Renae B. - |
The Good Dog: Behavioral Consulting, LLC.
(907) 892-2966 gooddogak@gmail.com Wasilla, AK |
Who we are
The Good Dog is a family business run by Kate and Ellis Gugel. Kate has a B.A. in Psychology with an emphasis in development and learning from Western Washington University. Ellis has a B.S. in Canine Studies with an emphasis in behavior from Bergin University. We are your average Alaskan people with two kids and two dogs, "Bill" and "Karen". We are avid outdoorsmen. When we are not running The Good Dog, we spend our hours adventuring and playing in our great state.
What We Do
Our goal is to assist our clients to develop the skills required to modify problem behaviors by altering their environment as is required for long term success, and to fill the behavioral niche with positive alternatives. We strive to use simple, real-world techniques to empower normal people to live a normal life with a good dog. We address your dog's emotional experience as the underlying motivator for their behavior, and work to empower dogs with alternative healthy coping mechanisms rather than attempting to suppress the problem behavior. We work with handlers to help create an environment that makes calm and rational behavior normal.
Reviews
Sophia IK.-
I’m so thankful I made the call to Good Dog! Ellis helped me understand my dogs’ anxiety. I started implementing my new taught skills the first day of learning them. I’m so excited to see my dogs respond with a calmness and attentiveness! Again, I’m just so thankful! Ellis is amazing and very good at what he does!
JoAnne H.-
We just finished out first session with our two puppies. Very helpful on teaching us how to teach our pups. So excited to work on making these some great dogs and us good owners!
Jen S.-
We LOVE pound puppies and have adopted them for years. We recently brought two beauties into our home with VERY rough past experiences. Things got so bad within a month we were living in chaos. We reached out to MANY trainers and every response was negative and recommended returning them or euthanasia since they were a “red case”. Neither was an option for us. Ellis’s response was different. He made no promises AND no judgments. He came out and saw them and we now have a plan that is working and can keep our family, furry children included, together. If he can help us he CAN definitely help you!! 🤩🤩
PS-he also speaks dog and is teaching us too 😍
Kelsey M.-
Ellis has been incredible in helping my pup and I connect! I had no idea how such basic steps could totally change my dog's behavior and make her more confident. Ellis really has a passion for working with canines and it shows. The Good Dog is worth every penny!
Ken H. -
A recent phone call greatly encouraged me and gave me solid direction in how to solve my training problems. I highly recommend Ellis Gugel in Wasilla AK for his insight and assistance. I’m looking forward to being in touch with him on down the line. I’m very pleased!
Benjamin A.-
Ellis and Bill the dog are wonderful. Ellis is a very smart man, with out a doubt he saved one of our pup’s life as I was very close to being done with him. Any vet would have labeled him aggressive. Ellis showed us the dogs triggers and agitations that we just didn’t see. 100% call him if you have a problem dog.
Jennifer R.-
We joke that Ellis is like “google translate” for dog behavior. He absolutely understands and respects dogs, and is passionate about sharing his knowledge with the people who love them. Truth is, he’s training US, not our dog! As he teaches us to communicate more effectively, “good” behaviors are reinforced, and “undesirable” behaviors are extinguished (ours, AND our dogs 😉).
Our vizsla is part of our family, and -bottom line- working with Ellis has made our family happier, which is priceless.
I can’t say enough about my absolute confidence in Ellis and Bill’s base of knowledge, experience, and commitment to happy, well adjusted pups!
I would (and have) highly recommended him to ALL dog owners, just as he came highly recommended to us!
Renae B.-
Ellis is amazing! A year ago I thought we were going to have to rehome one of our dogs because they kept fighting. They now get along great and there is peace in our house. Now we are working on being calm when out in the world and I feel hopeful that we will be able to take our dogs on a hike some day! We have learned so much from Ellis! He really understands dog behavior and communication and has helped me respond to it as well.
