About Us
Julie
When most kids had bunnies stuffed with cotton Julie's had a heartbeat. His name was Buttons Beauregard the Third (don't know if there was a first or a second!). Julie trained him how to navigate from his front porch studio compartment up a flight of stairs directly to her room where she would come home and play with him after an arduous day at grammar school. Relationship based training can start anywhere when you least expect it. Next came some very special felines, parakeets and the life changing dog named Nanny.
A blown knee ended a promising dance career, and choice ended years as a top concierge in three of New York's five diamond hotels "training" upcoming concierges. All these life adventures contributed to Julie's dream/mission to spend full time working with animals, primarily as a dog trainer and life coach. To be a "Top Trainer" you need to be trained yourself. Halfway is not an option for Julie as she has studied with some of the best in the field. You could say Julie's career had gone to the dogs. During her years of training Julie garnered additional knowledge in the important areas of health and nutrition while managing one of New Jersey's Holistic Pet Food Stores Mikes Feed Farm. She received her education at Clayton College of Natural Health. Julie then branched out to sharing her knowledge and love for companion animals by writing a monthly column for Greenpaw.com.
When her beloved Nanny became severely crippled with arthritis Julie studied the use of Essential Oils and went on to become a Tellington Touch Practitioner. Her use of these modalities combined with nutrition extended Nanny's life for an extra two years! Shortly after Nanny's passing, Dixie, her Collie mix puppy, landed in New Jersey from the countryside of Kentucky complete with love and major fear issues. The rest is history. While Dixie led Julie into the world of training, Julie did a "Sit Stay" in the world of behavior modification. Dixie's fear of anything male, new, sudden, approaching or just plain scary has provided Julie with the opportunity to learn and master various techniques in teaching fearful dogs that this planet is not really so bad and can even be a safe and happy place. Julie takes pride in her ability and intuitive nature in recognizing the early signs of shy and fearful puppies and turning them around to be happy confident dogs.
The most recent addition to her cast of characters is Bentley a male Golden Retriever puppy rescued from Club Barks Doggy Day Care and (Boarding). Golden and goofy yet sharp and loving, Bentley has brought Julie into the arena of competition. Bentley is now proving to be quite the "dance partner". Working from a place of compassion, knowledge and sensitivity, Julie is quickly establishing herself as one of the best trainers in the business. She believes that a better world begins with the bonding and training you do with your dog. Also studied with: Linda Tellington-Jones, Pam Dennison, Ian Dunbar, Patricia McConnell, Pia Silvani, Sue Sternberg, Kathy Cascade, Sarah Wilson, & Liz Catalano.
CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed |
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| Tellington Touch Companian Animal Practitioner |  |
| Professional Member APDT |  |
Cindy Polzer CDT
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for animals. Growing up I had all types of pets the usual dogs, hamsters, mice, fish, and the not so usual ducks and chicks. At eight years of age I wanted to be a veterinarian so I could help animals, but that didn't become a reality. Instead, I entered into "Corporate America" to make my mark there. I've always had dogs in my life and took pleasure in training them to be wonderful companions. When my golden retrievers Harley and Quinn came into my life, I expected them to be a clone of my other goldens, and to my surprise they were nothing like them, and didn't always get along. I did a lot of reading and took my dogs for training, and this is when I got the training bug. I became fascinated by everything dog. How they learn, how they play, how they communicate, and why they do the things they do. I left "Corporate America" to devote my time to training companion dogs to be the best they can be, and stay in the homes where they belong. This is my way of helping dogs in a way a veterinarian can't!
Education:
Graduate of Animal Behavior Collage
Continued Education: Various 1 and 3 day seminars
Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz & Kelli Snider - Constructional Aggression Treatment: Shaping Your Way Out of Aggression
Dr. Nicholas Dodman & Dr. Ian Dunbar- Anxiety, Phobias & Hyperactivity: Separation Anxiety & Treatment protocols, Re-channeling OCD's, Storm Phobias and other Canine Phobias, Hyperactivity, Reactivity, Lack of Attention
Dr. Ian Dunbar-Effective Painless Punishment
Sarah Wilson-Helping the Sensitive Dog, Relationship Games
Dr. Ian Dunbar- Aggression and Behavior
Memberships:
Full Member of Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Chris 
I grew up in a house full of dogs and cats and other furry animals. My father was the type of dad that was always bringing home stray dogs, but it was my mother who taught me the importance of training them. As the youngest of three boys, sometimes the family dogs were the only ones that would listen to me, so it gave me a great sense of pride to know that I could get the dogs, who often weighed more than me, to do whatever I asked. Fast forward many years, and now my wife and I seem to have taken over where my parents left off. Our household usually has anywhere from three to five dogs and at least two cats. At one point, I decided that if we were going to have so many dogs, I might as well take my dog training to the next level, so I enrolled in the Animal Behavior College's Dog Trainer Certification Program. Ironically, it was at this time that we rescued a beautiful Husky/Beagle mix that had had a difficult time as a puppy and had some serious issues, challenging my training experience. The experience gave me a new outlook on training… teaching me that I could make a difference in the lives of dogs and their people. My mentorship with Julie and New Leash on Life helped me hone my skills and continued to show me the most effective training methods. After my mentorship, I started working as as Lead Pet Trainer at a PetSmart store and have been working at St. Hubert's Dog Training School as an Assistant Trainer and then Apprentice Trainer since 2009.
Danielle 
When I was young I always knew I wanted to work with animals. I contemplated many professions including becoming a vet, working for an animal rescue, and even caring for animals on a farm. That life path changed when I realized all the difficult and painful situations these professionals are faced with on a daily basis. I did not feel my heart could handle it, but my passion for working with animals never left me. Instead I took the desire to influence the lives of animals and turned it into an opportunity to be an influence on children. I am now a special education teacher where I spend endless hours creating behavior management programs and building relationships with my students. I try to focus on the positives instead of pointing out the negatives and have seen amazing results. It is the same belief that brought me to working with dogs. As an assistant trainer, I found that I can apply all the patience and behavioral methods I use on a daily basis to help families embrace their own furry family members to have a truly unique relationship with their pets. Almost 10 years ago I was blessed with a baby girl in the form of a Black Labrador Retriever who had been badly abused and in desperate need of someone to love her, and in return someone to share her love with. Through patience and training my relationship with her is now my most cherished gift. She is the most loyal and loving member of my family, and I would not be who I am today without sharing this process with her, although the obstacles we had to overcome seemed impossible at times. Nothing makes me happier than being able to share my experience with new pet parents and to help them begin the same process with their pets that I went through 10 years prior. Seeing the amazing growth of these families over time makes this the most rewarding job a person can have.
People are Saying
"Julie takes the time to explain where the animal is in his life cycle, why he behaves in a certain way, and how to redirect his behavior when necessary."
