Rachel began her career as a biologist and pursued an advanced degree in zoology and ornithology. Training dogs was a hobby she enjoyed on the side until, 28 years ago, she decided to become a professional dog trainer, and was in the first class of trainers to be certified through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT_KA). Since beginning Positively Obedient Dog Training, she has been recognized as a top trainer by Baltimore Magazine, and has enjoyed a long career serving the Baltimore area, now often helping clients with their second and third dogs, and even providing training to their children’s families. She has been an instructor at Oriole Dog Club for over 25 years, where she trains puppies and beginner dogs. She enjoys competing with her own dogs in conformation, agility, nosework, tricks, and rally. She also enjoys singing and playing mandolin, birding, gardening, hiking, reading, cooking and baking.
Training Philosophy
Rachel is committed to pain and fear-free training. She uses treats, toys, play, and real-life rewards to help you train your dog. She believes that dog training should be fun for both the dog and the owner.
Services
Rachel offers a variety of services, including:
- In-home obedience training and problem-solving
- Remote training via Zoom
- Puppy selection and evaluation
- Basic manners training
- Management of challenging behavior issues such as house training, aggression, destruction, and separation anxiety
- Preparation for dog sports like obedience, rally, conformation, agility, and scent work
- AKC Trick and Virtual Puppy Manners training on zoom with titling options
- Certified AKC CGC evaluator
- 6-week virtual AKC classes in tricks and in puppy manners
Certifications
Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
Specializations
Obedience training, puppy training, problem behavior modification, dog sports preparation, AKC Trick and Virtual Puppy Manners training
Training Methods
Positive reinforcement, clicker training, treats, toys, play, and real-life rewards
Customer Reviews
Leslie Miller:
“Rachel Lachow is a woof wizard, a mutt magician. She doesn’t just train your dog; she trains you. She has quite the way with a clicker, and her treats bring all the dogs to heel. We love Rachel so much that we took her with us to meet the dog we wanted to bring home so that we could rest assured he was a good boy. And Ziggy is the best!”
Barb Clapp:
“I started training with Rachel when my male yellow Labrador puppy was around 12 weeks. He was a major handful and that is an understatement. Moby was wildly distracted, mischievous and getting into everything. Once we started with Rachel, he started really tuning into me and the training game. He remains full of energy but he absolutely knows his cues and follows them!! I have referred many people to Rachel and will continue to do so.”
Nancy Mailman:
“It is hard (or next to impossible) to send only a few words about Rachel Lachow. She is a top-notch dog trainer and handler. She is patient with owners, loving to all animals, and has a great sense of humor! What more could you want?”
Amy Feinberg:
“Rachel is an expert on behavior. She is experienced, kind, intuitive, and makes it fun for the dogs. My dog is now a therapy dog with Paws For People.”
Dawn & Zeke:
“I met Rachel 5 years ago when I brought home my golden retriever puppy. I was at a loss with how to train this very energetic puppy. Rachel taught me how to use positive training techniques such as clicker training for great results. Working with Rachel early on in my dog’s life has given us a solid foundation of training. Zeke is now 5 yrs. old and a certified therapy dog with multiple titles. One of which is an advanced trick title which we were able to learn the tricks and test virtually with Rachel during the pandemic.”
Mark and Susan Eisner:
“As we took on raising our 8-week-old goldendoodle, Panda, we found ourselves in over our heads with a rambunctious, chewing, nipping, jumping, house-destroying, little ball of fur. Rachel helped us get a handle on all of it, from giving us techniques to get us through the earliest nights of crying over her missing littermates, to learning polite greetings and leash walking, and halting negatives like counter-surfing. Panda (and her happy owners) have made so much progress, and we couldn’t have done it without Rachel.”
Felicity and Bradley Turner:
“When we got our English Shepherd puppy Oberon, we tried traditional group classes, but they weren’t a great fit for him– he got overstimulated and a little nervous. Having Rachel come to our house and work with our family made great sense for all of us. She noticed behaviors he was offering and worked to rechannel them before they might become problematic– she taught him to wait calmly as people rang the doorbell, and to sit at the bottom of the stairs rather than climbing them under our feet, as well as many other sensible behaviors. As Oberon has grown, a few new and challenging quirks have emerged, and I always know that Rachel will be able to help us- and him- work through them. During the pandemic, we took a fun online novice tricks class with Rachel that taught us new ways to challenge and bond with Oberon. I recommend Positively Obedient Dog Training to everyone who has a puppy or a dog– our experience has been so very positive! Rachel has helped Oberon- and us- learn helpful behaviors before we even knew they’d be valuable AND she’s helped us tackle some entrenched issues as he’s grown up. She approaches each dog with knowledge and respect, and uses positive, proven techniques that work!”
Victoria Herr:
“Sophie had a major injury as a pup that affected her development and socialization. Before working with Rachel, Sophie could not even walk down our street or go outside without fear and reactivity. Now, after a few sessions with Rachel and consistent practice, Sophie can comfortably go out to public locations, politely greet new people, and plays fetch like a champ!”
Media Appearances
Rachel has been recognized as a top trainer by Baltimore Magazine.