Cheryl F.-
Once again. Thank you Ellis for your help with recall and hiking behaviors. Today was a successful day. And we will need you again for some new guidance. Ellis knows what he's doing. Thanks
Julia C. -
Ellis has been wonderful in helping us connect and work with our dogs! They both have specific issues, but with him we have learned how to have them remain calm so they can work through their fears in a safe and happy manner. I cannot recommend him and his family enough!!!!
Dawn D.W. -
We. Are so thankful for Ellis and his expertise he has saved our family and our relationship with our furbabies and each other. thank you Ellis!!
Sheri G. -
Ellis is amazing!...he not only trains the dogs but is teaching us humans just as much (probably more). We are learning to communicate with our fur babies in a healthy manner and learning to change unwanted behaviors. Ellis is patient and confident while providing a great cost efficient service for dogs and their humans. THANK YOU!
Bri M. -
Ellis has an amazing ability to recognize dogs body language. He helped me with some private sessions and a group walk and hopefully more if our schedules coincide!! Every encounter I've had with Ellis has opened my eyes into not only my what my dog see's but what I need to look at as well. He has been a great confidence booster for both my dog and I. When we're confident we're comfortable when we feel comfortable we challenge it and gain more confidence!! Thank you Ellis!!!
Jennifer M.S. -
It's hard to find all the right words to describe how amazing Ellis is..... It is as if I was the one being trained. I now know how to communicate with my dogs, handle them and lead them. My dogs are emotionally healthy and the behaviors that were such a concern are diminishing (guarding, aggression, and lack of recall were the top three). an amazing service that is cost effective and the gains are immeasurable! Thank you!!!
Mallory R. -
I would like to thanks Ellis for helping me train my diabetic alert dog. In the past week she has alerted me on 2 lows (one being 47mg/dl which I hadn't felt) and she is not even 3 yet. Without Ellis my dog would have been a nervous wreck, but now she is a tail wagging, hard working, and compassionate service dog. I cannot thank Ellis enough for helping me train my perfect dog and I highly highly highly recommend him for any kind of training. Thanks a bunch!!! You have truly helped me train a life saver!
Dawn J. -
I’m very proud of the progress we have made and wanted to say thank you. Ellis taught me so much about how to manage Stella’s issues. I cannot manage where we would be today without all of his help and knowledge about dog behavior. Big thanks for everything!
Kathleen B. -
Thank you Ellis for your expert service dog training with Travis and Xena. Xena now can hit an emergency call button, open and close doors and drawers, pick items up and place them in Travis' hand, turn lights on and off, push a electric door opening button, and be a perfect unobtrusive help mate in public. Xena came from Anchorage Animal Care and Control. Now Travis' dream of having a service dog has come true. This dog has changed Travis' life for the better in so many ways. Gracias! You are simply the best.
Kevin B. -
Went through 9 Months Training for Service Dog Certification. At the end took Public Access Test / Graduated and learned to apply tasks we learned as a team to negotiate Daily Activities and any situation that we may face. Ellis is A Great Instructor and Mentor too.
Kevin Burke Disabled Vet.
Melissa K. -
I am so grateful for Ellis informative guidance, patience and responsiveness, as well as his humor throughout the training process. I didn't expect someone to love my dog as much as me! Thank you for helping Diamond and me become a more confident and successful team.
Sabrina M. -
Ellis definitely has a way with animals. Will always get good word of mouth and recommendations from me.
Kevin B. -
Jack and I always draw a crowd, we hand out your cards. Need more.
