Lisa is wonderful! Our golden retriever puppy, Bliss, has been much more manageable since Lisa came, and we’ve been incorporating everything she showed us. Bliss is a different puppy! Now she’s fun to play with and the kids aren’t afraid to interact with her anymore. We highly recommend Lisa!
~ Anne Lynn Minick

Our students at Kennedy Heights Montessori Center are ages 3 to 6. Often, young children do not know how to interact appropriately with dogs and how to understand what dogs are trying to tell them. Not only can that cause dogs to be uncomfortable around them (and them to be uncomfortable around dogs), it can also cause a very real bite risk. Lisa’s My Dog My Best Buddy teaches that important information to kids at their learning level. She has an easy-going, fun and positive approach that puts our students at ease, encourages interactions and keeps their focus. When she asked at the end what everyone learned, it was really great to see our students share what they retained. Not only will that help to make it safer for them around their dog, it will also help to strengthen their relationship with their dog. I would highly recommend Lisa for presentations at such places as scout meetings, child care centers, summer camp programs. library story hours; and for families.
~ Mary Beth Schneider, (former) executive director, Kennedy Heights Montessori Center

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

Lisa helped train our Vizsla puppy Rosie! We could not have asked for a more intuitive, knowledgeable, and caring trainer. Vizsla’s tend to be a little wild and crazy, and Lisa’s knowledge, skills and positive training style was perfect for us. She created a wonderful learning environment for us and our puppy in the comfort of our own home. We loved the fact that we could train in the environment where Mark and I and the kids spend the most time with Rosie. In the beginning, Lisa helped with Rosie’s anxiety over crate training and also helped with most of the basic puppy issues such as house training, and obedience behaviors. We also took Rosie to the park to teach her to walk on lease while being exposed to outside distractions. Lisa was a calming influence on us, and our puppy, and taught us dog psychology and dog behavior along with how to implement that knowledge in our everyday lives. Her influence and thoroughness has gotten us the results we were looking for. She trained us as much as the puppy and always welcomes questions and concerns.

Thanks Lisa for all the work and time you put into helping us and Rosie. Rosie is now well behaved as well as being totally adorable. We love you!
~ The Blumenfeld Family

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

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

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’s 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

My vet recommended that I contact Lisa to help me deal with my newly rescued dog’s separation anxiety. After talking with other trainers about their methods and experience, I decided to work with Lisa. I’m very happy I did. She gave me a lot of really helpful techniques and advice. I’m still working on getting my dog comfortable when alone, but we’ve made a lot of progress with Lisa’s help! Separation anxiety can be really overwhelming but Lisa was able to guide me (and my dog) through the worst of it. Even though our training with her is over, she still checks in on me and my dog. He’s made a lot of progress and she’s helped me understand his body language and how to work with him.
~A.D.

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 obedience 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

In preparation for receiving my four-month-old goldendoodle Buddy, I read two books about the art of raising happy dogs. Each book detailed methods on how to make the dog do something. The overriding theme was exercise, discipline, and affection – in that order. I was eager to learn and did my best to internalize what I read. Just to be safe though, I consulted my veterinarian and he recommended a dog trainer, Lisa Desatnik.

Lisa presented a different approach to dog training; how to make the dog WANT to do something. She guided me on how to have a relationship with my pup through affection, fun, and trust. Discipline was infused throughout with carefully-timed disbursements of treats, play, and “parties”. (Lisa is a master at this and wonderful to watch!) Foremost, her training taught me how to have Buddy value me over everything else. Thanks to Lisa, I recognize Buddy as his own unique doggy-self and look forward to the journey of building a quality relationship with him.
~ Cathy Koesters

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 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

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. She’s 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

We enlisted Lisa’s help for our dog Alfie when we first adopted him. We thought we just needed basic obedience and leash training, but soon discovered Alfie was a very nervous and fearful dog. With Lisa’s help, we learned to identify when he was showing more subtle signs of fear and anxiety and she taught us how to let him move at his own pace, make choices, and build confidence with training.

