Christel T. Fleming is a passionate, patient, persistent, and positive dog trainer. She got her first dog, a Shiba Inu named Manny, in 2004. Due to her lack of knowledge and consistency, Manny developed several problem behaviors. After being medically discharged from the Air Force, Christel decided to dedicate herself to fixing the dog she had inadvertently created. She graduated from Animal Behavioral College's Dog Trainer program in 2012 and opened her own business in Ohio. After moving to Colorado Springs, she worked as a dog trainer at a local pet specialty store before opening Connect with Canines and offering in-home private lessons. In 2017, she attended Starmark Academy's Canine Training and Behavior Specialist Program and graduated top of her class. She then moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where she worked for a local non-profit training service dogs for veterans. Christel returned to running her business full-time, incorporating her new knowledge and experience into her training techniques.

Training Philosophy
Christel T. Fleming uses a LIMA (Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive) approach to training. This means she helps dog guardians set up the environment to minimize undesired behavior and maximize opportunities for the dog to earn a reward. She believes in a careful, thought-out approach that considers the dog's temperament, the family's lifestyle, available resources, and environmental elements.

Services

• Behavior Consulting: $80 per session. Evaluations are done in the client's home or a public location, depending on the dog's needs. Plans are personalized to fit the pet's needs and the client's lifestyle.
• Training - Pay by Lesson: $75 per half hour or $150 per hour. Packages are available, but this option provides flexibility for clients who only want to work on one or two behaviors. Sessions can be done in the client's home or virtually.
• Home Manners: $700 for 5 - 45 minute lessons. This course teaches the dog to be calm in the household, wait at doors, go to place/crate, not jump on guests, etc. It also covers basic commands like sit, kennel, loose lead walking, place, take it, leave it, drop it, down, touch, and here. The price includes a place bed, treat pouch, long line, and the first roll or bag of treats.
• Loose Lead Walking Jump Start: $450 for 10 - 30 minute structured walks and a transfer lesson. This package teaches the basics of loose lead walking.
• Training - In Home Train by Trainer: $1500. This package is for clients who are short on time but still want a well-behaved dog. Christel comes to the client's home three times a week for four weeks and trains the dog.

Certifications

• Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers
• Professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers
• Supporting member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
• AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator

Specializations
Christel T. Fleming specializes in behavior modification, obedience training, puppy training, and loose lead walking. She has experience training service dogs for veterans with PTSD, MST, and TBI.

Training Methods
Christel T. Fleming uses positive reinforcement methods, focusing on rewarding desired behaviors. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the dog's temperament, the family's lifestyle, and environmental factors in creating a successful training plan.

