Elisa Segal

Hello, and welcome to Squirrel! I'm Elisa. I've been training dogs (including a dance routine or two...) for over forty years, and been a board-certified family physician for twenty-eight of them.Since childhood, I've been obsessed with communicating with animals. I lived for the Jane Goodall and Jacques Cousteau 'specials' that came on TV, and in junior high school became fascinated with Lana, the chimp who learned a computer language called Yerkish. Then there was, Koko, the gorilla who learned sign language and had an infamous relationship with her kitten, Ball.At overnight camp, when the other girls were playing sports and gossiping, I could always be found in the nature den communing with the deer, skunk, and rabbits, two of whom (Thumper and Fremont) I took home to live with my family. I bred and hand-raised hamsters, had two parakeets (Fubert and Peabody), a dwarf bunny (Peepers), an appaloosa (Apple), a box turtle at some point, and, of course, dogs. There was Twinkles (Cairn terrier), Patches 1 and 2 (Old English Sheepdogs), Boomer (Briard), Barney and Hank (Bearded Collies), Bam Bam (Golden Retriever), then Cosmo Calvin (Golden Retriever), and the love of my life, sweet Zoe Rose, a shepherd mix rescue, who I recently lost at the age of 13. Squirrel's logo is an homage to her, and my mission is a dedication to her memory (as well as that of all the wise, beloved creatures who preceded and will follow her). After graduating with distinction from the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior I went on to mentor with internationally renowned author of the Control Unleashed series, Leslie McDevitt, and become the only Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI) in the city of Philadelphia. I specialize in errorless learning, fearful/reactive dogs, cooperative care, day training (while you work), virtual training (all over the world), and giving dogs agency over their lives. In addition to working with private clients and teaching group classes, I am passionate about my volunteer work as a trainer and caretaker at my local shelter, PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society), where I fall in love every week. As a PAWS partner, I donate 20% of all proceeds from Squirrel! to the shelter. I love all dogs, but have a special soft spot for large breeds, 'bully' breeds, and 'mutts' of all sizes. Squirrel! is the culmination of a lifetime of dedication and experience. I look forward to working with you. Listen. Learn. Speak. Dog. Sit happens. Now go make a dog smile today!