Dog training for everyone.
The Dog Lady is moving to Hyattsville, Maryland in May 2024! Joanne is passing the leash in Durham, North Carolina to Eliana Cellucci.
We seek to make the world a better place through holistic training that improves your dog’s behavior and educates you on how to have the best dog ever!
All dogs are welcome regardless of breed and all people are welcome regardless of race, religion, ability/disability, nationality, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION REGARDING UNUSED PACKAGE SESSIONS IN DURHAM
Ethical, Holistic Dog Training
The Dog Lady, founded by Joanne Ometz, combines efficient, effective, compassionate dog training with efficient, effective, compassionate human training! This is what Force Free is all about! Never relying on choke, prong, or e-collars, Joanne helps you transform your dog into a great pet who is proficient at living in a human world while giving you the ability to meet their needs as dogs. When a dog’s needs are met, they are better able to meet yours.
Services are offered both In-Person and through Live Video Calls. In both instances, classes and private sessions can address just about every aspect of enhancing and improving life with your dog.
Along with private sessions and classes, for folks just starting to look for their new best friend, Joanne provides pre-adoption consultations. She can help you and your dog navigate life together from puppy-hood to old age.
The mission of The Dog Lady is to produce well-trained canine citizens through Force Free options tailored to you and your unique dog. Joanne helps you understand what your dog needs to be their best self, and teaches you the skills you must know to keep their good behavior throughout their lifespan. Positive Reinforcement based training has been proven to be the most effective and efficient for any dog performing any task. This kind of training is not, as some believe, a ‘cookie cutter’ approach, and will work regardless of your dog’s temperament.
Force-Free Dog Training
My techniques are holistic, with the goals of both producing a well-trained dog and improving your understanding of your canine companion.
Our Classes
Core classes include KinderPuppy, Better Than Obedience 1, Training Games, and Take It On The Road. I also offer a variety of other classes as unique as you and your dog. Monthly workshops are held on a variety of topics designed to improve life with your dog and bring more fun to your relationship.
Private Sessions
Does your dog have a behavior issue you have not been able to solve? Adding a baby to your furbaby household or a furbaby to your family? Dealing with leash reactivity, out of control adolescent, or social awkwardness with people? I can help you with that and more. If your particular problem isn’t listed, just ask. Chances are I can help.
Online Dog Training
Not all issues can be addressed remotely, but most can! If you can’t make an in-person class or your dog is too reactive, fearful or ill (for instance during Heart worm treatment) to attend a class, check out our Online Classes. You can also get Pre-Adoption or New Puppy/Rescue Dog consultation and focused private training sessions from the comfort of your home!
Adoption Consultations
Many dogs are rehomed or returned to breeders and shelters for unexpected behavior issues. Sometimes an appealing looking breed/mix is actually not the best fit for someone’s lifestyle, family or living situation. Reduce the chances of this happening to you by scheduling an Adoption Consultation with a professional who understands dogs from the inside out!
No painful shock collars
No prong or choke collars
No forceful techniques
Kindness and compassion
Happy Dogs and Their Humans!
Anjali Balakrishna
“We cannot say enough glowing things about the Durham Dog Training Center!!!!! We sent our first dog, Bertha, to a Better than Obedience class when she was about a year, and it did WONDERS for her behavior and for ours too, as dog parents. Our little girl gets very excited around other dogs, and they made proper accommodations for her so that she could participate fully in the class without getting too distracted by the other dogs.”
Lisa Lewis
“Our 2-year-old Golden Retriever is a bundle of love. An overwhelming, barking, pulling bundle of love, who wants to greet everyone in the neighborhood. Nothing we tried seemed to impact his behavior, and a relative who trains dogs told us we needed to get a prong collar and start "teaching him who is in charge". In search of a trainer who uses positive reinforcement, we found Joanne and we are so happy that we did! She is kind, compassionate, non-judgmental and has seemingly endless ideas for techniques to use with our dog to improve his behavior.”
Kristin Cole & Finn
“We went into Joanne's Loose Leash workshop hoping to gain some tools to better walk our dog, Finn, on a leash in a busy city (coming from a rural area). After our four sessions together, we came out with much more than we could have wished for, and even a perspective shift about relating to our dog and his own needs. Joanne uses a very gentle and kind approach with your pup, prioritizing the animal and its ability to thrive.”
