Name: Tessa Romita

History: Tessa Romita is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Trainer. She is passionate about helping dogs live their best lives.

Training Philosophy: Tessa Romita believes that training should improve the quality of a dog's life and consequently, everyone who lives with that dog. She works with dogs and their owners to give the dog the skills and behaviors they need to be successful in their home and in the human world. She uses positive reinforcement training methods and believes that training should be joyful and bonding for everyone involved.

Services: Tessa Romita offers private in-home behavior modification and dog training services for people and their dogs using positive reinforcement training. She also offers classes for puppies and adult dogs.

Private Sessions

• Puppies: 4 pack of 1-hour private sessions - $400
• Foundation Behaviors & Fun Stuff for Adolescent and Adult Dogs: 4 pack of 1-hour private sessions - $400
• Behavior Modification for Adolescent and Adult Dogs: Initial assessment (1.5 hours) - $150, 4 pack of 1-hour private sessions - $400

Classes

• Puppy Training and Socialization: $185, Saturday at 10 and 11:30am April 13, 20, 27 and May 4
• Life Skills: Not currently scheduled

About the sessions…

• Training sessions are offered in packages of 4 and are to be used within a 4-week period.
• Pre-payment is required at the time of scheduling.
• Sessions are conducted at your home or out and about, depending on your goals with your dog.
• You will receive a session recap via email after every session.
• You will be required to complete training homework every week.
• I encourage you to stay in touch via email during the week with any questions or updates.
• Cancellations are not charged if within 24 hours prior to the scheduled session.

Certifications: Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), Control Unleashed Certified Instructor (CCUI), Accredited Dog Trainer (ADT) also through the IAABC, Canine Behavior Science and Technology (CBST) program with excellence with the Companion Animal Sciences Institute (CASI) with James O’Heare, Susan Friedman’s Living and Learning with Animals (LLA) course and Terry Ryan’s Chicken Camp, as well as numerous graduate-level courses in behavior.

Specializations: Behavior Modification, Life Skills and Manners, Puppy Training and Socialization, Cooperative Care Training, Coaching

Training Methods: Positive reinforcement training, LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive)

Customer Reviews:

Julie: My husband and I adopted a rescue last year and were overwhelmed with the demands of our very energetic puppy. Her DNA results showed that she is mostly border collie- smart and full of energy- all the time. We were fortunate enough to work with Tessa and she made a huge difference! Through a couple of home visits, she was able to teach us how to teach Sunny to relax. No small feat especially as we also have two cats. Tessa gave us the knowledge how to manage multiple behavior problems and supplied thorough email support on how to continue training. Beyond thankful for her in-depth wisdom and guidance. We will be using her again for any issues that arise!

Linda P.: Tessa came to our rescue…literally. We thought Quincy, our adopted shelter dog, would never overcome her separation anxiety. For months we were unable to leave her alone for more than a few minutes. She would bark, howl, pace and scratch at the door. We didn’t want to use medications. Our vet recommended we seek help from Tessa. She met with us, evaluated Quincy’s behavior and designed a modification plan. Tess was readily available for follow-up consultations…and there were many. After working with Tessa, Quincy now stays alone, resting quietly or sleeping for hours. Thanks to Tessa’s guidance we’ve regained our sanity…and our freedom.

Wilma’s People: When we adopted Wilma, our 10-year-old dog, we were unfamiliar with her and her past. We already had a 1-year-old cat (Louie) in the house and knew that we had to try and keep the harmony. The only way that we could have ever done this was with the help and expertise of Tess. With a very slow, guided introduction, as well as lots of hands on work, we were able to achieve this. We went from having a dog who was all over the place and didn’t have any boundaries, to a well-behaved, very happy dog who now knew what was expected of her and how to live her best life. Wilma and Louie now live together and have become lifelong friends. You can now find them sleeping on the couch near each other. You will also catch Louie rubbing on Wilma’s face first thing in the morning as if to say “hello friend…I missed you!” Tess was able to achieve what we thought was going to be impossible. She is a beautiful soul whose genuine love and concern for animals is the first thing that shines through. We are beyond grateful for Tess, our very own “Dog Whisperer”.

Linda: Tessa brings equal parts love and savvy to her training. Believe me when I say, “It works. It works miracles.” We call her Saint Tessa.

Sharon: An independent 125-pound Dogue de Bordeaux + an inexperienced and insecure owner = a very big problem! That is where we started when we first met Tessa. We had worked with other trainers with no success. Luc was not leash trained, preferred to bolt to explore the world, and was resistant to being rounded up. His strength, size and lack of training made leash walking impossible. Truthfully, I doubted that I would ever see the day when we could go for a leash walk. We hired Tessa on the recommendation of our veterinarian and in a state of desperation. Her calm manner, wealth of knowledge, and thoughtful reassurance made training a very positive experience, loved by both dog and owner. In tiny increments Luc and I made our way through the process. Tessa never stopped searching for new ways to train us both. With great patience and encouragement Tessa taught us many things, but the thing that I am most grateful for is that Luc learned that he could happily explore the world while attached to a leash!

Frankie’s People: Working with Tessa has transformed our experience as dog owners. We adopted a hound with an independent spirit, tons of energy, and resource guarding tendencies. So as first-time dog owners, we needed a lot of help. In the beginning, Tessa worked with us to shift our dog away from unwanted behaviors, and we saw huge improvements within just a couple of weeks. From there, Tessa helped us make momentous progress with cues like “come,” “place,” and “stay.” (Other trainers told us we might never get our hound to come.) We came away from every training session with a richer understanding of our dog, and—as cheesy as it sounds—ourselves. We rave about Tessa to all of our friends, even the ones who don’t have dogs!

Philip: I started working with Tessa when my puppy was just 3 months old. A year later, thanks to Tessa’s guidance, patience and ability to listen to what my goals were with my dog, my puppy has grown up to be a confident, attentive and easy dog. Her clear explanations, her ability to break down each larger training goal into smaller parts, and her willingness to try different approaches if something was not working, gave me the motivation and the tools to work with my dog, even when she was not there. Working with Tessa has been a joy and a success, and I attribute my dog’s happy and adventurous disposition to Tessa’s incredible training skills. I can’t wait to get another puppy just so I can work with her again!