Debbie DeSantis, CPDT-KA, has been training dogs and working as a canine behavior consultant for over 24 years. She is a certified pet dog trainer who passed the only nationally licensing exam for dog trainers, administered by the Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers. She is also a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She has written a column about dog training and behavior for The News of Delaware County, and has also written dog training articles for PhillyFit magazine and other publications. She has won BEST DOG TRAINER of 36 contestants in Channel 17's Philly Hot List for 2014. She is also authorized to administer the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Test. She has actively shown her dogs in obedience competitions, achieving nationally-ranked status with her Shih Tzus, Shelties, and Lhasa Apsos. Her dogs have ranked first through fourth nationally in their class for their breed and have attained some of the highest American Kennel Club obedience titles. One of her dogs, a Belgian Tervuren, was a conformation Champion and had received many honors, including Best of Breed. She has also obtained titles and awards in the United Kennel Club. Many of her dogs have been rescued from abusive and neglectful situations, and four have become therapy dogs and two nationally-ranked AKC obedience dogs. Her dogs have been featured on The Animal Planet and in publications such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and Front and Finish.

Training Philosophy
Debbie DeSantis believes in positive methods of training that get results. She works with the entire family, including children who are old enough to train, so that everyone is consistent and the dog understands that all human family members are at the top of the pack. She believes that training should be enjoyable for all involved, both human and canine. She emphasizes the importance of communication between dogs and their owners, and helps prevent problems from developing. She also specializes in rehabilitating dogs with behavioral issues, including rescued dogs.

Services

• Private, in-home training in the Philadelphia area and the western suburbs
• Dog obedience classes
• Behavior consultations in home or by telephone
• Training commands such as: loose leash walking, come, sit, down, and stay
• Modification of problem behaviors, such as: housebreaking problems, separation anxiety, aggression/reactivity, chewing, jumping, mouthing, food stealing, barking, and digging
• Advanced, off-leash training
• Helping you find safe outlets for your dog's energy, such as mini agility exercises and games you can play
• Helping you develop proper, effective socialization and exercise plans for your dog
• Lectures for your group on various dog-related topics
• Fun agility
• Trick training
• Competition obedience
• Competition rally
• Preparation for therapy dog work
• Helping you choose the right dog
• Preparation for the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test. She administers this test.

Certifications
Debbie DeSantis is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA).

Specializations
Debbie DeSantis specializes in rehabilitating dogs with behavioral issues, including rescued dogs. She also has experience in obedience training, agility training, and therapy dog preparation.

Training Methods
Debbie DeSantis uses positive, humane training methods that work. She believes in working with the entire family to ensure consistency and understanding for the dog.

Customer Reviews

Vanessa, Drexel Hill: "Debbie trained our dog Lucy, a Boston terrier, and taught us how to stop her from biting when she didn't get what she wanted. Now Lucy is a well-behaved family member. We can't thank Debbie enough!"

Carol and family, West Chester: "We adopted a pit bull who we named Zeus. He is very strong and didn't know any commands. After almost getting pulled down, we knew he needed some training. Debbie came to our house and worked with all our family and showed us how to work with him. Even our teenagers can now walk Zeus without him pulling on the leash. He's a pleasure to live with now!!"

Nina Z., Lower Merion, PA: "I can't praise her highly enough! Debbie was the first trainer I worked with after bringing home my apricot toy poodle pup, Lola. She was patient, kind, loving, and funny, and incredibly skilled at teaching Lola her basics. Bottom line, Lola loved her as much if not more than I did!"

J.C. & S.B., Bryn Mawr, PA: “Debbie has trained both of our dogs over the last three years, and we couldn’t be happier. Her amazing patience and caring nature with them is the #1 reason they’ve become so well behaved. Not only was Debbie willing to teach us her techniques, but she was always available to answer our emergency questions. Our dogs are our kids, and the only person we’d trust them with is Debbie.”

Mike K., West Chester, PA: "My name is Mike. My wife and I rescued a 2 year old French Brittany in February of this year (2006). Although our dog Mikey didn't have any major obedience issues, we were still having significant issues with 'the walk' and him pulling on the leash. No matter how much time we put in with methods we had read about, it hadn't seemed to make much of a difference. We started seeking obedience training and found an advertisement for Debbie DeSantis' 'Going to the Dogs Obedience Training' services.

After meeting Debbie, we were happy to see that she went through a detailed screening process to help best identify the issues we were having with Mikey. We were also impressed to see that she had done prior research on the French Brittany breed considering they are rare to own in the United States. We had purchased a 4-lesson package that would be used over a month period. The training sessions were private and to be held at our home.

For our first lesson, she evaluated Mikey's personality and helped us with several drills that would help Mikey get used to walking close to us as well as help improve his focus and his patience. She was warm and kind to him. Her knowledge regarding obedience was strong and it showed as she was able to explain to us methods that would work best for his personality. She also taught my wife and I how to properly use these training methods and closely evaluated us to see how we could improve and get the best results.

Just after several days using Debbie’s methods, we could notice Mikey's improvement as far as listening to us and paying more attention. Over the following 3 sessions, we expanded upon our prior lessons which would in turn help is focus and improve his confidence in public places.

Debbie definitely knows what she is talking about and also practices what she preaches. One time after our lesson she demonstrated to us one of her award winning shelties and the many cool tricks she could do. Her dog listened to her and performed the tricks immediately without hesitation. It is obvious that Debbie's knowledge along with patience and persistence will greatly help improve the relationship between dog and owner."

John, Drexel Hill, PA: "Debbie trained our Rottweiler using positive training methods. The results were amazing and our dog is very well behaved now. People who meet our dog are amazed at how well trained he is. Debbie's methods really get results. She was patient and very knowledgeable and answered our questions."

Tom, Newtown Square, PA: "We are very happy with the training our lab received from Going to the Dogs Obedience Training. Debbie used just the right training methods and we achieved great results. Our dog can now accompany us places and does not jump on people and listens to us. We are very pleased with the services we received and highly recommend her."

Media Appearances
Debbie DeSantis and her dogs have been featured on The Animal Planet and in publications such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and Front and Finish.