Ana Melara has been working with dogs and their families for over two decades, originally in N.Y.C. and since 2001 here in Colorado.

Ana Melara's training techniques are founded on praise-based, dog-friendly and people-friendly methods, and a fundamental belief that, as dog guardians, we are responsible for their well-being and training. Whether she is teaching basic manners, puppy house-training or addressing a dog's aggression issues, Ana emphasises to all of her human clients the profound importance that their gentle guidance and loving leadership plays in their dog's training.

Grace Dog Training & Behavior offers in person private private training, phone and video consultations, on-line and in person workshops and seminars. Our team has over 25 years of experience with basic manners, impulse control, and aggression management. We will design a training program tailored to your needs, creating a safe and effective training environment for you and your dog.

Private Training
Private training is a great option to tackle difficult behavioral problems. Ana can help dogs from a breeder or rescue, new puppies or older dogs on everything from setting a strong foundation to preventing unwanted behaviors. All sessions can be in-person or virtual, anywhere across the world.

Board & Train
This is a powerful program based in modern, praise-based, gentle methods of training for brand new puppy families or families who haven't had a puppy in a long time. This amazing program is ideal for puppy owners who find themselves saying

• We finally got our perfect family dog from the breeder and want to ensure we're setting them up for success
• We want our new puppy to be a well mannered family dog to enjoy for the rest of his or her life
• I don't feel like I'm doing the right thing to set my puppy up for long term success
• I would love guidance about how to best train my dog for my house
• I need help being confident in what I'm doing with my puppy
• We don't know what we don't know about this puppy process
• You have the resources and desire to create the right foundation for your new puppy

Service Dogs
This program requires dedication and time with a minimum 2 year commitment, and offers continued support throughout the lifetime of the dog. Whether helping you choose the dog/puppy or supporting an existing service dog, below are some of the ways we help our clientele.

• Brace and mobility
• Retrieving items like medication
• Picking up dropped items
• Bringing in groceries and carrying items
• Physical pressure training
• Daily task support including turning lights on and off, waking up, medication support, pulling wheelchairs, holding doors, opening and closing doors
• Supporting getting dressed and undressed and assisting with laundry
• PTSD support, including
  • hypervigilance support
  • Medication reminders
  • Navigating to an exit or other predetermined location
  • Finding the car in a parking lot
  • Hug on cue

Group Training
This program is great for just about everybody. Puppies to senior dogs, new dog owners to experienced dog trainers, join a community of like-minded people looking to better their training skills, deepen their relationship with their dogs and get into the mind of the dog through expert Ana Melara.

Ana Melara is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and member of the (APDT) Association of Professional Dog Trainers and a member of (IAABC) International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She is TAGteach Advanced Certified.

Puppy training, aggression management, basic manners, impulse control

Ana Melara's training techniques are founded on praise-based, dog-friendly and people-friendly methods.

Judy Greenfield • Colorado Greyhound Adoption
Without Ana's help, Chester's miraculous transformation would not have been possible. She trained me to communicate, using positive reinforcement, what I wanted Chester to do. We achieved our training goals without the use of any punishing choke collars or yelling.

Holcomb and Bridget Mosley
Ana, Bridget and I are so grateful you were brought into our lives. I just took Chief for his regular vet visit at his regular vet and he did great!!!! Park Hill Vets are amazing and they have supported Chief's needs all along. But to be able to get his vaccinations and a full checkup is no small feat. This is a HUGE success for us!
We have been doing all the things you taught us to do—sleeping in his crate, gate on the porch, dual slip leash, “go to place”…all of it and it's working. Chief is not on any medications and I don't think he has attempted to bite anyone in more than 6 months. We could not have gotten to this place without your expertise and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Sue LeBarron, Shelter Manager “Charlie's Place”
Ana Melara is a skilled dog trainer fluent in the use of praise-based training techniques to modify behaviors. She has provided invaluable assistance to our shelter by training staff and volunteers to handle and train dogs to improve their quality of life and ultimately become more adoptable. We incorporate the lessons Ana has taught us on a daily basis.

Lisa Avram and Boxcar
Hi Ana. I just wanted to tell you….I had 14 people over my tiny house yesterday. I made dinner, there were 4 kids ranging in age from 1-10, the cats, etc. it was noisy and overwhelming even for me- but Boxcar was AMAZING! He was great with the kids (even when they were running around with silly string and screaming!) and just laid there on his mat with his chewy with everyone eating around him! He let everyone pet him and he never even freaked out. I was soooo happy and he got so many compliments! So, thank you!

