When it comes to your life with your dog, I can help you find relief from frustrations; and teach and strengthen life skills so your dog can participate with you. See me as your and your dog’s training coach, supporting both of you based upon your specific issues, lifestyle, dog and relationship with your pet.
Dog training should be fun for you and your dog! The magical piece of teaching in the most positive way is that you come to be associated with the good in life. By teaching you how to be engaging, you will see a more attentive pet that wants to listen to you more.
Does your family involve kids and a dog? I will incorporate lessons for the whole family.
Want to learn how to clicker train your dog or puppy? Absolutely I teach clicker training for dogs and puppies!
Plan for 1.5 to 2 hours for our first visit. Additional visits for one dog are approximately one hour. If you live in the Cincinnati area, private sessions can be done in your home, your neighborhood, or another location conducive to meeting your training goals. To be most effective, this is a great option for you if you can commit to weekly to bi-weekly lessons with me (and homework outside of appointments) in the beginning; as building these good habits take practice and consistency. Live outside of the Cincinnati area? We can work together virtually!
If you do not have time to do all of the training yourself, no problem, as your dog’s coach I can also be your dog’s homeschool teacher. Day training is great for teaching or strengthening specific behavior skills such as loose leash walking, crate training, sit/down/settle/stay and more. As part of this training package, once a week, I will teach you how to maintain and even strengthen your pet’s skills.
As a veterinarian, I have never felt the need to use a dog trainer, but when I rescued an adolescent dalmatian mix, I found myself completely overwhelmed. At 6 months old, Olive began struggling with hyper-arousal and fear-based reactions that left me feeling frustrated and unsure of how to help her.
I reached out to Lisa, and it was the best decision I could have made for us. Instead of just focusing on ‘commands,’ Lisa helped me truly understand Olive’s perspective. She guided us through the difficult adolescent phase by using positive reinforcement to manage Olive’s arousal levels. Most importantly, she shifted the focus from ‘fixing’ behavior to building a deep relationship based on trust and clear communication.
Seeing the shift in Olive’s confidence—and my own—has been incredible. From both a professional and personal standpoint, I cannot recommend Lisa enough for anyone navigating the complexities of a growing, sensitive dog.
~ Emily Robinson, DVM
Lisa has great unique insight into dog psychology. Her tips absolutely changed my one year-old dog‘s personality by giving him agency. I would’ve never thought of this had I not spoken with Lisa! She’s easy to talk to and gives you real life information that will help.
~ Tamara Schroeder
Lisa is an exceptionally knowledgeable and enthusiastic dog training professional. Her dedication to sharing evidence-based information on dog behavior and thoughtfully integrating dogs into people’s lives is truly commendable. I have greatly valued the opportunity to learn alongside Lisa and to consult with her on a variety of cases. I highly recommend her.
~ Jen Shryock, B.A., CDBC
founder/director of Family Paws Parent Education
Looking for a dog trainer who will help you and your puppy LOVE training? Lisa Desatnik is your person! My family hired Lisa to help us get off to a good start with our rough collie puppy. She has been there with us every step of the way, from giving us advice before bringing Lucky home, to a “Puppy 101” in the early days, to currently helping us navigate adolescence! Lisa has really helped me learn to tailor training to my dog’s interests and motivations.
As a result, our dog Lucky absolutely loves to be trained, and she is a joy to work with. My family loves that Lisa uses only positive training techniques, so the puppy training work just feels good. Lucky has never heard a harsh word in her young life–yet, friends who visit marvel at her behavior! Lisa has spent a lot of extra time teaching my elementary-aged children how to work with Lucky, and Lucky performs just as enthusiastically for my daughter as she does for me.
Lisa really goes above and beyond. Any time I ask her a question, she says, “I’ll send you an article” or “I’ll send you a training video” on that! She offers free classes for children and for her students, just to help them learn and improve. I truly can’t recommend her highly enough.
~ Lindsay Loscher
“We reached out to Lisa primarily to help our lab-shepherd mix’s reactivity. He’s a very sweet boy but is very wary of people outside of the immediate family. Lisa has taken a wonderful, holistic approach – seeing the whole dog, the whole family (including our other pups) and household dynamics to address the issues. Through positive reinforcement and changes to environmental triggers, Grizzly is now much less reactive, is better able to regulate his own responses to stimuli, and can actually interact with guests in our home without us worrying about safety. We’re still on the journey but incredibly grateful!”