Customer Reviews

• Evelyn E.: Christel did an outstanding job with our dog Scout. She targeted the training towards the specific behaviors that we wanted to change. She came fully prepared before each lesson and followed up after each one with additional videos and Information for us. Scout showed almost immediate improvement. We highly recommend Connect With Canines!
• Reid C.: We asked Christel to come help us with our big boy, Chief. We were struggling getting him to walk with us and not pull. Christel trained us to help us understand what Chief needed and how to respond to him. Now he is so much easier to walk as well as is general obedience to other commands we give. Thanks Christel
• Mehr N.: Christel is a wonderful trainer! My husband and I are, quite honestly, not super disciplined with our consistency with our dog. Christel worked with us to talk about how this would affect training and our dog's behavior. Coco absolutely adores her to this day and learned so much from her. As a crazy stray puppy we found who is very mouthy and energetic, we did not know what to expect. Christel's training helped us to curb unwanted chewing and mouthiness and our dog is still responsive to these methods. We are so grateful to have had her as a trainer! She is professional, courteous, personable and so loving with animals.
• Krista W.: We're very satisfied! We accomplished our training goals. The positive reinforcement approach was much more in line with what we were looking for than methods used in other training programs. We enjoy her so much more now and she seems happier too because she knows what to do/not to do.
• Liz C.: We're very satisfied! We accomplished our training goals. The positive reinforcement approach was much more in line with what we were looking for than methods used in other training programs. We enjoy her so much more now and she seems happier too because she knows what to do/not to do. 2023
• Pam R.: Connect with Canines was recommended to us by our Vet when we adopted Bear this past February. We needed to focus on loose leash training, as well as acclimating him to our family. A few quick commands, such as "drop it" and "leave it" have proven to be very useful. And to be able to walk Bear without him dragging us along has minimized the stress. We highly recommend Connect with Canines! And we plan on continuing Bear's training with Christel.
• Zach T.: Christel has done amazing work! She gave us the tools to help build up the confidence of our dog, who had trouble even walking around other dogs before we started training with Connect with Canines. Thank you!
• Art M.: Connect with Canines exceeds ratings in all areas. They were simply fantastic to work with and most accommodating as we dealt with human illnesses. They led the way in helping us recently receive the AKC Canine Good Citizen Award for our dog Murphy. Simply, Connect with Canines, ROCKS!
• Kaitlin A.: Christel is AMAZING; she has a natural gift with both people and dogs. Our sweet rescue puppy had been through a lot of rough situations before arriving to our house and we were worried we'd never be able to walk her or have company over without being embarrassed and afraid of her fear based aggression. After just 5 sessions with Christel, we've got a completely new dog and we're so grateful! THANK YOU so much to Christel for putting her gifts and talents to work!
• Hannah D.: We recently rescued a large Anatolian Shepard/Black Lab mix, 2-3 year old. We contacted Christel from the recommendation for our vet, Northgate Animal Hospital, to help us with his reactivity to other dogs and severe separation anxiety. With just 1 hour training, my husband and I feel MUCH more confident in training Duke in these areas and have already seen HUGE improvements in his behavior (it has only been a few days!). Thank you so much Christel! We highly recommend Connect with Canines and will be working with Christel in the future.
• Kathy W.: We called Connect with Canines to help with our 7 year old Australian Shepherd mix , Ty. Ty was a good dog inside. Outside on walks he would pull us and get very excited. He has a high prey drive. Everything excited him, dogs ,squirrels, and cars. Well, I admit it, I stopped walking him. It was not fun. After just a few weeks working with Christel, Ty is walking like a champ. He just pasted his intermediate training test. Who said, “old dogs can't learn new tricks.” Ty loved all the mental stimulation and attention. Thank you so much for all the help and support. We will be booking more training soon With Ty and our new puppy. We highly recommend Connect with Canines.
• Brenda G.: We inherited our daughter's dog, Braxton, when she had some life changes that were not conducive to a high energy border collie. Braxton barked excessively at times, was extremely timid, and just needed to learn some manners. We have only had two sessions with Christel and the improvement in Braxton is remarkable! Today, using the tools Christel taught us, our once timid dog, came right up to a visitor in our home that he had never met, gave her a friendly sniff, not a single bark and they were instant friends. Previously, he would have barked at this new unwanted intruder and ran to hide in the basement. After our sessions, Christel sends an email with details of everything she reviews. This is extremely helpful! It is a great reminder for you if you forget something. She encourages you to ask follow up questions and to contact her between classes if needed. She is reasonably priced and extremely knowledgeable. We are very grateful for all that Christel has taught us so far and highly recommend her!
• Meredith F.: Kenji and I just had our first training session with Christel, where we worked on leash training. Kenji is a strong and willful Shiba Inu, who pulled so hard while trying to walk him that I was constantly getting injured, so I gave up trying. I was honestly scared to try again today, as you will see in videos. It only took one hour of training to turn hopeless into hopeful. Kenji did an amazing job with the tools she gave us. I’m actually excited to try this on my own now, before moving onto the next step of his training. Thank you so much, Christel!!
• Donna M.: My husband and I went away on vacation for 2 weeks while my sister-in-law dog sat at our home. On the second day of our vacation, our Shiba Inu Kobe decided he was going to start nipping at my sister-in-law's pants when she got up from a chair, walking down the hall and standing at the sink and stove. Our first thought was to call Connect with Canines to see if they could help my sister-in-law to deter his unacceptable behavior. Within 24 hrs or so, no more nipping!! It’s reassuring to know we are just a phone call or text away to getting professional help when needed.
• Angie and Emerson: Our puppy, Maisie, a mixed blue heeler and shepherd cross came from a rescue shelter. She was scared of everybody! It was extremely difficult to have anybody near her. This class has been a Godsend!! It has taught Maisie (and her humans) to be more confident and comfortable around strangers. We can now take her in public because she is so much more manageable. I can’t wait to take the next class. I will bring all of our future puppies to Christel! Thank you so much!
• Kari W.: Thank you does not seem enough, but THANK YOU! I don’t have adequate words to describe how you have helped us in such a short time, but we are forever grateful. Thank you. God Bless you.
• Mark and Marchon S.: We had a very reactive German Shepherd named Elsa. We brought Elsa into Petsmart after first scanning for other dogs. She would go crazy barking and pulling if she even saw another dog across the store. In fact, she even started barking at dog posters inside the store. And this was after spending several hundred dollars working with another professional trainer. We were beginning to think we would never be able to bring Elsa out in public. We met Christel and she assured us that Elsa could be a very obedient dog if we would do our part. Christel brought us through the training step by step. After just four private lessons we were able to get Elsa into one of Christel’s obedience classes with other dogs. About four months after we first started working with Christel our reactive dog passed the Canine Good Citizen’s test on her first try! We’re still amazed at Christel’s patience, depth of knowledge, and personal relationship with our dog. And Elsa still loves Christel. We highly recommend Christel as a dog trainer for any dog as we have seen her successfully train all types of dogs in her classes. She has a natural love for dogs, and they respond very positively to her.
• Diane K.: My puppy and I have worked with Christel Fleming on dog training and the CGC class. Christel is a natural when it comes to working with dogs and understanding their behavior. She is professionally trained , and dogs love her! Christel is professional and attentative to her charges, and she is keenly aware of doggy behavior in case of any problems. Christel is easy to talk with and helps dog owners problem solve and address any and all types of behavior issues. I would , without hesitation, leave my dog in Christel’s care!