A place for all dog lovers.
A Compassionate Approach
I have developed a unique way of working with both dogs and their humans that is supportive, efficient, and effective. My techniques are holistic, with the goals of both producing a better-trained dog, and improving your understanding of your canine companion. This leads to a deeper and more satisfying relationship while reducing the possibility of future behavior problems.
Joanne started The Dog Lady in 2015 after creating the Gateway Dog Club in 2011 in Mount Rainier, MD. During the pandemic, she opened a day school to enable people to have a safe place for their puppies for training and socialization.
Now, Joanne has returned to what she loves best; private sessions and group classes. Classes are held at various locations and online. Private sessions are held at clients’ homes and outdoor locations.
Joanne Ometz
Owner & Trainer
Joanne grew up in an apartment in Maryland that did not allow dogs. This did not keep her from having an endless stream of guinea pigs, hamsters, parakeets, small parrots, and gerbils. She also dragged stray dogs home and shut them in the apartment complex playground, hoping she could keep them. There were several cats in her life as well, and a rabbit named Nijinsky for his ability to leap straight up in the air and come down facing a different direction. In short, Joanne was obsessed with animals of all kinds.
She loved animals and they were always a part of her life, but Joanne was also fascinated with people and eventually decided to become a social worker, working in mental health nonprofits. This was rewarding, but she felt something was missing. In 2009, Joanne adopted a little dog named Sadie and took an obedience class with an instructor who taught her clicker training. That was when it all ‘clicked’!
Joanne loved training with Sadie so much, in 2011 she started a dog club in the Gateway Arts District of Prince Georges County, MD called the Gateway Dog Club. She continued to learn positive reinforcement training and taught during their bi-weekly meetings. She had found her true calling working with people and their dogs. This blossomed into a new career when she took Turid Rugaas’ course. Joanne is one of a select few in the US to have completed Turid’s course and is a Turid Rugaas Certified Dog Trainer. Shortly after, she took the Karen Pryor professional dog trainer course.
Combining her compassion and skills with dogs and people, Joanne uses her unique perspective to enhance the human-dog bond. Through merging force-free training with teaching people to better understand their canine companions, she helps dogs reach their true potential.
Joanne works with private clients on behavior issues and teaches classes. She is a proud member of the Pet Professional Guild, the only organization for dog trainers 100% dedicated to ethical, morally sound training without the use of pain, fear and coercion.