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I remember the first day I met Amelie. She stood behind a chair, diminutive but strong, as my dog, Dudley, hurled the full force of his anger at her. She was calm and offered directions and immediately noticed something I had never seen. Dudley had forced himself into a position in the room where he was between Amelie and my mom. She instantly noticed that Read more... Dudley’s reason was to protect my mom. She saw this all while a whirlwind of fur and teeth was trying to get her. My mom and I had rescued Dudley and he came with many “issues.” Not the least of which was he decided everyone save my Mom and myself were to be aggressively chased from the premises. Today, with Amelie’s firm and gentle guidance, Dudley actually runs out to greet friends. If it is a stranger, I can control his behavior and he responds to commands. Amelie worked a miracle with my dog through a combination of hard work, compassion, patience and perseverance. Her experience is invaluable. When I remember Dudley on that first day, there is no higher recommendation I can give than the picture of Dudley running out to greet Amelie now with kisses. Amelie is a wonder worker and if you are reading this and you love your dog, call her. Sincerely, Christine Minimize... |
 | Gina, a German Shepherd mix "rescue" dog from a shelter, turned out not to be the ideal choice for a first dog! Unfortunately, she must have been abused and witnessed human on human abuse in her former home. She was defensive at the sight of belts and towels. Read more... Worse, she became protective of my wife against me, to the point of jumping and attacking my feet! Other men were targets of aggression as well. A friend advised us to call Amelie of Smart Dog Training. Her patient, calm, positive and firm training turned a fear-aggressive dog into a sweet, loving pet. Gina and I are now best friends, and we can take her out without fear of her snapping at men. Thanks to Amelie, Gina has stayed in our home and hearts. ~Margo and Michael, Huntington, NY Minimize... |
 | When we brought our 8-week puppy home, we called him our Jack Russell terrorist. We couldn't control him or housebreak him. He'd pee on the Oriental carpet, he'd chew up everything. Then we realized we had one of the best dog trainers on Long Island living nearby, so we called her. Amelie was wonderful with Miles Davis. Read more... He listened to her voice intently and learned very, very quickly. In 3 or 4 short sessions, she taught him to sit, lay down, stay (even when we opened the door in front of him) and walk on a leash. She was gentle, yet firm, using a clicker and treats as reinforcement. She helped us house-train him and care for him. To this day, when we walk Miles in the neighborhood, people ask us how we have such a calm and sweet Jack Russell. He doesn't bark or jump around. He loves people. He loves other little dogs and thinks of himself as the Mayor of Highwood Road. I've given Amelie's name to at least a dozen other dog owners and most of them have thanked me a million times. We nicknamed her the "dog whisperer" before we ever knew there was such a term. ~Liane, Bill, Max and Will Minimize... |
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Seven years ago, we became the family of a 3 month old Boxer, Scooby. I have had dogs my whole life, but this little girl was different- she drove me crazy!! Nothing I tried seemed to help her hyper, destructive behavior. For the first time in my life, I considered giving up a pet. Fortunately, a neighbor told my husband about Amelie. Read more... We called her and we started working together almost immediately. The improvements in Scooby's behavior were swift and lasting. Today, I can honestly say she is the best behaved dog I have ever shared my life with. She walks beautifully on the leash, responds to our commands and also knows some cute tricks. She is a pleasure to be around, all because Amelie recognized the "smart dog" in Scooby. Without Amelie's help, we would not have had the joys of sharing our lives with Scooby. Thank you Amelie!! ~Carolyn Minimize... |
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When we first brought Harley home, we immediately knew that we did not know how to take care of Harley. Neither of us had grown up with a dog and we thought it best to bring in an expert to train him. What we didn't realize at the time was that Amelie's training was not only for the dog but also for us. Read more... There were several things Amelie taught us that made a world of difference with him. Harley went from an excitable dog that jumps, to one that is obedient and loving. He rarely jumps up anymore although he is always happy to meet new people and their dogs. In short, we have seen a complete transformation in our Harley and we owe it all to Amelie. Thanks for all your help. ~dimeoa Minimize... |
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A couple of years ago, our miniature pinscher of 14 years passed away. We were devastated. For a while we didn’t want any more dogs, then one day my son and I were looking on a rescue website, and fell in love with Julie.