~ Karen Hills-Skipper
“Lisa was extremely helpful with helping me train my dog. She is very patient and gentle when she is training. She shows lots of affection and encouragement. My dog loved her. She also gives encouragement to the owner, she never made me feel like I was ‘stupid’. I would recommend her to anyone that is in need of a trainer.”
~ Shelley Longnecker
“Lisa was amazing with our two dogs. She quickly assessed issues that we did not know existed. We made some simple changes and it made a world of difference. We can’t thank her enough. We’d highly recommend her. Thanks Lisa.”
~Jay Bolotin
“Me and my therapy dog, Murphy, have been working with Lisa Desatnik for the past two years. I would highly recommend anyone who has a dog or contemplating getting a dog take advantage of her free classes (How to Train and Be a Good Friend to Your Dog). It is free to the public and is geared for children ages 6-11. My Murphy is who she uses to teach the kids. Lisa has a wonderful way of interacting with kids and she shares much information on how to be a good friend to your dog. Lisa is an awesome dog trainer and has more designations than you can imagine. She is simply wonderful and will help your kids to be better dog owners!!”
~ Dennis Billman
We chose Lisa as our dog trainer, for our young Boston Terrier Mikey after a previous trainer failed to make much headway in his wild behavior. I had read about how effective she is in getting good results, but seeing it for myself was nothing short of amazing. Mikey really responded to her calm demeanor and soothing voice. By the end of our dog training sessions, Mikey was a much better behaved dog. I can’t recommend Lisa highly enough!
~Jeff and Michele Witte
We reached out to Lisa primarily to help our lab-shepherd mix’s reactivity. He’s a very sweet boy but is very wary of people outside of the immediate family. Lisa has taken a wonderful, holistic approach – seeing the whole dog, the whole family (including our other pups) and household dynamics to address the issues. Through positive reinforcement and changes to environmental triggers, Grizzly is now much less reactive, is better able to regulate his own responses to stimuli, and can actually interact with guests in our home without us worrying about safety. We’re still on the journey but incredibly grateful for Lisa!
~ Karen Hills-Skipper
Lisa has been an absolute blessing to my relationship with not only my dogs, but also with my fiancé and myself. We reached out to Lisa when my fiancé adopted our second dog, whose reactivity meant we couldn’t take outside of the house without risking the removal of our shoulders from their sockets. I have never had an anxious animal.
Day one of Lisa visiting our home, she pulled out many positive reinforcement approaches to to dog training. I have never seen animals more happy and engaged than my dogs were while training with Lisa. I didn’t even know our new dog’s tail could wag like that!
I cried after Lisa left that first time. I and threw out my pronged collar after that. Input Lisa’s training and output the most joyful & confident version of your dog who loves listening to you more than chasing squirrels… instead of the repressed obedience that I now recognize comes with punitive training styles.
Lisa is like a dream therapist/translator for dogs and their people, who will help you learn how to communicate better to create a happier & healthier relationship. And despite Lisa’s many years of experience, she is always continuing her education as a trainer; every time I talk to her I feel like she has just returned from some new seminar or received another certification.
On top of her dedication to her career, she’s also a grade A human being who always comes from a place of kindness with the people she interacts with as well as with their animals. If whoever is reading this is someone who considers their relationship with animals to be integral to their personal identity— know that investing in Lisa is not just investing in your animal companion, but it is also investing in you!
~Jessica Cook
I cannot speak highly enough of our experience with Lisa. Our family adopted a dog very different in breed and size than our previous dogs, and Lisa has been critical with giving us the necessary dog training tools to be successful with the dog we have. I am confident we wouldn’t be doing as well with the adjustment if we didn’t have her help.
~Lauren Porter
Lisa, your patience and expertise have helped us bring out the best in our dog. You make dog training fun, for both the dog and the handler, and have helped us train a pup that we enjoy living with. Thank you for going above and beyond, and helping us learn how to turn a “problem” pup into a joy! You are a talented, skillful, and generous dog trainer.