Margaret G. -
Ellis has been helping me and my Keeshond, Waverly, for several months. If you are open to a "new" way of relating to your dog, having fun, and learning things you have never learned anywhere else in dog training you should definitely check out Ellis. I started with him to help me with my "well trained" girl, a registered therapy dog, who uncharacteristically had become afraid of kids! I was worried sick since I had a grandbaby on the way and just did not know how to help her. The more I did the worse it seemed to get. Every time we were in the vicinity of a small child she would back away and bark. It was not long before I learned she lacked confidence around kids because of me!!! I even remember the first time I "taught" her that I did not trust her with little ones!. As a matter of fact, I learned that I was a major factor in most everything Waverly did wrong (hahaha). How wonderfully freeing and helpful it has been to let go of my reactions, to relax and to have fun and watch my dog shine and be happy. Ellis used his own adorable baby to help me learn that when I relaxed and did not focus so much on my anticipation of the dog's wrong doing that she did great. Nothing more obvious than seeing that! I could probably fill a book with what I have learned. I love how Ellis translates Waverly for me! She and I have both grown so much and I am thankful to be able to use the things I have learned from Ellis and Waverly in my every day life!!! Check Ellis out and watch your relationship with your dog grow in astounding ways. Everything we have done has been so positive.
Cris S. -
I have had the pleasure of working with Ellis at Canine Psychologist Consulting and can say he is the best in Alaska. Through his training program, my dog and I not only learned obedience and behavior skills, but we learned communication and understanding. This provided my dog and I with the skills necessary to have a solid and respectful relationship. He trained us in areas of obedience, behavior, fear, and aggression which provided me with the understanding of age related stages and associated behaviors and how to handle each one. He taught me how to communicate with my dog as well as understanding what my dog is communicating to me, which in turn made all aspects of training a success.
In my case, I not only needed a well behaved dog, but a dog who could handle any given situation while being in tune with me at the same time, as my dog is a Service Dog. Ellis providing us with more in depth training so my dog is able to assist me with my disability and ensure we were able to handle any situation in public. We are now a successful Service Dog Team, thanks to Ellis.
Ellis is highly knowledgeable in all aspects of the canine mind and behavior. His techniques are positive and non-aversive approaches to training. He reliable, affordable and an absolute joy to work with. Whether your dog is a household pet, a hunting dog or a dog needed to help you with your disabilities, you won't find a better or more well rounded trainer than Ellis. If you are looking for absolute solid results, I highly recommend Ellis for any needs you have with your canine companion.
Ruth Q. -
I called on Ellis because my two small boy dogs were peeing all over the house. Ellis offered information on how my dogs interacted with each other and insight in to ways to change the dynamics of the household. His presence alone made a huge difference in the dogs. Ellis gave me the skills to address the peeing as well as other behavior concerns. He has been a huge help!
Cheryl F. -
We feel Ellis is knowledgeable and professional. His teaching technique makes sense and you can see quickly his confidence and affect ability.
I’m so thankful I made the call to Good Dog! Ellis helped me understand my dogs’ anxiety. I started implementing my new taught skills the first day of learning them. I’m so excited to see my dogs respond with a calmness and attentiveness! Again, I’m just so thankful! Ellis is amazing and very good at what he does!
JoAnne H.-
We just finished out first session with our two puppies. Very helpful on teaching us how to teach our pups. So excited to work on making these some great dogs and us good owners!
Jen S.-
We LOVE pound puppies and have adopted them for years. We recently brought two beauties into our home with VERY rough past experiences. Things got so bad within a month we were living in chaos. We reached out to MANY trainers and every response was negative and recommended returning them or euthanasia since they were a “red case”. Neither was an option for us. Ellis’s response was different. He made no promises AND no judgments. He came out and saw them and we now have a plan that is working and can keep our family, furry children included, together. If he can help us he CAN definitely help you!! 🤩🤩
PS-he also speaks dog and is teaching us too 😍
Kelsey M.-
Ellis has been incredible in helping my pup and I connect! I had no idea how such basic steps could totally change my dog's behavior and make her more confident. Ellis really has a passion for working with canines and it shows. The Good Dog is worth every penny!
Ken H. -
A recent phone call greatly encouraged me and gave me solid direction in how to solve my training problems. I highly recommend Ellis Gugel in Wasilla AK for his insight and assistance. I’m looking forward to being in touch with him on down the line. I’m very pleased!
