Hello, and thank you for a wonderful course. The key things I learned from the course are the role of correct markers, release markers and continue markers how to use them correctly. The importance of marking before rewarding instead of at the same time. Engagement work and how important building engagement is in young dogs training development. Also a new concept that I've never really heard of which is the "reward event" I've started using that with my own dogs and have already seen the benefits. The other really helpful part was seeing the beginning steps to heel work using luring and leash pressure. The one thing I wish is that there were quizzes at the end of each module. But other than that I really liked it. And i'm looking forward to taking part 2
- Mia pegg on 03/25/2026
I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for the depth and clarity of your training system. As a trainer who prioritizes a balanced approach, I found your methodology to be exceptionally congruent with the way I "cultivate" behavior in my own programs.
The precision you bring to placement is a particular standout; it reinforces the idea that where we reward is just as vital as when we reward. Additionally, your breakdown of escape techniques provided a sophisticated look at pressure-relief dynamics that is often missing in broader industry discussions. Finally, your nuances regarding leash pressure management offered a level of finesse that helps bridge the gap between simple restraint and clear communication. Thank you for continuing to set a high bar for the professional dog training community.
- Larry Murdoch on 03/25/2026
Overall the class was enjoyable, rewarding (no pun intended), and an incredible learning opportunity. Michael's years of training and mastery are clear to see, and his ability to take a single nugget of knowledge and explain it a variety of ways so he can reach just about everyone is a skill in and of itself. Jess's forum feedback was always so valuable.
I think if there were one thing I would change would be the video submissions. I have to wonder if being able to get initial feedback and then submit again after trying to incorporate the input would be valuable.
- Brian Dawson on 09/02/2020
I loved this interactive course! I learned so much through the feedback of my uploaded videos and those of the other students. The live chats with Michael Ellis were very valuable - questions were answered in a very indepth way and very enjoyable. My dog and I learned so many things together and developed an even better and higher level of communication with each other. Great course!
- Sue Holmes on 04/07/2020
Absolutely loved the course and can't wait to take PoDT2!!
- Katie Swisshelm on 01/06/2019
This is an excellent course! I strongly recommend it to anyone who cannot make the trip to Michael's school in Santa Rosa in person. This course exceeded my expectations (which were already quite high based on the quality of Michael's DVDs). I look forward to PODT2. I should also mention that the Leerburg online university platform is very stable and well designed.
- Amir Pirasteh on 01/06/2018
Michael is one of the top professional dog trainers in the world, not the United States, the World! In his promotional video for this course Michael explains this "16 Week Principles of Dog Training Course” is basically the same content he offers in his two week OBEDIENCE INTENSIVE course which is held at his SCHOOL FOR DOG TRAINERS, located in Santa Rosa, CA.
Michael makes the point that not everyone can afford to take two weeks off work, fly or drive to Santa Rosa and then pay hotel and restaurant bills plus miscellaneous travel expenses for two-plus weeks away from home. This on-line course solves that issue.
I would like to add, from my 50 years of experience attending weekend dog training seminars, on Monday morning I would only retain a small fraction of the material from those seminars. Maybe that has something to do with a “attention deficit disorder” who knows. But this situation is solved in our on-line course. Students have 16 weeks to absorb the material with almost unlimited review time.
What we see happening is students will take Michaels courses and when they see how great the course material is they then chose to make the leap and travel out to work personally with Michael in his school courses. By doing that they get the best of both worlds: they have the time to learn and review all the great course material, then if they chose to travel to Michaels School they get additional hands on experience to take their skills to a new level. There are a lot of people who have done exactly this and loved it. There are also students who have gone out to Michaels school and then turned around and took the on-line course (they love the ability to review the material, because they are not allowed to video tape at there school).
- Ed Frawley on 03/02/2017
The Principles of Dog Training with Michael Ellis was a great course. Very informative. I leaned a lot and will be taking his second course in the future.
- Charles C. on 05/27/2016
If you thought you broke your training down into bite size pieces to make the whole, Michael Ellis breaks every segment of training down into "Crumbs" then reconstructs! This course was eye opening to the minor details that are very important when building a solid training foundation. Thank you for a great course and looking forward to the next!
- Katie on 12/31/2015