I have had the pleasure of getting to know Ellie both through my profession (as a veterinarian) and as a friend. I have been so impressed by her dedication both to the dogs that she cares for and to their owners. I have found that she commits to them both on a personal and a professional manner. Her care and training is both thoughtful and individualized, born from what I believe to be an innate love and knowledge of dogs as well as from dedicated training (with the United States Canine Academy). It is obvious on observation, the respect and love that her charges have for her in return. Her training appears, gentle yet consistent and reliable. Ellie is a true gem in her field and someone I would not only recommend to clients, but would without a doubt trust to care and train my owner pets.

— Dr. Kristi Peterson
Associate Veterinarian
Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center

Dog whisperer, trainer extraordinaire, “The Boss”, K-9 action photographer, compassionate care-giver of “our babies”, extreme all weather dog hiker, botany enthusiast…good friend! These are a few of the things that come to mind when I think of Ellie Johnson. I first met Ellie nearly 12 years ago when we adopted our first dog, Kiba, a Native American Indian Dog. Ellie transitioned a timid, stray dog into the most wonderful, obedient companion a family could ever have. Her on-going Saturday morning socialization classes were paramount to the continued successful training and enjoyment we had with Kiba! A year ago and newly empty nesters, we decided that Kiba needed a companion around the house. Once again, we turned to Ellie for our newest family member, Liesl, a German Indian Dog. Liesl came to us as an eight week old puppy. It is truly a challenge and journey to raise a puppy! Ellie has been working with me and Liesl and doing her magic once again. As a large, energetic dog, Liesl is a handful to say the least, but at a year old she is steadfastly becoming an obedient gem of a dog due to Ellie’s training expertise. Over the past year I have had the privilege and sheer enjoyment to join Ellie on many of her incredible daily hikes with her trainees and and her regular day-care dogs. Every hike is documented with a barrage of photos shared on her Facebook page. There’s never a doubt that your dog is having the time of his or her life! It’s a sight and experience to behold! I’ve decided that n my next life, I want to come back as one of ‘Ellie’s dogs’!

— MC, Alamo

Our beloved rescue, Lexie, had been returned to the breeder for “Cujo-like behavior”.  Her issues were far beyond anything we knew how to deal with and we turned immediately to Ellie Johnson for much-needed assistance with fear aggression, behavior modification, obedience, training and socialization (plus a lot of owner guidance in dealing with a driven, dominate alpha female).

Over time in daily day care, with a lot of expertise, patience, love, and training from Ellie, Lexie has become a wonderful, happy pet and a loving member of our family.  While she will probably always have some issues given her basic DNA, we now know how to deal with them and Ellie is always available for guidance and support and continues to be a member of our “pack”.  Thank you, Ellie! We could NEVER have done it without your knowledge, professionalism and devotion.

— SK, Danville