Julie was a 4 year old mini pin who came with a lot of baggage. Read more... She had a lot of behavior problems, including severe separation anxiety. When all our efforts to rehabilitate her failed, we looked for a trainer. I learned about Smart Dog Training through my vet. I spoke to Amelie and liked her a lot. She was good at evaluating the problems, and had a lot of ideas on how we could correct the undesirable behavior. I am happy to say Julie has made great progress at the direction of Amelie. My entire household is happier and we all look forward to many happy years with her. ~Nancy Minimize... |
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Buddy was six going on seven years old when his parents married and moved into a new house. Along with a new house came two cats. Buddy had issues getting comfortable with his new siblings so Amelie’s expertise was enlisted to help Buddy adjust to life with his new step brother and step sister. Amelie also identified some other training opportunities Read more... in her initial assessment that would be of benefit to Buddy that we did not even realize were present. So we started from there approximately a year and a half ago. Wow! What a difference the weekly lessons with Amelie have made in Buddy’s (and our) life. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks but Amelie has taught him plenty! Buddy loves working with her every week and it is obvious the feeling is mutual. Amelie always shows respect and caring for Buddy and utilizes positive reinforcement techniques that work every time. She has brought out talents and skills that we knew were present in Buddy but had no idea how strong they were. Behaviors that needed to be adjusted such as manners when guests enter the house have been learned and retained. Also, when we first started, we were unable to take Buddy for walks in the neighborhood because he would pull on his leash and become easily distracted by every sight and sound around him. After a couple of lessons spent focusing on correcting this behavior, Buddy became a calm and manageable waking partner who stayed at our side instead of pulling ahead. Buddy also made significant progress with the cat issue. We have also learned a great deal about our beloved Buddy and how to best handle every situation with him and read all of his signals and non-verbal cues. Each week, Amelie continues to reinforce past lessons as well as introduce new and fun ways to teach Buddy to listen, think, and act as well as to work on agility and just have fun! ~ Rachel and Frank Minimize... |
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I needed puppy training for my very bright and assertive poodle, Gracie. To my surprise, Gracie was not the only one that needed Amelie's help. I did too! Together we learned how to communicate what we wanted, Read more... expected and enjoyed. Amelie not only gave me a well mannered dog but also a companion that is sensitive, responsive and always willing to learn new tricks. Thank you for my forever friend. Fondly, Terri & Gracie Minimize... |
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Amelie truly loves what she is doing. She loves the dogs that she trains and they love her. She uses positive training methods, food rewards and clicker training. We worked through a variety of behavioral problems, Read more... we had with our sheltie. Our dog died recently and we have been contemplating getting another dog. She is very knowledgeable and has offered me excellent advice about breeds, breeders, etc. There is no question that I would use her again with a new dog. ~jhirschhorn Minimize... |
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My husband and I first began working with Amelie when our male Havanese, Milo, was about one year old. Milo had a debilitating separation anxiety, would not walk on a leash, and had a terrible jumping habit.
Read more... We initially started working with Amelie in a group class, and later with individual lessons. Amelie took the time to get to know Milo’s personality, as well as how we interacted with Milo, in developing an understanding of how best to train both him and us. Amelie trained us in methods we can use to best command respect from Milo, and in turn to be most successful in training him. We are happy to say that with Amelie’s training and advice, Milo has developed into a very well behaved adult dog. Milo’s separation anxiety is virtually non-existent and he has become very well behaved when on leash. While he still will jump from time to time, or pull on his leash, Amelie’s teachings have provided us with numerous tools we can use in the situations. We are so happy to have found someone like Amelie to be patient with us, and with Milo. As first time dog owners we knew very little about the relationship between dog and owner, and Amelie was a key part in developing our relationship. We don’t know where we would be without her. I never expected we would get as far as we did with Milo but he became a sweet, friendly social, and well behaved dog. He has given us nothing but pleasure and so much of that is a result of our work with Amelie. ~Allison and Matt Minimize... |
 | We purchased Eric from a pet shop after he had been there for about six months. He had been confined to a cage for the time he was there. When we brought him home his muscles were very weak and he was unable to climb stairs. Amelie was recommended as a good trainer so I contacted her Read more... and she was able to help Eric cope with everyday living. She was wonderful with Eric and helped him overcome his fear of stairs. He also learned basic commands and became a beloved member of our family. Any guest that came to our door was always greeted with a tribute by Eric (this was usually a favorite rag from his toy box). Sadly we lost Eric to an autoimmune disease at age five. ~Joyce Minimize... |
 | Coco was an undisciplined and very stubborn rescue dog. We called Amelie for help, and thanks to her, Coco is now a great companion and a very good, pleasant dog. Amelie not only trained Coco, but taught me how to handle her. ~Rich |
 | We have known Amelie as a neighbor and friend as well as the "Smart Dog"
trainer for over 25 years and have appreciated how well she has trained all
her dogs. The best part of her training ability is that while her dogs are
obedient and follow instructions and commands, they have retained their
individual personalities. Read more... When our children were young we commented very often that she should train them to be as obedient as her dogs! We have attended some of their shows at nursing homes as therapy dogs and were amazed at how much they love to perform. Occasionally, she brought some of her "students" to our house to evaluate how well they adjusted to a strange environment. We could feel how comfortable they felt under her training and that they looked forward to their lessons as a time to meet a good friend. It is refreshing to see how much they love her. If you have any issue with your dog, we highly recommend that you give "Smart Dog Training" a try; you won't regret it! Take it from us. We recently moved out of the New York area and are truly missing the affection of Taylor and Genie almost as much as that of their owner and trainer. ~Alfred and Liliane Minimize... |
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I took canine freestyle and dog trick lessons from Amelie and had a great deal of fun teaching my wheaten terrier things that we could use during our therapy dog visits at AHRC in Brookville at a school for kids with disabilities. Jeter, my therapy dog, was a big hit with Amelie's help and inspiration. ~Suzanne |
 | Amelie Seelig and her two dogs--Taylor, a German Shepherd and Genie, a Flat Coated Retriever-- have been entertaining our clients at Farmingdale Adult Day Care since they were puppies. Although the therapeutic value of dogs on humans is well documented, it manifests itself every time the dogs make an appearance! The dogs work their magic by putting on shows Read more... for us. They are quite amazing and everybody has so much fun. They read flash cards, play the keyboard, play basketball, dance the cha-cha, answer phones and do many other tricks. Our lowest functioning participant's "wake up" and respond with a glow in their eyes. The dogs engage all people with dementia and also our staff in a meaningful interaction that helps improve the quality of life! At the end of the performance Amelie takes the dogs to each individual participant for one-on-one time. The families of the participants are also invited to view this show and are always thrilled to see how well Amelie has trained her dogs and how much fun the dogs have working with her! ~Brandi Minimize... |