Our instructor team brings experience teaching at Good Dog Rising as well as several other training centers, dog training camps, seminars and workshops, and assessing and working with shelter and rescue dogs. You can read over the professional memberships and certifications we maintain and the extensive continuing education we've attended below.
We welcome you and your dog to join us at Good Dog Rising. We love dogs, and we love dog people. We especially love helping people and dogs to enjoy their lives together more.
No need to just take our word for it! Read testimonials here and our reviews on FaceBook and Google.
How Good Dog Rising Approaches Training
We believe it's our job to help both you and your dog enjoy class, while learning what you need to be successful.
We take our responsibility to you and your dog seriously. Humans' understanding of canine behavior and effective learning has come a long way in recent years, and when we know better, we can do better. It's important that we help you meet your goals effectively and quickly and help you build a good working relationship with your dog so that you can live together peacefully and happily. For these reasons, we use modern methods solidly grounded in behavioral science. (Not everyone does.)
We use positive reinforcement as our primary strategy, including all kinds of reinforcement such as food, toys, play, praise, and fun. This does not mean we are permissive - we set high standards and appropriate boundaries for dogs, and we achieve high levels of success. While we reinforce frequently in the beginning, our goal is to build such strong positive behavior that your dog will need no "bribery" and little reinforcement to maintain those mastered behaviors in the long run - you'll just have a great, happy dog that listens to you. Using frequent reinforcement is an effective and easy to use tool during the initial learning process. At Good Dog Rising, your dog will enjoy working for some of their daily calories and the other fun things in life, and they'll love listening and learning!
Yeah, that's super frustrating, and we feel for you as a consumer. We can only suggest that you get specific before trusting your dog to any canine service provider. You can find a good list of some things to look for here: How to Choose a Dog Trainer. We don't just say we're "positive" - we get specific, and we'll discuss it openly and rationally. Email us if you'd like to come to observe a class and see things for yourself.
The Good Dog Rising instructor team works together to provide you with training solutions that are effective and enjoyable for both you and your dog. We strive to use positive, kind training methods and the Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) strategies when behavior modification is needed. We have not found prong, choke, or shock devices to be the Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive effective tools across the wide array of training and behavior problems we see, so we do not find the need to use them. We have sought out methods that are far more effective for long term results, with less risk of unintended negative consequences. We tailor our training to meet your individual needs and to meet your goals.
No need to just take our word for it......
GREAT handouts clearly explaining WHY these methods are the best choice for your dog:
Reinforcement versus Punishment:
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) article on the use of Reinforcement versus Punishment as a basis for dog training
Why "Dominance" training isn't that useful:
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) article on basing training strategies on Dominance Hierarchies
At Good Dog Rising, we abide by the standards of practice set forth by the leading professional organizations governing dog training and behavior.
In 2018, America's three leading professional organizations APDT, IAABC, and CCPDT joined together to adopt a joint Standards of Practice, a unified code of conduct and code of ethics that places the use of positive reinforcement as the first and primary strategy and the Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive methods as part of the governance of their members.
At Good Dog Rising, we abide by these joint standards of practice:
Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) Position Statements including adoption of LIMA
Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) Adoption of LIMA
The Good Dog Rising Instructor Team
Ann Bonney (Withun)
BS, ACDBC, CPDT-KA
Owner, Good Dog Rising, LLC
My two goals:
1) You enjoy the class as much as I do!
2) Attending class helps you and your dog to enjoy your lives together.
I have been training professionally since 2006, after many years of training my own dogs as well as 20+ rescue foster dogs. Since becoming a professional, I've helped hundreds of people train all different breeds and ages of dogs. I stopped counting many years ago after going over 1000 hours of experience working with clients and their dogs.
Initial and ongoing education is critical to being competent at dog training and behavior. I work to keep my training skills up to date by attending conferences, camps, and seminars every year and through professional reading. I maintain certification and membership in multiple professional organizations. In addition to the mentorship of fellow local trainers, I've had the privilege of attending seminars and workshops, and often working hands-on with many talented trainers, veterinarians, and behavior consultants such as Karen Pryor, Dr. Nick Dodman, Ken Ramirez, Dr. Susan Friedman, Victoria Stilwell, Steve White, Bob Bailey, Dr. Sophia Yin, Susan Garrett, and many others. Every year, I attend one or more of the major annual training and behavior professional conferences, as does the rest of the Good Dog Rising staff: APDT Annual Conferences, Clicker Expos, IAABC Annual Conference, Fenzi Dog Sports Academy Conferences, etc. I have also studied business ethics and practices in order to continuously improve our services and customer experience.
My dogs and I like to do a little bit of everything. I have trained to competition level in Rally-Obedience, Agility, Freestyle, Scentwork/Nosework, and IMPROV Obedience. We also enjoy on and off-leash hiking. With Dog Scouts, we've been able to try all kinds of activities like search and rescue, dock diving, kayaking, and carting. All of the Withun dogs are rescues in some form or another, and all are AKC Canine Good Citizens and/or certified therapy dogs.