~ Kim Grier
We are so happy with the dog training help Lisa gave us! She is extremely knowledgeable and offers her many years of study and experience as well as articles and links to all kinds of supportive information and products. Our 4 year old mixed terrier breed, Bea, has always been on high alert and driven by her instincts to the point of taking on the disciplining in our home. Lisa helped us to recognize signs of stress and overstimulation and gave us manageable strategies to help take the edge off for Bea. She also taught us a very respectful approach in the training, guiding Bea with encouragement and praise versus scolding. I feel like Bea is more relaxed as we are finally tuned in to her needs and she knows she can count on us rather than always having to be on the job. Thank you so much Lisa!!
~Shelly Mauer
(dog training) My husband and I live in an older adult neighborhood with our adolescent standard labradoodle. Like so many adolescent dogs, Ebony was a tugger on a leash and would especially want to run toward other people and dogs. Because of this, I was cautious to walk her in my neighborhood.
My prior experience with training had been using more traditional approaches. I had been taught to use a stern tone, use leash pressure and collar tugs to train previous dogs. That didn’t work with Ebony.
Lisa taught me a very different, positive approach to teaching Ebony and it has made a huge difference in Ebony’s training success. Right from the beginning, Lisa emphasized my preparation, learning how to listen to Ebony, to relax on the other end of the leash, and set her (and I) up for success. I learned how to put management into place to prevent practice of unwanted behaviors. I learned how to teach things like ‘leave it’, loose leash walking and even wearing doggie shoes without causing Ebony to feel stressed. And feel happy to do these things instead.
Now I am so much more confident walking Ebony and I see her wanting to pay attention and focus on learning. My relationship with her has also grown. I highly recommend Lisa to others looking for a positive trainer. Ebony loves her.
~Ann Reber
(dog training) We are so happy with the help Lisa gave us! She is extremely knowledgeable and offers her many years of study and experience as well as articles and links to all kinds of supportive information and products. Our 4 year old mixed terrier breed, Bea, has always been on high alert and driven by her instincts to the point of taking on the disciplining in our home. Lisa helped us to recognize signs of stress and overstimulation and gave us manageable strategies to help take the edge off for Bea. She also taught us a very respectful approach in the training, guiding Bea with encouragement and praise versus scolding. I feel like Bea is more relaxed as we are finally tuned in to her needs and she knows she can count on us rather than always having to be on the job. Thank you so much Lisa!!
~Shelly Maurer
(dog training for aggressive behaviors) I’m so grateful for Lisa. Our toy poodle, Augie, was very anxious and acting out in aggression. I had tried different ways to train Augie, but it was not until Lisa walked through our door that our problems were solved. Lisa took the time to listen and ask questions about his behavior. She took a comprehensive, holistic look from his health to situations that caused his unwanted behaviors. In just eight weeks, Lisa was able to teach me how to recognize Augie’s body language to know when he was stressed and manage his behavior in a fun and positive way. She cooperated with our vet to find solutions and now Augie is like a different dog altogether. He is much more relaxed and I have learned what I need to do to help Augie enjoy life! Thank you, Lisa.
~ Michelle Ficke
(puppy training and dog training) I can’t imagine finding a more perfect dog trainer than Lisa Desatnik. She changed all of our thinking. Our 1 year old Berner is so tuned into us, and totally follows our lead! WE as humans have learned how to communicate and read Elsie to obtain desired behaviors.
Our large puppy would get overly excited and jump and bite our arms with excitement. Tired of bruised and scabbed arms, Lisa caught our attention as she is soft spoken and has been featured many times on Channel 9, WCPO. Our instincts were right on with what we were looking for!
There is so much more to dog training then just teaching a few commands. There’s a relationship between canine and human that Lisa fostered for a lifetime! Literally, hundreds of things to pay attention to and do during training to get the desired end results. We were never aware of all of this in the past, and know now we will have such a well trained dog.
Friends remark that they can clearly see how well trained Elsie is by her behavior. It will be a lifetime of continual training and positive reinforcement to foster the best relationship and behavior, which would not be possible without Lisa. All future dogs that join our family will start out with Lisa training right away!
