Examples: run to spot instead of barking , calm replacement “settle” instead of demand barking or jumping or begging for food and attention, manners , polite offered behaviors without verbal prompts or cues.
Practicing Replacement Behavior Lessons
$250.00
My ex-wife and I have a now 11 year-old Border Collie named Oreo. In late September, 2013 she completely tore…
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!!
Ramon Solhkhah, M.D.
We’re so thankful to have met Elisabeth and we’re incredibly appreciative for all of her tremendous insight with our puppy.…
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!
Rob Hoogenboom
Elisabeth Weiss is a gifted trainer and a true animal lover. When I adopted my adorable and lovable cock-a-poo from…
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!
Eileen Robert
As you can see from the picture the feedings are going a lot better now that they are doing sit…
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!
Karen Callahan
Dear Elisabeth, David and I read your wonderful and enlightening letter. We cannot thank you enough for taking the time…
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
Roberta Remy and David Shields
Elisabeth was one of the key people in helping maintain the spirit and integrity of Lola’s life. Everyday Lola looked…
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.
Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson
Musician. Singer, and Songwriter | MultiMedia Artist
Elisabeth Weiss is a gifted trainer and a true animal lover. When I adopted my adorable and lovable cock-a-poo from…
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!
Eileen Robert
I’m so glad to be asked to write a testimonial because I want to tell everyone how great Elisabeth Weiss…
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.
Cathy Drew
Hi Elisabeth, I’ve been meaning to write and thank you, just haven’t had a moment. Rocky is doing so well!…
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!
Rachel Desario
Blog /
Collar vs Harness: My View as a Professional Dog Trainer
Let’s get this out of the way: in the debate of collar vs harness, I believe – as a professional dog trainer – that harnesses are clearly a better option than collars. Yes, dogs have worn collars for millennia, but does that make it right? At this point in my…
Should You Be Thinking About Puppy Behavior Training Differently?
What do You Expect from Your Puppy? In your mind, you paint a picture of all the things you’d like to do with your dog, the way your dog is going to interact with you, and the wonderful relationship you will enjoy. When you have that image in mind, you…
Choice + Control for Our Dogs
How do you feel when you are either ignored or told what to do? When you do not have control? Speaking for myself: I don’t like it at all. Realizing that I am going to have to find a way to occupy myself after seeking a conversation and finding the…
The Joys of ‘Fun’ Teaching
YOU KNOW HOW YOU FEEL WHEN YOU ARE UNDER PRESSURE AND FEEL YOU ARE BEING TESTED? LEARNING AND PERFORMING WHEN ON THE SPOT ISN’T EASY. Most of the time you actually do not perform at the same level as when you are laughing and relaxed. That is true for our…
Elisabeth Weiss – A wikiHow Expert
We use the internet every day to find much-needed answers to questions about our pets happiness, health and training. WikiHow is a huge resource for addressing these and many other questions, and now it just got a whole lot more exciting for pet owners. Elisabeth Weiss, owner of Dog Relations…
Timing Is Everything With Your Dog
Reinforcement at the right time can help you and your dog! Using management can be a valid teaching pathway for both you and your dog. Essentially, you can build a reward history in your dog by associating great outcomes with specific events and circumstances. Ideally, we control the dog’s environment…
Managing Your Puppy Helps You Both
Providing your puppy with clear boundaries leads to great outcomes for you and them! Sometimes I am highly amused by the way people describe the behavior of their puppy. It sounds to me as if they were describing a movie in which they have no control over the outcome. They…
At Home Dog Grooming is Possible!
Grooming your dog at home doesn’t need to be difficult In this unfortunate time of a pandemic when many grooming salons are closed, you might want to do some basic grooming at home. So you think: I’ll just brush him a little bit to get rid of those mats that…
Puppy Training Tips: Constant Comments
In my work with puppies I often find that related issues pop up in waves. We all know that dogs crave attention. In turn, we adore how they look at us lovingly when we give them attention. We love admiring how cute they are, how smart they are and we…
Positive Reinforcement Dog Training: It Feels Good When There is Pay-off!
This morning my young dog Snorri gave me reason for pride. Snorri has an incredible nose and is also highly food motivated. Like all smart dogs (and kids) he is also very curious and he likes to explore everything. He uses his mouth and his nose. On the sidewalks of New York…