I have two rescue cats of my own, and I have attended several professional courses in feline behavior from 2012 to the present. With cats, I have trained impulse control, appropriate litterbox and scratching behavior, unrestrained nail trims, and targeting.
Certifications and Achievements
Professional and Volunteer Experience
Professional Publications
Carleen Vorisek
BS, CPDT-KA, CTDI
Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners, Advanced Manners, Private Training, Rally-Obedience, Tricks, Scentwork
We have been delighted to have Carleen on the Good Dog Rising instructor team since Good Dog Rising began in 2013. Carleen is our resident Puppy expert, Certified Trick Dog Instructor, and Rally-Obedience coach. She also leads our Private Training programs.
Carleen combines experience as a professional educator (of humans) with her dog training skills to teach excellent group classes. Carleen has distinguished herself by training her own dogs to a high level of "take-your-dog-anywhere" general manners as well as competition-level Rally-Obedience and Nosework.
Carleen holds the industry-leading certification of Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. Carleen is also a certified evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen test and also the STAR puppy test. She continuously seeks out further education and is always adding fresh material to our class curriculum.
Carleen has a great way with both people and dogs, and we know you'll love being in her classes!
Elena Prince
KPA CT
K9 Sports, Agility Levels 1-3, Advanced Manners
Elena and her husband, Chris, have been training with Good Dog Rising since 2015. They were such good students and dog trainers that we made them part of the staff! Because they have trained their dogs in such a wide array of obedience activities and sports, they are a perfect match to introduce canine sports to students and coach them in a variety of canine sports.
Elena is a professional educator with a teaching degree, and she has great enthusiasm and skill for teaching both humans and dogs. Her fun training style will help you experience the joy of participating in canine sports with your dog!
Janell Oldack
(pictured above, second from left)
Puppy, Basic Manners, Obedience & Manners MiniCourses
After immersing herself in dog training by taking classes with a variety of rescue dogs, and doing training at multiple dog training centers, conferences, and seminars for the past 10+ years, Janell began apprenticing as an assistant instructor when Good Dog Rising was founded in 2013, leading to her current position as a lead instructor as well.
Janell is now a lead instructor for Basic Manners, the Recall Practice MiniCourse, and the Loose Leash Practice MiniCourse.
Her specialty is providing individualized attention to each dog and person, and her focus is on great all-around, take them anywhere with you, family dogs. Janell has outstanding skills with teaching impulse control in dogs and is our go-to expert in this specialty.
Janell attends continuing education in dog training and behavior each year and has attended IAABC Conferences, Clicker Expo, Fenzi Academy conferences, and more. She is a current volunteer with Furry Friends Network, fostering rescue dogs for adoption.
Kathleen Mack
Advanced Manners, Puppy, Basic Manners, & Assistant Instructor
- Titled in Flyball & Rally Obedience
- Member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers
- Supporting Member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
- Certified in Pet CPR+ and First Aid through Pet Emergency Education
Kathleen has trained her dogs at Good Dog Rising since it opened and joined the staff in 2020. She has trained in numerous obedience and sports classes. Her dogs now regularly join her as demo dogs in her group classes.
Kathleen has completed numerous training courses, including Puppy Start Right and Dog Trainer Foundations through the Karen Pryor Academy. She regularly attends dog training and behavior conferences as well as numerous classes and seminars. After a career in law and education, Kathleen is excited to be able to combine her professional education experience and her love for training dogs to help you enjoy your dogs more!
Above: Noelle Weeks & Gilbert, Ann Withun & Seelie, and Lisa Basial & Nano in a hands-on session at a seminar
Lisa Basial
(pictured above right)
Scentwork
Lisa Basial has been training dogs professionally for over ten years and has trained multiple dogs to excel at competition level - in Flyball, Agility, Rally-Obedience, and USBCHA sheep herding.
Lisa is also skilled and experienced in the effective interventions for dog-dog reactivity, using desensitization and counter-conditioning.
Lisa attends regular continuing education and has worked hands-on with Emma Parsons, Steve and Jen White, and other world-class ClickerExpo faculty, as well as Fenzi Academy conferences and Scentwork workshops.
Margie Stewart
Assistant Instructor, Basic Manners & Obedience
In 2008, Margie's journey into dog training went from casual to a passion. She adopted a rescue dog that, as it turned out had some significant reactive behaviors. It became apparent very quickly that in order for their relationship to survive, they needed to trust each other completely. She read every article or book she could get her hands, and started classes with her canine companion. Together, they took one class after another, creating an unbreakable bond, never looking back.
From 2008-2020 she volunteered for the HOPE program where she had the opportunity to work with several professional trainers as well as the opportunity to work with an array of dogs with various temperaments and issues. Each of those dogs taught her something and helped her become a more compassionate handler.
Currently, Margie lives with 3 rescues. Each of them is the polar opposite of the others and each has his or her specific needs, but all of them love to learn! Margie and her dogs continue the journey with ongoing GDR classes, as well as online courses through the Fenzi Academy.
Amanda Benton
Advanced Manners, Agility 1, K9 Sports Sampler,& Assistant Instructor
Bio Coming soon....