~Sherri Marshall
(dog training) Lisa is incredible. I got my dog when he was almost 2 and so while he new some basic commands, there was really some trust and bonding we both needed. While Lisa helped Teddy with some basic skills, the best part is how attentive Teddy is to me and how willing he his to learn something new.
I get compliments on his demeanor everywhere we go. From knowing how to sit if he wants to be pet and not jump to not begging at the dinner table and so much more, Teddy has learned so much.
Even more impressive is I learned so much too. I highly recommend Lisa. It is worth every penny of the investment.
~ Allison Coleman
(dog training for fearful and anxious dog) After having a very traumatic experience at our first basic obedience class with another trainer, our vet recommended calling Lisa for our very anxious and fearful one year old cockapoo, Wesley. I am so glad I did!
After my first phone call with Lisa, I went from feeling desperate and hopeless to having skeptical optimism. During my first meeting with Lisa, she explained her approach to training, which was different from any other training I had learned in the past. Wesley is our third dog after all! But the psychology made sense, especially for an anxious, fearful dog like Wesley. After working with Lisa for several months, I have learned how to “read” Wesley’s body language and use a positive approach to training to minimize his triggers in his world outside our home. He has become a more relaxed dog. He is even able to enjoy short walks in a busy park around small children, bikes, and other dogs who once would trigger a fit of barking and growling. He still has his good days and bad days, but I know we are on the right path now thanks to Lisa’s amazing guidance and support throughout the training process.
~Carrie Josche
(dog training for anxious dog) We rescued Brutus in February of 2022 when he was 1 year old. He has exhibited some anxious behaviors such as excessive whining, acting shy, fear of raised surfaces, and barking at strangers. He’s also a jumper on people he likes! As happy as he had been for the year we’ve had him, I knew the anxiety was uncomfortable.
Lisa has been so wonderful for him. She’s had a huge impact on our lives! Together, we have found a method that helps to deter jumping and helped him feel more comfortable while I put on his harness. He overcame his fear of stepping onto surfaces during our first training session with Lisa—it was amazing! She taught me the importance of enrichment. I also had no idea that “learning to turn himself off” was something we could teach him, but it’s such a great thing to help settle his anxious self. I’m so thankful for Lisa and can’t wait for our next training session!
~ Ali Scheitlin
(adolescent dog training) Lisa helped us train our 8-month-old German Short Haired Pointer, a very energetic and determined pup. We had tried some other training techniques, but our puppy was becoming increasingly fearful and unmanageable. We were recommended to Lisa by our vet, and I am so grateful! Lisa was helpful for many reasons, including offering an individualized training session based on current concerns, helping to restructure a positive relationship with our pup, and making it fun for everyone. By changing our approach, we were able to enjoy the process of training our puppy, with success! She also has a lot of tips to help with behavior during “down time”. She can suggest games and activities to engage mental stimulation to ensure your puppies needs are properly being met. My dog is now happy, relaxed, and able to respond to our cues. Lisa is very patient and takes time to listen to all your concerns with your pet. So happy and highly recommend.
~ Lauren Pallet
(dog training) We were in desperate need of dog training with our two pups, Max and Ollie. When we began feeling frustrated with their behaviors, we reached out to Lisa to schedule our initial consultation. During the consultation we knew immediately Lisa was the perfect dog trainer for us, especially since she practices positive reinforcement. She gave us so many ideas and suggestions for the boys that we never even thought of. Within the first week we implemented all of her suggestions and we noticed a huge change in the boys. And this was all before the training really began. Lisa listened to our concerns and worked so well with both the dogs even though they had such different personalities. She truly got to know each one and loved on them as if they were her own dog. My fiancé and I have been to dog training before and we always felt like it was a chore. Not with Lisa! Every single session with her was fun and enjoyable. Even when I was doing the homework by myself during the week, I had so much fun and felt so proud of my boys. I never thought they would make that much process in such a short amount of time. We HIGHLY recommend Lisa to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, fun dog trainer!
~Ashley Zekoff
(dog training) It is such a treat to work with Lisa. She is so respectful of pets and humans! She has been helping my daughter and I understand our dog Lee’s behaviors, what makes him feel uncomfortable, what builds confidence. He is a rescue with lots of energy. He loves to jump and he can go from 0 to 60 in seconds among other things. She has helped us connect more deeply with him and he is learning so many positive behaviors as a result of her work with us. We all love her training sessions! She is so in tune with what Lee needs to be his best, happiest self.
