Let us reintroduce ourselves!

We’re Ettel and Kayla!

Hello, and welcome to our brand new website! We're so excited to have you here, and I wanted to take this opportunity to reintroduce us, and share our passion for helping dogs and their humans live happier lives together.

About Ettel: Your Dog Behavior Consultant

I’ve worked with dogs professionally in NYC since 2009 (16 years and counting!). I originally wanted to go into academia and become an English Literature professor, but one of my dogs had severe anxiety issues and I made a big career change. I completed the Karen Pryor Academy and became a Certified Training Partner in 2011.

As a certified dog behavior consultant, I've dedicated my adult life to supporting dogs and their families. I got into this field for the dogs, but I’ve stayed for the people (one of my favorite phrases!). I love this field and there’s always something new to learn. I do my best to stay informed of industry innovations - we have a community of brilliant minds across the globe who share new ways to approach training all the time. I like to keep my toolbox well stocked so I can offer you as many effective solutions as I can.

Above all else, empathy and ethics are my priorities - towards your dog and you.

Your dog’s behavior and comfort is our goal, but at the end of the day most of my job is coaching you, the human of your partnership (I make things look easy - I’m a professional! My job is to help you learn how to do those things too). Learning about your dog in new ways is fun, but this experience can often be stressful. You learn a lot in a short period of time, and that can be overwhelming. Your dog is a “green” learner, but you’re also a “green” trainer. You’ll make mistakes along the way and that’s OK - your dog is allowed to be a dog and you’re allowed to be a human! My goal is to support you as much as I support your dog. I aim to create a supportive and understanding professional relationship while we work together on your journey with your dog.

I believe that every dog and their family deserves to live with peace in their home, and have everyone’s needs supported. I'm here to help you achieve whatever that looks like for you, and it’s OK if it looks different from other people. Most things in dog training can be adjusted to fit your life and needs - I don’t do cookie cutter training protocols! You can learn more about my services here.

I’m so excited to meet you and help you build a training plan that will fit you, your dog, your home, and your family. 

About Kayla: Your Dog's Best Friend and Future Trainer

I'm incredibly proud to introduce my mentee, Kayla, who is an invaluable member of our team. She has a natural affinity for dogs and a deep understanding of their needs. Kayla started working with me as a client several years ago. Even in that capacity I was impressed with her handling skills, how much she already knew, and all the training she had already done. In a lot of ways my job was only to put her work together a little differently. She was always incredibly kind with her dog, who was not always easy to work with, and did a wonderful job meeting her needs. Kayla made a lot of progress very quickly with her dog, and I enjoyed our sessions together immensely - we often spoke about dog behavior topics that don’t usually come up with pet dog clients and her passion for dogs and their behavior shone through. It was clear even then that her interests went deeper than just helping her own dog.

Last year Kayla decided to leave the corporate world and wanted to train dogs full time (made sense to me, she was already so good at it!). We chatted about her goals and I realized she was the mentee I’d been hoping to find for years, but hadn’t come across the right person yet. Clearly I was waiting for Kayla! I was so happy to make her an offer to join me at Poodles to Pit Bulls, and we’re all so lucky that she accepted! Since joining me as an apprentice trainer and mentee, she also enrolled in the Karen Pryor Academy (the same certification that I have!) and she created a whole new walking program here at Poodles to Pit Bulls. 

Kayla has designed a special program that is unique in so many ways, and is one of a kind in our neighborhood. It includes both individualized walks for your dog’s daily needs, as well as walk and trains to support your dog’s training protocols with me. You can learn more about her programs here. Kayla’s services stand out in particular because she is so well versed in dog behavior, body language, and she has so much experience. She’s been walking, sitting, fostering, and training dogs for years, as well as volunteering at shelters across the city. She’s had professional training with me, she’s enrolled in the premier dog training academy, she’s actively being mentored by me, and she is a Fear Free certified professional. Kayla has the skills to support you if your dog needs informed handling for their walks. We are all so lucky to have her join the team and I’ve been delighted to see the effects of her presence already.

I'm honored to be mentoring her on her journey. She's eager to learn, and I'm confident that she'll be an invaluable member of the dog training community (in many ways, she already is!). We look forward to her offering training services by the end of the year under my guidance. You might see her shadow training sessions (if you’re open to it and if she’s available) and she’s a great resource when we need an extra set of hands. She’s always cooking up fun new ideas for programs, so we might have new announcements forthcoming!

Our Vision: A Community of Understood Dogs and Confident Humans

Our mission is to create a world where dogs and their humans can live in harmony and communicate clearly with each other. We believe that every dog deserves to be loved, understood, and treated with kindness. We believe that every dog owner deserves to feel empowered, supported, and have their lives enriched by their dog. We're here to help you achieve that goal and there’s no one path to it. Dogs, and humans, are complex social creatures - we get that.

Get in Touch: We're Here for You

We encourage you to explore our new website and reach out to us with any questions or comments (small note: our website is best enjoyed on desktop to get the most out of the fun photos). We're always happy to chat about dogs, and we're here to help you in any way we can.

Thank you for being a part of our journey. We're so grateful for your support, and we can't wait to see what the future holds.