About

We love dogs.

We love spending time with them. We love having them around the house. We think they make perfect companions and wonderful friends.

We also know that it’s nearly impossible to think of a dog that way when behavior problems make your dog seem more like a huge pain.

When dogs are well behaved, you’re free to enjoy their personalities, their companionship and their love without feeling the cons far outweigh the pros of dog ownership. That’s why we’re so committed to helping you train your dog into near-perfect behavior and excellent manners – we want you to love dogs as much as we do, and we want you to be proud of your dog.

We’re always up to the minute on the latest information on the best ways to train dogs humanely, and our devotion to dog-friendly methods means that your dog actually enjoys his training instead of feeling bullied into it.

That means a stronger bond between you and your dog that lasts far beyond our training sessions, which is pretty much exactly what we’re hoping to accomplish.

About the trainers

Sarah Filipiak CDBC has been obsessed with dogs since an early age. Rather than playing house, Sarah was busy operating a makeshift animal shelter filled with her own plush dogs. Having a natural affinity for animals, her tendency to gravitate toward the resident dog in any social situation resulted in years’ worth of study and observation of dogs and their behavior.

A longtime volunteer with humane societies and dog rescue groups, Sarah began training professionally after failing to find appropriate puppy classes for her second competition dog.

Best Pets Dog Training LLC is the result of Sarah’s obsession with dogs combined with her passion for teaching others how to relate to animals.

Sarah has been a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 2001 and is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

Jake Householder is an avid canine enthusiast who has recently made the move into dog training. Having had dogs in the home most of his life, Jake believes very strongly in the human-canine bond and has a passion to help others realize its joys and overcome its struggles.

A student of canine behaviorism, Jake firmly believes in the power of training through positive reinforcement, making training effective and enjoyable for people and dogs alike. Jake and his wife Lara are the proud puppy parents of two wonderful dogs: a terrier mix named Ernie and a 6-month-old Bouvier des Flandres named Mona.

Jake is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

JoAnna Sidote joins us from The Spirit Connection to teach agility classes. JoAnna has trained and shown dogs for 17 years, including a Miniature Poodle and a Doberman Pinscher. For the last 12 years she has used clicker training, a positive-based training method. Using clicker training, she has had the honor of working with many species including dogs, horses, cats, alpacas and squirrels. JoAnna earned her Bachelors degree at Ohio University in biology with a minor in psychology for animal behavior. She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

JoAnna and her Belgian Sheepdog have earned a championship in conformation and agility. While achieving the title of Master Agility Champion, they were ranked in the Top 5 of the breed and competed at the national level. JoAnna’s passion is to help others achieve that special connection with the animals in their lives.