~Kristen Barker
(dog training to prepare parents for newborn baby) Lisa has a deep understanding of dogs and truly changed our relationship with our dog. Before meeting with Lisa, having a dog was a huge source of stress for me and my husband. I never felt like I was doing enough for our five year old Australian Shepherd, and didn’t know exactly what she needed. Lisa was able to educate us on what our dog needs, how to read her body language, and how to make simple changes to better meet our dog’s needs. These changes fit into our lifestyle and we saw improvements in our dog’s behavior within the first week. We now enjoy our dog so much more. We are also expecting our first child, and Lisa gave us ways to make this transition easier for our dog AND for us. I highly recommend Lisa to anyone who has a furry friend!
~Laura Marklein
(dog training) Lisa is simply the best. When we brought three-year-old Piper home from a local shelter, we knew we wanted to find someone to help us train her, and we were so fortunate to find Lisa. Her positive training techniques, patience, and overall knowledge were just what we all needed. She trained us as much as she trained Piper, and gave us the tools and knowledge we needed. If you’re looking for a dog trainer who gets it, I highly recommend Lisa!
~ Sarah Carefoot
I have been thrilled to have a trainer to refer my patients to. It makes a world of difference to know that my patients will be working with a gentle, understanding trainer who can truly help them with their fears and anxieties. So many trainers resort to brute force and punishment, which only causes more fear and anxiety. Lisa understands how to help people train their dogs in a gentle, humane way. The result is happier dogs and happier owners! I have had nothing but positive feedback from the clients who have followed through with my recommendation to call Lisa for help with their dogs, and recommend her without reservation to my clients.
~ Dr. Denise Chase, DVM, owner
Pleasant Ridge Pet Hospital
(dog training) Lisa was highly recommended to me as a dog trainer. Clifford, my very energetic and loving goldendoodle, was a little over a year when we started working together. I quickly realized I knew I not only needed a trainer for Clifford, but for myself also! Lisa has really helped both of us so much. We have been working very hard with Lisa on his walking on a loose leash and working very hard on keeping our connection together. Lisa has been amazing and patient, and has believed in us each session even when I sometimes got frustrated.
I have learned from Lisa that it takes time and with consistency. I know Clifford and I will continue to progress. I appreciate Lisa’s dedication to our training and our success. I highly recommend her for anyone in need of guidance with dog training. She truly knows and will treat your dog with so much love and kindness, and truly has their best interest at heart.
~ Rachael Greenberg
We rescued an 8-month old puppy in February. Hiro was wonderful at first, but soon revealed himself to be extremely stubborn. We tried different approaches on our own, until he began “zooming” in a way that involved attacking and biting us. We were desperate for help, and Lisa was highly recommended.
Right before we were scheduled to meet, the Covid-19 quarantine was issued. Lisa rolled fluidly with the new restrictions. She “met” us on Zoom. With a little creative camera work on our part, she was able to assess Hiro’s challenges (as well as ours!). We learned so much from her, immediately, which helped us to put a stop to the zooming/attacking/biting us. We continued to meet virtually and then in person with masks, making great strides in Hiro’s behavior. It was amazing. Lisa is excellent at what she does, so her abilities easily and effectively helped us to meet our pup’s needs, making for a much happier dog!
~ D’Shon Shapiro
A problem pet owners sometimes have is getting their dog to listen and respond to their commands. Lisa has achieved tremendous results in correcting this problem with a number of my patients. I own an accredited AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) hospital in Kenwood, Ohio and have built my veterinary practice on an unwavering commitment to quality and service, so I am selective in the professionals I recommend. Lisa has never let me down. Where others have failed, she has succeeded.
~ Dr. V.J. Fairhurst, D.V.M. (now retired)
Montgomery Animal Hospital
We have three dogs, one who is very mellow, one that is kind of afraid of many things and one who can be a little aggressive. Lisa was very helpful in assisting us in how to work them individually and as a group, or pack I suppose would be the better word. I was always amazed at how quickly she had them performing the desired behaviors. She also gave us plenty of great ideas on how to work with them between our appointments with her. Lisa’s understanding of dogs really is very impressive.