Benjamin A.-
Ellis and Bill the dog are wonderful. Ellis is a very smart man, with out a doubt he saved one of our pup’s life as I was very close to being done with him. Any vet would have labeled him aggressive. Ellis showed us the dogs triggers and agitations that we just didn’t see. 100% call him if you have a problem dog.
Jennifer R.-
We joke that Ellis is like “google translate” for dog behavior. He absolutely understands and respects dogs, and is passionate about sharing his knowledge with the people who love them. Truth is, he’s training US, not our dog! As he teaches us to communicate more effectively, “good” behaviors are reinforced, and “undesirable” behaviors are extinguished (ours, AND our dogs 😉).
Our vizsla is part of our family, and -bottom line- working with Ellis has made our family happier, which is priceless.
I can’t say enough about my absolute confidence in Ellis and Bill’s base of knowledge, experience, and commitment to happy, well adjusted pups!
I would (and have) highly recommended him to ALL dog owners, just as he came highly recommended to us!
Renae B.-
Ellis is amazing! A year ago I thought we were going to have to rehome one of our dogs because they kept fighting. They now get along great and there is peace in our house. Now we are working on being calm when out in the world and I feel hopeful that we will be able to take our dogs on a hike some day! We have learned so much from Ellis! He really understands dog behavior and communication and has helped me respond to it as well.
Cheryl F.-
Once again. Thank you Ellis for your help with recall and hiking behaviors. Today was a successful day. And we will need you again for some new guidance. Ellis knows what he's doing. Thanks
Julia C. -
Ellis has been wonderful in helping us connect and work with our dogs! They both have specific issues, but with him we have learned how to have them remain calm so they can work through their fears in a safe and happy manner. I cannot recommend him and his family enough!!!!
Dawn D.W. -
We. Are so thankful for Ellis and his expertise he has saved our family and our relationship with our furbabies and each other. thank you Ellis!!
Sheri G. -
Ellis is amazing!...he not only trains the dogs but is teaching us humans just as much (probably more). We are learning to communicate with our fur babies in a healthy manner and learning to change unwanted behaviors. Ellis is patient and confident while providing a great cost efficient service for dogs and their humans. THANK YOU!
Bri M. -
Ellis has an amazing ability to recognize dogs body language. He helped me with some private sessions and a group walk and hopefully more if our schedules coincide!! Every encounter I've had with Ellis has opened my eyes into not only my what my dog see's but what I need to look at as well. He has been a great confidence booster for both my dog and I. When we're confident we're comfortable when we feel comfortable we challenge it and gain more confidence!! Thank you Ellis!!!
Jennifer M.S. -
It's hard to find all the right words to describe how amazing Ellis is..... It is as if I was the one being trained. I now know how to communicate with my dogs, handle them and lead them. My dogs are emotionally healthy and the behaviors that were such a concern are diminishing (guarding, aggression, and lack of recall were the top three). an amazing service that is cost effective and the gains are immeasurable! Thank you!!!
Mallory R. -
I would like to thanks Ellis for helping me train my diabetic alert dog. In the past week she has alerted me on 2 lows (one being 47mg/dl which I hadn't felt) and she is not even 3 yet. Without Ellis my dog would have been a nervous wreck, but now she is a tail wagging, hard working, and compassionate service dog. I cannot thank Ellis enough for helping me train my perfect dog and I highly highly highly recommend him for any kind of training. Thanks a bunch!!! You have truly helped me train a life saver!
Dawn J. -
I’m very proud of the progress we have made and wanted to say thank you. Ellis taught me so much about how to manage Stella’s issues. I cannot manage where we would be today without all of his help and knowledge about dog behavior. Big thanks for everything!
