“Our whole family loves dogs, but it is definitely our son’s passion. We’ve seen what a difference they make in the lives of their owners, so to be able to participate in improving that relationship is really exciting and fun. What really drew us to Dog Training Elite is all the service dog preparation that they do. We are looking forward to making that impact in a community that needs it so desperately, and making the benefits of service dogs more accessible is really important to us,” said Diane Van Weelden.
Diane, a life coach at Arise Life Coaching and John, founder of VanWeelden Financial Group will run the new business from the background. Alex, 25, will serve as the company’s lead dog trainer, and their daughter, Juno VanWeelden, 27, will have a remote role from Brooklyn, New York as the client service specialist.
Juno is also in graduate school at New York University, studying drama therapy. Diane and John will continue to be at the helm, fully engaged, and running their existing businesses.
“This is our way of saying, ‘What do you want to do, Alex? And how can we help you, set you up for success, and make this a family venture as well?’ I’m really passionate about financial advising and I love it. So, to be able to guide him in an endeavor that he is equally passionate about, which is not just animals, but specifically dogs. From our perspective, it would be hard for someone like him just getting out of school to do something like this because it takes a business acumen, and it requires some finances,” said John VanWeelden.
Our ability to enable him to pursue something that he’s as passionate about as what we’re doing for ourselves is exciting, he said.
Everyone in the family has an array of talents to contribute to the business. Alex enjoys working with animals and people and he likes the hands-on aspect of working outside an office, for example. Juno is “brilliant” when it comes to the technical side, communications, organization, and planning.
“Since we’ve gone down this path, we’ve been exposed to a lot of the impact that a well-trained animal has made in people’s lives. Often, people underestimate it. I know I did. Whether it’s people who are at their wits end because this loving member of their family is causing chaos, and you can help that member of the family to suddenly be well behaved and obedient, and to be a high-functioning member of the family,” John VanWeelden said.
He said people’s lives can be radically changed by having a dog that can meet their needs, especially when it comes to a service dog or a therapy dog.
“We are really going to make a huge impact on people’s daily lives,” said John VanWeelden.
“We want to be of service, bless others, and give them things they didn’t even know that they could have with their dog, and to see that change their lives,” added Diane VanWeelden. “We want to make a difference in people’s lives as we feel we do in our other two businesses.”
Alex, a recent college graduate from Miami University who lives in West Chester Twp., grew up with a myriad of pets ranging from lizards to birds to turtles and spent a great deal of time caring for the animals on his grandparents’ farm, including pigs and goats. He has always had a remarkable relationship with dogs.
“We really love owning, operating, and starting new businesses. That’s how we’re wired, and it’s fun for us. So, we had been looking at different endeavors for quite a while. So, when Alex graduated from Miami, and we were helping him with his job search, we simultaneously learned of this franchise opportunity, and we jumped on it because this is something he has had in his heart for years, and he’s worked well with animals for years,” said Diane Van Weelden.
The company officially opened for business at the start of the show Friday, Jan. 19.
Dog Training Elite has been around 40 years with locations all over the United States. We focus mainly on dog training for obedience and behavior training that focuses on manners and safety. So, things to make your dog a wonderful canine citizen, and that keeps your dog safe in a lot of different situations in life,” said Diane VanWeelden. “We are a mobile business, so we go to our clients in their homes and train the dog and pet owner with the dog.”
After a mobile training session, the pet owner and the dog receive homework to practice throughout the week. Then, during the next training session, the trainer, the pet, and pet owner will work on next steps.
“It’s really important for a dog to be in its own environment, learning the instructions, and having their owner be the one that is directing the dog,” she said.
“What can happen with an outside trainer that’s only working with a dog is they don’t think they have to listen to mom or dad. They just look at you.” Diane VanWeelden said. “One of the reasons it is important for us to be training the owners is so they build that bond with the dog, and it increases the communication that they have with their dog, and the depth of relationship they have with the dog, and it also trains the owners to become trainers.”
Then, trainers can take the knowledge they gain with their own pet and apply it to their next dog, or an in-law’s dog, and they can share the information with that pet, too. Dog Training Elite Cincinnati works with all breeds, sizes, and ages of dogs. The company is dedicated to service and is results oriented.
More details
A few of the popular services offered by Dog Training Elite Cincinnati include puppy training, and obedience training as well as service dog training. For more information about Dog Training Elite Cincinnati, visit dogtrainingelite.com/cincinnati-east, or call (513) 960-DOGS (3647).
The family is partnering with trainers Scott and Jen Joyce, who have been working in a Dog Training Elite business to offer services across Greater Cincinnati, Dayton and Northern Kentucky.
See it in action
Dog Training Elite Cincinnati will celebrate its grand opening with a training showcase on the main stage of the Cincinnati Boat, Sport & Travel Show at the Duke Energy Center at 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27 and 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Jan. 28. During the showcase, they will provide dog training guidance for boat and RV owners.
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