About Us Nana Will & a 'Dog's Eye View' since 1988                                               Ellie Storch                                         'Both Ends of the Leash'

Education

Nana has firsthand knowledge of training a magnitude of different breeds, dogs of all ages and temperaments as well as working with the vast spectrum of behavior issues from jumping to serious aggression through years of experience at the shelter, working with clients' dogs and boarding and training dogs in her home. She has immense amount of experience in puppy-hood and in adolescence from raising puppies, sometimes two, every year from 1989 to 2003 for service dog organizations. She has an exceptional ability to "train the trainer" as well as the non-professional, providing extensive knowledge of canine behavior and dog-handling skills from years of training numerous apprentices, puppy raisers, shelter volunteers and pet guardians. Known for her flexibility and ability to modify, accommodating her clients’ needs working realistically within clients’ parameters to ensure their success within her programs. Using the most effect training techniques based on scientific principles, Nana is in the forefront and has been instrumental in promoting the use of humane, dog-friendly training methods, incorporating a kinder, more positive approach to training dogs in the Front Range of Colorado since 1988.

Nana designed behavioral assessment tests for evaluation of dogs in shelters, dog aggression cases in the courts, animal assisted therapy and service dog programs, and has written manuals on training for pet and service dogs. She developed and directed the Humane Society of Boulder Valley’s dog-training program for 14 years, along with training new and experienced trainers, staff, and volunteers as well as started many enrichment programs for the shelter dogs. She was the driving force behind the birth of S.T.A.R., Specially Trained Adoptable Rovers, a program for training shelter dogs during their stay - the program is credited for saving the lives of hundreds of dogs whose kennel behavior might otherwise have deteriorated. She worked closely with A.R.F (Animal Rehabilitation Facilitation) program designing individualized behavior modification treatment plans for dogs with more serious behavior issues.  She was the State Trainer for a national service dog organization for 9 years and was a founder of an all-volunteer, local non-profit service dogs organization. In 2004, Nana was approached by Dog City Dog Day Care & Hotel to design a staff education training program on dog pack behavior and how to manage it in the unique situation of the doggy daycare setting – the introduction of new dogs into the pack on a regular if not daily basis, the group dynamics of a large number of unfamiliar dog needing to coexist, and understanding the complexity of the dog’s interactions, signals, behaviors and relationships. From the success of Dog City’s staff education training program, Dog Day Care: Beyond the Leash was created – a two-day comprehensive hands-on seminar for the professional dog daycare worker. In 2005, she presented for Colorado Association of Dog Day Care on Canine Body Language and at the American Boarding Kennels Association (ABKA) National Conference on Dog Behavior, Pack Dynamics & You: Dog Daycare – Playgroups & Your Role. In 2006, she presented at the ABKA Regional 7 Meeting on Dynamics of Play: How Dogs Play.

In addition to Dog Day Care: Beyond The Leash Seminar, Nana does consulting and staff training for doggie daycare facilities around the country, offers seminars specializing in group dog behavior for the unique environment in doggy daycares, workshops on Canine Behavior & How Dogs Learn, Understanding Aggression and Fear & What To Do About It, behavioral counseling, private training, group classes for guardians and their dogs, advanced training of service dogs for Canine Partners of the Rockies CaPR as well as telecourses through Raising Canines RC on Staff Training and the S.T.A.R. Training Program for Shelter Dogs.

Honored with numerous awards, included in several articles, and television presentations, Nana is a charter member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers APDT and a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis ABA, Pet Care Service Association PCSA (formally ABKA) and Colorado Association of Dog Daycares CADD. She began her career in 1988 as apprentice trainer and continues her education attending seminars, workshops and conferences yearly.  Education

Nana resides in Gold Hill, Colorado, living with Weiss, a 12 year old retired service dog that she raised and advanced trained, and in January 2008 the newest addition to her family arrived, GingerLena, an 8 week old pup. Having raised puppies yearly for multiple service dog organizations from 1989 - 2003, GingerLena is her personal dog and is here to stay! 

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Ellie is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BA in Anthropology. At CU, she spent a semester working with the Dean of Anthropology on an independent study on dog and cat nutrition. She is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) and is certified in Pet First Aid. She worked for Dog City Day Care & Hotel in Boulder from 2001-2007 where she was the General Manager. While working at Dog City, Ellie was lucky to be a part of Nana’s ‘Beyond the Leash’ dog daycare training. Nana observed the day-to-day routines at Dog City and developed a program that gave the staff a deeper understanding of dog behavior. As General Manager, Ellie took the information and procedures suggested by Nana, and implemented them into Dog City’s daily routines. Click on Ellie to see what she has to say about the Beyond the Leash training. In 2005, Ellie apprenticed Nana, became Dog City's in house dog trainer and now owns her own dog training business, ‘Both Ends of the Leash’. Ellie and Nana continue to work together in dog training and ‘Beyond The Leash’ seminars for doggie daycares.

 Ellie has attended both APDT and ABKA conferences regularly. Just like anyone who's passionate about their work, Ellie continues to read literature and attend conferences and workshops pertaining to dog behavior and health. She currently lives in the Boulder area with her adorable pound puppies, Harley and Kobi.

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