The Force Free Way Is For Everyone.
A Compassionate Approach
People get a dog for love, companionship and the connection you can only have with a canine.
But so often, through misunderstanding and lack of proper training, behavior problems get in the way.
I can help you have that soul-nourishing connection with your dog. My techniques are holistic, with the goals of producing a better behaved 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.
Guiding You and Your Dog with Experience and Care
I am passionate about helping people enhance their lives through a stronger connection with their dogs. With a background as a social worker, I bring the best of both worlds: deep experience with dogs and insight into human behavior, allowing me to guide you with understanding, skill, and practical strategies.
Joanne Ometz
Owner & Trainer
As a baby, one of my first words was, “Dog!” Growing up in a no-dogs apartment, my super-tolerant mom put up with an endless stream of cats, rodents, parakeets, newts and small parrots. I got my first dog when I started living on my own at 19, and have had at least one throughout most of my life.
Animals were always part of my life, but I also felt called to help people. I became a social worker, working in mental health nonprofits. In 2009, I adopted a little dog named Sadie and took a class with an instructor who taught force free techniques, including clicker training. That was when it all started to ‘click’!
I loved training with Sadie so much, in 2011 I founded the Gateway Dog Club for the Gateway Arts District of Prince Georges County, MD. I attended classes, seminars, read books and took private lessons, sharing it all at our bi-weekly meetings. I had found my true calling working with people and their dogs. This blossomed into a new career when I took Norwegian animal behaviorist Turid Rugaas’s Comprehensive Certification Program in Dog Training, With a Focus on Behavior Consulting and Problem Solving. One of fewer than 20 people in the US to have completed this certification, I learned to understand canine body language and how to change behavior through techniques based on compassion, communication, and respecting the dog’s need to ‘be a dog’. Shortly after, I took the Karen Pryor professional dog trainer course. Unfortunately, an accident prevented me from completing the final assessment. Having done very well throughout the course, I moved forward, incorporating what I learned in to my skill and knowledge base. I have completed Michael Shikashio’s Aggression in Dogs Master Course and am a Certified Owner-Trained Service Dog Trainer and Coach through the Atlas Professional level Service Dog Trainer Course.
There is no licensing in the US for dog trainers, but there are national certifications. I have the Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) certification. Applicants must document 300 hours of dog training experience in a three year period and be referred by a colleague before they are accepted to take the 3-hour, 200-question exam.
Combining my training in both people and canine skills, I use this unique perspective to help you improve your dog’s behavior and enhance the human-canine bond.
I am a proud member of the Pet Professional Guild, the only international organization for dog trainers 100% dedicated to ethical, nonviolent training without the use of pain, fear and coercion. I am also a proud member of the Animal Positive Coalition, a regional organization that only accepts force free professionals.