Elisabeth Catalano

 

Elisabeth Catalano

Elisabeth Catalano, M.A., CPDT, CDBC (“Liz’) is a professional dog trainer and a behavior counselor at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center (St. Hubert’s) in Madison, NJ.  Committed to the use of positive reinforcement training methods, Liz is educated and skilled in the techniques of behavior modification.  Liz holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management.  As a (happily) former Environmental Consultant, she managed remediation projects, authored several articles and taught college-level classes.

Liz began her dog-training career by completing a 16-month apprenticeship at St. Hubert’s and as a volunteer at local shelters to help homeless dogs become more adoptable.  In addition to training dogs and their people, Liz has also provided instruction to trainers on learning theory, ethology, instruction skills, classroom management, and dog handling as part of a nationally recognized accreditation program.  She also provided continuing education to accredited trainers.

Dedicated to continuing education and skill improvement, Liz regularly attends training seminars and intensive study programs.  She was one of the first trainers in the county to earn the title of Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT).  She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and the Deaf Dogs Education Action Fund (DDEAF). She has been quoted in Sara Wilson’s book, “Metro Dogs”, been published in the APDT’s Chronicle of the Dog, Parenting Magazine, and appeared on “The Montel Williams Show” and local Channel 12’s “Pet Stop”. 

Liz provides behavioral counseling for many of the problems that owners encounter.  Through the years, she has provided patient and compassionate guidance and her intervention continues to successfully solve a variety of behavioral problems.  Liz is an experienced clicker trainer and instructs group classes including Puppy Kindergarten and Basic through Advanced training.  In addition, she teaches specialty classes at St. Hubert’s, including adult dog playgroups and the well-known St. Hubert’s “Feisty Fidos” dog-to-dog aggression classes.  She offers limited board-and-train services and foster dog rehabilitation in her home and private kennel.  In addition, Liz founded and facilitates a pet loss peer-support group for bereaved pet owners.  She is a Certified Pet Bereavement Counselor.

Liz became aware of the needs of deaf dogs and their owners through her experiences with her own deaf dog, a 2-year old Australian Shepherd.  Through countless hours on-line, she recognized the need for good sources of information.  She has recently published an article in a peer-review journal on the special considerations in training a deaf dog and has been quoted on The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of America’s website.  Liz’s own dog is trained as a classroom demonstration dog, is used to facilitate dog-to-dog interactions and participates in Agility, and obedience.

When not training dogs, she is an amateur photographer.  She has enjoyed the company of multiple canine companions for many years and currently shares her life with her husband and their rescued dogs: a German Shepherd, a Weimaraner, a Foxhound and an Australian Shepherd. Liz’s dogs, are certified therapy dogs, have earned titles and compete in obedience and agility.

St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center