Lori Lopez – Owner, Head Trainer
Lori started down the path of dog training at the ripe age of 8 years when she worked to correct behavior issues in her family dog Baby. This experience not only strengthened her bond with Baby but also sparked her lifelong passion for dog training. At 21, Lori welcomed Luna, her first Standard Poodle, into her life. She trained Luna as a therapy dog, including teaching some mobility service tasks, and spent considerable time providing therapy with Luna in assisted living homes. Additionally, Lori added Toph, another Standard Poodle, to her family. Toph excels in search and rescue as well as bed bug detection, adding to Lori’s impressive roster of skilled dogs.
Lori has a deep passion for training working dogs, such as police K9s, detection dogs, and search dogs. “It is amazing to watch them do what they are naturally capable of once you learn how to channel that energy,” says Lori. “This same philosophy can be applied to many pet dogs as well. Dogs are capable of doing amazing things, and many of them never have the opportunity to live up to their full potential.”
She has extensive experience training pet dogs, working dogs, and addressing the root causes of issues in dogs displaying undesirable behaviors.
Lori’s ultimate goal is to resolve the miscommunications that often exist between dog owners and their pets. “By fixing these communication issues, you can build a better relationship and bond, leading to a huge improvement in quality of life for both. Many dog owners unknowingly reinforce behaviors they dislike in their dogs, which leads to frustration. Once you understand how your dog thinks, resolving behavioral issues becomes much easier.”
Currently, Lori resides in Tucson, AZ, during the winter and northern Michigan during the summer with her beloved Standard Poodles, Luna and Toph.
Joe DeFelice – Trainer
Joe learned to love dogs from an early age, as his grandparents’ Miniature Schnauzer, and his uncles’ dogs Caylee and Freya were always around. Seeing how well behaved, and what wonderful companions they could be, he was fascinated at how dogs seemed to be the perfect partners in life, be it rain or shine. The dogs could be fantastic playmates on a good day, they could lift your spirits when you felt low, and most importantly they always had an ear to lend when you had a story to tell!
This fascination never subsided. Joe continued to work with his own dogs throughout the years. Joe found that through college, and during his time in the service, he would routinely find ways to work through simple behavior training for those dogs he found himself around.
Finally, as he looked to transition to civilian life, Joe found the opportunity to attend Highland Canine School for Dog Trainers, where he would be exposed to all facets of training. He was most intrigued by the “working dog” disciplines of Trailing, Odor Detection, and Protection/Apprehension work. He says “It’s truly breathtaking to watch these dogs do something that we simply cannot do. Our job isn’t to teach them how to smell or to hunt, it’s to guide them through a series of challenges and bring out their very best.”
Joe is a Northern Michigan native who has lived all over the states and is accompanied by his Blue Heeler, Faith. He currently resides in Gaylord, MI during the summer and fall and retreats to Tucson AZ. to stay away from those crazy winter drivers.