We are grateful for her help in learning to see signs we wouldn’t have otherwise recognized. Alfie is on his way to being a more confident, relaxed, comfortable dog. I’d recommend Lisa to anyone who needs help understanding their dog better!
~ Amanda Wolfe

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. Her understanding of dogs really is very impressive.
~ Peter Wimberg

Lisa came to our house to help us train our 4 month old puppy, Frankie. She has been so supportive throughout the training process-answering emails and texts in between sessions and sending us links and advice. Lisa involved my two children in every session which added to the fun when training her. We purchased the Puppy Package and then extended our sessions in order to work with Lisa more. Lisa came with a plan for training but also listened to our needs and wants for Frankie’s training. We have really enjoyed our time with Lisa. Frankie and our family has learned so much!
~ Robyn White

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

Our family had a wonderful experience with Lisa.  We were hoping to find someone who could help make training a new puppy Labrador a positive and fun experience.  Lisa exceeded our expectations.  She is extremely well versed in the principles of behaviorism, and she has a calm, warm, and patient style in her approach, which is so effective in getting results! We appreciated how positive and collaborative she was with us.  She certainly practices what she preaches! Our children enjoyed learning from her as well. We were impressed how she seamlessly could alter her teaching style for different ages.  I will continue to recommend her to friends and family for years to come!
~Erica Pearl Messer, PsyD

We looked at several different trainers to help us with our aggression challenge.  Lisa uses only positive reinforcements and she’s really good at it. I thoroughly enjoyed every session with her. And Piper, our female JRT loves her. We could not be happier with our results. Our fur-family thanks you for all you do.
~Toni Heilman

I have a 6 month old highly energetic toy poodle and didn’t know where to start to teach her the basics of good behavior. Lisa worked with us for 6 weeks and it was a real eye opener for me as I realized that I was the one being taught! Her methods shed light on a different approach to working with your dog. I use the words “working with” rather than training, because it is a mutual learning experience. I really appreciate the knowledge Lisa shared with us, as it is just the beginning of our journey with the newest member of our family.
~Susan Colding

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

My husband and I decided after our youngest of three turned 11, that it was time to get a puppy and we went big – a Great Dane. Because of her size, we wanted to make sure she was well trained and while my husband and I both had dogs as children, we had never trained a dog ourselves so we knew we needed help.

Lisa was recommended to us by our vet but I had also been reading her article in Hyde Park Living for years. Zelda warmed up to her immediately. With Lisa’s guidance, Zelda quickly learned to sit, lay down, focus attention, and come when called. We are now teaching her some outdoor games and walking without pulling. Lisa has been great with teaching us to recognize Zelda’s cues and our youngest has taken much pride in the skills he can now train Zelda to do. Lisa has been a pleasure to work with and she is one of Zelda’s favorite people.
~ Cathy DeFoor

ng 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

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 commands. Lisa is very patient and takes time to listen to all your concerns with your pet. So happy and highly recommend.
~ Lauren Pallet

Lisa has a deep understanding of dogs and provides practical tips that 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

We adopted Auggie our 8-week-old Aussiedoodle in March, 2021. We were big fans of positive reinforcement training and Lisa was exactly the type of trainer were seeking. At first Auggie was shy and wouldn’t even let Lisa get close enough to walk her. Lisa helped train and provide the skills to my wife and me to get Auggie to feel more comfortable and confident and also pay attention to her body language. We feel like we have made great strides training with Lisa for just a few short months. While Auggie (and we!) still have work to do, I would highly recommend Lisa as a patient skilled trainer and dog behavior expert. I will definitely work with her again as the need for maintenance sessions warrant.
~ Jim Matt

Our little Cockapoo puppy is one year old today. We are seniors and needed a little more life in our home. So we adopted Susie. She is everything we wanted and more. Like everything else, the more was a little more of a challenge than we expected. We asked our daughter to find us a good trainer, and she put us in touch with Lisa. To say that Lisa is a dog trainer may not do justice to her talent, she is more of a pet and pet family psychologist. She helped us and Susie communicate and understand each better. No electronic devices, no tricks or magic. Just love, communication and understanding. If you have a puppy that is Sometimes smarter and a lot faster than you, call Lisa.
~ Doyle & Sandy Clarkson 

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 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

