skills. Thanks!

We’re so thankful to have met Elisabeth and we’re incredibly appreciative for all of her tremendous insight with our puppy. We have a one-year-old morkie who was experiencing various behavioral issues. With Elisabeth’s training methods, we’ve noticed significant improvement in our puppy’s behavior in only a couple days after one training session. Elisabeth also promptly provides a comprehensive report, detailing training techniques. We’re eternally grateful for all of Elisabeth’s continuous support and help!

Last week my dog’s behavior and my reaction to it prompted me to call a professional trainer. What an amazing experience. Elisabeth came to our home and gently guided the three of us through the training process. She was tough and patient through Max’s barking, and showed us how we could be too. The training technique is subtle and I wasn’t sure I’d get it, but one day in and Max is looking to me and his daddy for cues and his anxiety level is way down. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience and outcome. Now it’s up to us to keep up the training, but it’s really a joy.

Dear Elisabeth,
David and I read your wonderful and enlightening letter. We cannot thank you enough for taking the time to care and relate your experience and wisdom to our problem.
When you said “Fear Aggression” the biggest lightbulb went off. We always thought that Zeus was over protective of David, but I think you absolutely have nailed it. Now we have an entirely different perspective.
We also are thankful for you excellent description of Schutzhund training and why that would not be a good option for Zeus. And most of all in one simple sentence, you have explained to us the importance of the positive reinforcement training. When you said that it is much better to do something because you want to do it, than worrying about some terrible thing happening if you don’t, again the sky actually parted for us. I never knew that was the reason for that kind of training. When we worked with the folks at Santa Fe Tails previously, no one ever said that. We just thought it was a newer, more modern way to train dogs. And we worried that they gave far too many treats. And finally your wonderful explanation of deferential behavior gives us such hope for Zeus’s future. I could not bear the thought of living a life of constant fear about him and for him and you actually have lifted a terrible and ominous weight off of the situation. Our only challenge now, is can these folks train us to understand and work in this way with Zeus?
Could I ask you to recommend a book or DVD that would be appropriate for us to learn to work with Zeus in this manner?
I am ever grateful to Freddie and Myrna for discussing our problem with you and I am ever grateful to you for your amazing expertise and for being so generous in sharing this with us.
Warm regards,
Roberta Remy and David Shields

My experience working with Elisabeth of DogRelations was superb. She was very kind and caring and was able to help solve the various behavior issues I had with my bulldog with surprising ease.
Her advice was right on target and the results came fast. Her explanations were very clear. She is encouraging and it is obvious that she has everyone’s best interest in mind.
If you are considering training for your dog: I can not imagine anyone doing a better job for you.