The Prestigious Paw LLC
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    • Positive Reinforcement
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    • Lisa
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Lisa Wance



​Owner, Founder, & Trainer for
The Prestigious Paw LLC

Lisa started her involvement with dogs at a very young age as the neighborhood dog walker. This grew into a small pet-sitting business which she ran until she graduated college. She has been training dogs professionally since 1999.

She graduated from The University of Delaware and have a Bachelor of Arts & Science degree in Psychology. The focus of her studies was on animal science, animal behavior and learning theories. 

She continues to attend seminars and conferences on positive reinforcement training to further increase her knowledge of operant conditioning, aggression redirection and how to desensitize reactive dogs. She believes training is a never ending learning process and strives to further her education with animals.

She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She is also a member of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers and an Associate Certified Animal Behavior Consultant with The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Both the APDT and the IAABC require maintainence of certification by attending a minimum of 36 hours of continuing education credits every 3 years. She is also an approved CGC (Canine Good Citizen) Evaluator for the American Kennel Club and now a Farm Dog Evaluator.

She believes in and uses positive reinforcement principles in all of her dog training classes. When she originally started training, this wasn't the case. She worked with traditional trainers who based their training on corrections and establishing themselves as leaders by being dominant over their dog. She witnessed all of the ill-effects this had on dogs and even though they would perform, they were by no means enjoying it and the behaviors were not consistent. One of the many problems with that methodology is that correcting a dog only tells them what we don't want as opposed to telling them what we do. While a dog that is trained using traditional methods may function, they work out of fear and to avoid the correction. One of Lisa's own dogs became aggressive back when she was training this way. Because of this, she wants her dogs to enjoy training and to offer behaviors; creating a thinking dog, and a true partner. Positive training strengthens the bond between dog and owner, but also creates a wonderful and understanding relationship.  

She has owned various breeds over the years which include German Shepherds, Australian Shepherds, Sheltie, Italian Greyhounds, Miniature Pincher, Husky, and Jack Russel/Beagle mix.

She currently owns Australian Shepherds and shows and breeds them.  You can go to her Aussie website www.aislinfields.com for more information about this wonderful breed.
 
​In her limited spare time, she enjoys it with her family which consists of her husband, Mark, and their children Kenny, Cole and Katelyn. They take care of their small farm with goats and horses and alpacas.

Her motto in all her training is to "keep it light, keep it simple, clear and consistent, but most of all, keep it fun!"

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"Don't dream your life, live your dreams."
​

-Miasha

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What Our Clients Are Saying

Lisa has an excellent working knowledge of behavior, both in a technical sense and a practical sense and can convey the information to her students in layman terms in a way that is not intimidating.
The class structure is very well organized with a clear outline of plans and expectations.  Students present are very responsive to her teaching and presentation format.
I was very impressed."
-Dr. Terri Morrison

"Lisa,
Your help was so crucial when it came to Allie.  We are so glad you came into our home and showed us how to make Allie work out.  We are so happy we stuck it out and have her today. "
-Robin Larson
Linden, NJ

"Prestigious Paw provided in board training for out 9 week old puppy. We brought her right from the airport to Lisa. Daisy immediately took to Lisa and we felt quite comfortable leaving her.
Lisa was so loving with Daisy, while setting limits. She worked very well with teaching housebreaking, which was our first priority. In addition, Daisy socialized with many dogs in a variety of settings. Each 1/2 hour of Daisy's time there was tracked and given to us  in writing. Best of all Lisa's positive training techniques worked!  We brought home a housebroken puppy, and she was only 12 weeks old!
 
Let me add one more important thing, Lisa is a doll to work with, exceptionally responsive to all of my questions, and so patient with my family's need for education about dog care.
I am extremely grateful to her for all of her hard work."
-Jennifer Strauss
Westfield, NJ

"Mark is a very friendly and personable trainer who is easy to talk to and makes you and your dog feel comfortable.  Our dog, Bear, loves him and responds very well to his personality and training techniques.  Mark was able to handle Bear quickly and effectively in various situations and settings and always in a kind and positive manner to which Bear responds positively. 
I would not hesitate to recommend Mark to my friends and family."
 -Michele Schafer
Westfield, NJ 

"Hi Lisa,
I really enjoyed Mark's class last evening.  There are so few trainers out there who know what
they are doing and actually have people skills.  You and Mark have the whole package.  I loved the
handouts and the homework sheet!  I am so relieved to have found you guys!
Lisa has trained both my 6 year old Samoyed (therapy dog), as well as my 2 year old Pomeranian.  We participated in the Outdoor Adventures class which was held at a busy park in Westfield.  My Pom was a rescue with SEVERE fear issues.  I had difficulty walking her in public because she was so reactive.  She would bark and lunge at pedestrians, as well as other dogs. When my daughter's friends visited the house, she would chase after them and bark. I had several trainers come to my home to work with her. One trainer told me to scold her, the other said to lock her in my bedroom when visitors arrived. 
 
All I can say is, by the end of Lisa's course, I was able to walk my Pom around that active park without a peep!  The best part, was the fact that Lisa only used POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT.  I want my dogs to be calm, confident and happy.  The last thing I want is for them to behave properly out of fear!  In fact, I was amazed that my Pom actually out performed my therapy dog, who had previously participated in over a dozen courses!  Lisa is truly outstanding!
 
I am equally thrilled with Mark!  I also have a 6 month old pup.  We participated in Puppy Preschool when she was 11 weeks old. I truly credit Mark for the success I have with her today.  He really started us off on the right foot.  Most puppy classes focus on socialization.  While Mark did allow the pups to play at the end of a session as a reward, he focused on shaping behaviors for the majority of the class.  He would not allow anyone to proceed to the next command, without having a clear understanding of the previous one.  By the end of this course, my "Shiloh" was solid on all of her basic commands!  
 
In fact, if it weren't for the confidence I have in Lisa, I would never have gone forward with this new pup.  She is a White German Shepherd (my dream dog).  I've wanted to own one all of my life, however, I was too nervous to proceed with this powerful, intelligent breed until I met Lisa.  I knew I would be successful with her in my corner.  Let's face it, an improperly trained GSD can be a dog owners worst nightmare (a real liability)!
 
I have worked with over a dozen trainers over the years.  I've even traveled to New York to attend seminars offered by Delta Society Pet Partners. They are internationally know for their success in training therapy dogs for Animal Assisted Activities. Trust me, the Wance's can hold there own with the best!
 
I stumbled for many years and experienced a lot of frustration and anger working with some of the trainers out there.  Many do not know how to deal with people without being condescending.
 
The icing on the cake is that in addition to their incredible knowledge, the Wance's are a pleasure to work with.  They know how to communicate as effectively with the owners as they do with the canines! :0)  This is so rare today!  It is a sad reality, however, most of the trainers I've dealt with did more harm than good."
-April Hobby
Martinsville, NJ

Contact Us

Lisa Wance
​(908) 202-4317
lisa@prestigiouspaw.com

Location

The Prestigious Paw LLC
Flemington, NJ 08822

  • Home
  • Our Philosophy
    • Positive Reinforcement
  • Meet Our Trainers
    • Lisa
    • Mark
  • Group Classes
  • Private Sessions
  • Behavioral Consults
  • Contact Us
    • Schedule A Class