Kathleen B. -
Thank you Ellis for your expert service dog training with Travis and Xena. Xena now can hit an emergency call button, open and close doors and drawers, pick items up and place them in Travis' hand, turn lights on and off, push a electric door opening button, and be a perfect unobtrusive help mate in public. Xena came from Anchorage Animal Care and Control. Now Travis' dream of having a service dog has come true. This dog has changed Travis' life for the better in so many ways. Gracias! You are simply the best.
Kevin B. -
Went through 9 Months Training for Service Dog Certification. At the end took Public Access Test / Graduated and learned to apply tasks we learned as a team to negotiate Daily Activities and any situation that we may face. Ellis is A Great Instructor and Mentor too.
Kevin Burke Disabled Vet.
Melissa K. -
I am so grateful for Ellis informative guidance, patience and responsiveness, as well as his humor throughout the training process. I didn't expect someone to love my dog as much as me! Thank you for helping Diamond and me become a more confident and successful team.
Sabrina M. -
Ellis definitely has a way with animals. Will always get good word of mouth and recommendations from me.
Kevin B. -
Jack and I always draw a crowd, we hand out your cards. Need more.
Margaret G. -
Ellis has been helping me and my Keeshond, Waverly, for several months. If you are open to a "new" way of relating to your dog, having fun, and learning things you have never learned anywhere else in dog training you should definitely check out Ellis. I started with him to help me with my "well trained" girl, a registered therapy dog, who uncharacteristically had become afraid of kids! I was worried sick since I had a grandbaby on the way and just did not know how to help her. The more I did the worse it seemed to get. Every time we were in the vicinity of a small child she would back away and bark. It was not long before I learned she lacked confidence around kids because of me!!! I even remember the first time I "taught" her that I did not trust her with little ones!. As a matter of fact, I learned that I was a major factor in most everything Waverly did wrong (hahaha). How wonderfully freeing and helpful it has been to let go of my reactions, to relax and to have fun and watch my dog shine and be happy. Ellis used his own adorable baby to help me learn that when I relaxed and did not focus so much on my anticipation of the dog's wrong doing that she did great. Nothing more obvious than seeing that! I could probably fill a book with what I have learned. I love how Ellis translates Waverly for me! She and I have both grown so much and I am thankful to be able to use the things I have learned from Ellis and Waverly in my every day life!!! Check Ellis out and watch your relationship with your dog grow in astounding ways. Everything we have done has been so positive.
Cris S. -
I have had the pleasure of working with Ellis at Canine Psychologist Consulting and can say he is the best in Alaska. Through his training program, my dog and I not only learned obedience and behavior skills, but we learned communication and understanding. This provided my dog and I with the skills necessary to have a solid and respectful relationship. He trained us in areas of obedience, behavior, fear, and aggression which provided me with the understanding of age related stages and associated behaviors and how to handle each one. He taught me how to communicate with my dog as well as understanding what my dog is communicating to me, which in turn made all aspects of training a success.
In my case, I not only needed a well behaved dog, but a dog who could handle any given situation while being in tune with me at the same time, as my dog is a Service Dog. Ellis providing us with more in depth training so my dog is able to assist me with my disability and ensure we were able to handle any situation in public. We are now a successful Service Dog Team, thanks to Ellis.
Ellis is highly knowledgeable in all aspects of the canine mind and behavior. His techniques are positive and non-aversive approaches to training. He reliable, affordable and an absolute joy to work with. Whether your dog is a household pet, a hunting dog or a dog needed to help you with your disabilities, you won't find a better or more well rounded trainer than Ellis. If you are looking for absolute solid results, I highly recommend Ellis for any needs you have with your canine companion.
Ruth Q. -
I called on Ellis because my two small boy dogs were peeing all over the house. Ellis offered information on how my dogs interacted with each other and insight in to ways to change the dynamics of the household. His presence alone made a huge difference in the dogs. Ellis gave me the skills to address the peeing as well as other behavior concerns. He has been a huge help!
Cheryl F. -
We feel Ellis is knowledgeable and professional. His teaching technique makes sense and you can see quickly his confidence and affect ability.