Before working with Lisa, we were barely able to take our dog Lucy outside due to severe anxiety. After working with Lisa, Lucy is now much more relaxed and able to enjoy being outside. We’ve worked with several trainers, and Lisa far exceeded the other trainers we worked with in both knowledge about our dog’s behavior, and in Lisa’s positive reinforcement approaches. Lisa would regularly check in with us, corresponded with advice over email, and she did some Zoom calls with us – all in addition to the training sessions. Lisa really went above and beyond, and she genuinely cared for our dog Lucy. I cannot recommend Lisa enough!
~Justin Siegrist

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

We worked with Lisa for several months and continue to be so grateful for what we learned, her guidance and her support! At the time our one-year old puppy was eager to learn and we all really took to Lisa’s approach and style – very clear on our goals, focusing on the bond and engagement, consistency, and most importantly, having fun. Our dog is quite the mix of breeds and traits – working breeds, high prey drive, etc. and we worked with Lisa both indoors and outside in our neighborhood. What is so valuable as well is the insight into our dog’s body language that allows us to better recognize his needs or feelings, and being creative in making sure his needs are either satisfied, or that our actions are influenced to keep him feeling safe. Highly, highly recommend working with Lisa and staying connected with the amazing resources she makes available for ongoing education!
~ Sarah Peck

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

For years my 10 year old Miniature Schnauzer, Olivia was horrible around other dogs. She would bark incessantly when around other dogs and humans. I never put it to the test but I was fearful it could have escalated to a dangerous situation. For years I made excuses for why she behaved as she did. A friend recommended Lisa to me. I attended one of her seminars, left skeptical, but decided to give her and methods a shot. After one session there was a marked difference. After several sessions, she was behaving like any other reasonably behaved dogs.

My only regret is that I didn’t to this years ago.
~Stuart Goldberg

Lisa Desatnik has been fantastic at helping us with our dog’s separation anxiety. We were so discouraged and stressed about our dog, Mayday’s separation anxiety, ever improving prior to our first Zoom call with Lisa. Lisa’s separation anxiety modification process is really structured, so there was no guess work on our end which was so helpful. Weekly we reviewed our progress, challenges and next steps together while Lisa tracked our process every step of the way. I loved getting her advice during our weekly Zoom reassessment – it was really helpful to know if we were doing things appropriately on our own.

It’s incredible how much progress Mayday has made. We never could have gotten to this point without Lisa’s training, patience, and encouragement. My husband and I now have the confidence to continue the missions on our own, checking in with Lisa monthly, and Mayday has continued making progress! For the first time since we recognized his separation anxiety, we feel hopeful that this will not be a forever problem. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend Lisa if your dog is struggling with separation anxiety.  NOTE: Since receiving this testimonial, the Bolser’s are now able to leave Mayday for several hours without stress. You can read, see and hear their story here.
~ Megan Bolser

We started working with Lisa when we first got our puppy Reggie, who is a Corgi.  She was recommended to us by our veterinarian who had concerns that our puppy may have behavioral issues.  From when we started working with Lisa to now – we have seen such a huge shift with our sweet pup.  We’ve learned how to help him thrive, behave and have fun all at once!  We also have two young toddlers – so we’ve learned how to have our pup and kiddos interaction with each other safely while still having fun (they are now the best of friends).  However, the best result that came from Lisa is when our vet had to keep Reggie for a day following our trainings.  When we came to pick him up – the vet said Reggie was the light of their day and that every person who interacted with him just absolutely adored him and kept going back to love on him.  No doubt, thanks to Lisa!  If you are reading this – I would highly recommend connecting with Lisa in any capacity you can – you won’t regret it!
~Chandra and Lee Groh

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

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

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

I can’t imagine finding a more perfect dog trainer than Lisa Desatnik Lisa changed all of our thinking. Our 1year 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

I reached out to Lisa when my cockapoo Ginger began growling, lunging and snapping at kids, men (and other unknown people) and other dogs. At that time taking her on walks was very difficult. Taking her out in the community was even more difficult. Lisa’s force-free techniques boosted our confidence together, built a stronger connection outdoors, and improved my ability to read Ginger’s body language, and have more fun. Lisa is patient and insightful…and knows the best gear and enrichment toys. I have had so many ah-ha moments. Ginger seems so much happier. She can relax when people come to our home, and now she will actually go up to and solicit attention from the kinds of people she used to growl at. It is wonderful that I can take her for walks and she can come with us on family outings. Thank you Lisa!