Rachel Laurie CPDT-KA
I was a volunteer at a local shelter for a few years, it was a humbling experience not knowing how to deal with the “challenging” dogs. Ana came and did a one day seminar on how to deal with shelter dogs. I was inspired by her ability to get results without even touching the dog! That's when I decided to enroll in her academy. One of the best choices I've ever made! Ana gave me the tools to work with a number of dogs with a variety of challenges. I have since started my own dog training business and earned my Certified Professional Dog Trainer certification and am planning to earn more certifications. Thank you Ana for your continued support! What a wonderful journey it has been!

Laurie Bogue – Denver, Colorado
Ana came to our rescue! After Ana's initial assessment of Chance and his behavior, I quickly enrolled him in an in-home training program of behavior modification and we began our journey back to the real world. Ana's rewards-based training, based on positive reinforcement of good behavior, is just what Chance and I needed! Ana has helped me understand the intricacies of body language (both mine and Chance's), and she has shown me how to anticipate situations before they occur and how to defuse some of Chance's reactions before they escalate out of control.

Lori Hansen • Denver, CO
When my new puppy began acting aggressively towards other dogs, I was overwhelmed with advice, good and bad, helpful and not so helpful. It was very confusing and sometimes frightening. Ana made sense out of the chaos. She developed a program appropriate for this particular dog and his specific issues. She has been available every step of the way to progress him to each new level. Best of all is her consistent encouragement and support of both the human and the dog throughout the process!

Sue Brown, MNM, CDBC, CPDT
I have known Ana for several years, and we have taught many classes, workshops and seminars together. If I were looking for a class to attend or for personal help with one of my dogs, Ana is the first person I would call.
She takes the time to understand the needs of both the dogs and their people which is necessary for a successful outcome. Ana is great at reading dogs, and can pick up on the subtle signs that most people miss. She is a great listener and an effective communicator with both dogs and people. A trainer who is great with dogs but can't coach the people how to work with their own dogs is not going to provide lasting long-term results. She can help people teach their dogs the basic skills such as come, stay and leash walking but she also understands that helping people learn to use these cues effectively in everyday life is even more important.

Dionne Cyca • Denver, CO
Ana came into my life because of my second Mastiff, Booker. I adopted him from a rescue with no clue to his background. But seriously why would a cute 9 month-old dog have issues, right?
I was out of my league. His first owners tied him up in a yard, starving and beating him for fighting. I'm not sure how he ended up in a shelter in Aurora but by some grace he was not put down and ended up at Blue Lion Rescue, where I found him. He snapped at me once and we've never had a problem since, but he was fearful around strangers. This concerned me. While a small badly behaving dog is labeled “cute” or “funny”, the same behaviour in a big dog is labeled aggressive.
So Ana came to us. After an eval we started classes, which were working but not as well as I had hoped. At one point I had a meltdown, and Ana, in her tough-but-loving approach told me I had to get my head in the game if I wanted to see success in Booker.
So I put my head in the game and gave him my best effort. It has reaped rewards beyond my imagination. While my first Mastiff, Chloe was as sweet as ever around people, she was a naughty dog whose manners were far from perfect. I realized this as Booker became the better behaved dog walking on a leash. He never steals food off the counter. While we're still working on his fear of strangers, he now takes treats from Ana's hand when she comes over!

Ryan Kramer and Phara Williams-Kramer • Denver, CO
Ana has a way with dogs, her kindness and human methods are creative and effective. I love the fact I could throw that terrible choker away and have a more humane way of teaching my dog right from wrong. Her methods are not the sort of things you would find in any book widely available to the public.
Ana is precise and in control as are her three dogs Grace, Argos, and Meg. They are an inspiration to me and my dog. A true testimonial to what can be achieved by learning how to have great human-dog communication skills. Our dogs are trying to tell us something, we just need to learn what they are saying. Ana is straight to the point and honest no bushes to beat around, just the facts.

Judy Greenfield • Colorado Greyhound Adoption
In December, 2003, a greyhound that I was fostering for Colorado Greyhound Adoption exhibited a behavioral problem that I was not equipped to handle. When seeing strange dogs in the park, three year old Chester would lunge after them. When I tugged on the leash to correct him, he would turn around and bite me on the leg. Knowing that Chester was not adoptable because of this behavior, I was put in touch with trainer Ana Melara who had generously consulted with CGA in the past.
Ana visited our home for an on-site evaluation of Chester. She observed him for his level of reactivity, ability to accept leadership and fitness for rehabilitation. She provided us with recommendations for reasserting our authority and started us on a program to deal with his leash aggression and re-directed aggression. Ana also suggested that I purchase and read Feisty Fido, to complement our lessons. We practiced daily in the neighborhood and had weekly sessions with Ana.

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