~ Peter Wimberg
I wasn’t sure that it was possible to ‘teach an old dog new tricks’, but Lisa changed my mind! Our 15-year-old dog had started to bark all the time whenever my husband and I were in our kitchen. The barking was so annoying that we couldn’t enjoy being in our kitchen or have people over to our home because the noise made things so stressful. A few sessions with Lisa has made such a big, positive difference. She taught me how to teach my dog new behaviors and new ways to get her needs met – that don’t involve barking. It is so quiet now in the kitchen and that makes us so much happier. We are looking forward to having guests over.
~ Amy Katz
(dog training) A good trainer is one that is calm, dedicated and devoted to the well-being of both the handler and the dog. Lisa Desatnik is that kind of trainer. When watching her work (with some difficult dogs) I was impressed with how quickly the dog(s) learn. The dogs she worked with responded quickly to her methods. She rewarded her students (dogs) as well as the handlers with encouragement and praise. Both seemed to be drawn to her method. In addition, Lisa attends workshops, seminars and advanced classes in order enhance her techniques.
If there is difficulty in learning it is usually the handler who has become frustrated and overwhelmed. Lisa helps them overcome some of the frustrations they might be feeling by showing them the techniques they can practice at home.
I would recommend Lisa to anyone who needs help to keep their dog from becoming a statistic. She will help your dog become a valued member of your family; she will help him/her to become well-adjusted and well-behaved.
~ Karen Spradlin, M.Ed., LTE
Licensed Pet Partners Team Evaluator
Registered Pet Partners Team Handler
Lisa took on the challenge of our four-year-old rescue Labrador retriever. She experienced a very difficult life before adopted her. Coco is doing quite well now. Lisa’s dog training methods have given us the skills and confidence to develop a wholesome relationship with our beautiful girl. Coco is a real joy and fun to be with.
All of our goals for her have been met and we would strongly encourage other pet owners to give So Much PETential a try. We found the perfect match with Lisa.
~ Gary and Carmen Dent
Lisa is a talented dog trainer. She helps you see how your dog sees the world. All dogs are different just like people and Lisa is able to intuitively understand your dog. I saw changes in our Louie right after her first training session with him. Louie is now following commands better and enjoying his new abilities. Thank you Lisa for putting us on the right track!
~ Melissa Schwartz
Lisa, thank you so much. You are a very sweet, gentle and knowledgeable person to work with. Those tips changed our lives over the weekend and made things so much more positive and productive with our Duncan. Our family did a great job of copying the things that I shared with them – things you showed me. Everyone was amazed at how improved Duncan’s behavior had become from just one visit. We can’t wait to see what a difference a few more visits make.
– Cathy Andry
With our three children in finally in high school, my husband and I decided that it was time for a puppy. If we could parent teenagers, we felt certain that we could handle a fifteen pound dog. Unfortunately it wasn’t that easy. Three children in high school meant that we were always on the run and the puppy had to fit into our schedules. After ten months she was still not house trained, jumped up on all of our visitors, took off running whenever the opportunity presented itself and disliked being touched. Our training methods were clearly not working. A good friend recommended that I call Lisa Desatnik based upon the success she had with her puppy and I couldn’t be more pleased. Lisa has a golden touch with animals. In a matter of thirty minutes, she had our dog calming laying at her feet waiting for the next instruction. After just a few sessions with Lisa, our dog would come with simple signals, walk on a loose lease in step with me versus trying to run away and she has really helped her with sensitivity issues. If we followed Lisa’s house training suggestions more consistently, we would have that down as well. Lisa’s approach is very different from traditional training methods. She completely relies on positive reinforcement which makes the dog want to perform. Looking back I wish we would have started working with Lisa as soon as our puppy arrived before her bad habits developed but she has done a great job helping us train her.
~ Jackie Brenning
It was amazing to see how quickly Wizzbang learned when Lisa demonstrated and then coached us to teach him behaviors; and then, how much he remembered when we worked with him on our own between sessions. He is doing really well as we continue to practice with the techniques Lisa showed us.
– John Zimmerly
CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC
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