Meet the trainer behind the mannered mutt
A Bit About Me
My Journey to Becoming a Dog Trainer
My journey as a dog trainer began with Bauer — my first dog and the one who changed everything. After months of visiting shelters, I met Bauer, a scared pup from Mexico, and knew I had to help him.
Caring for Bauer wasn’t easy. Without knowing his past, I had to rely on patience, empathy, and consistency to earn his trust. That experience opened my eyes to how challenging dog ownership can be — and how rewarding it is when understanding replaces frustration.
My experience with Bauer opened the door to years of volunteering with rescue organizations and fostering dogs with every type of background and behaviour.
I started volunteering with a local rescue, taking on roles from foster, transporter, adoption and vetting coordinator, and event volunteer and eventually realized how much support dog owners truly need. During the pandemic, when those needs skyrocketed, I enrolled in a dog training certification program. In 2021, I became a certified dog trainer through Animal Behavior College.
Over the next few years, I worked hands on with hundreds of dogs and families across the GTA as a behaviour and alumni support coordinator. Outside of sessions, I continue my education by shadowing industry professionals, attending conferences, and volunteering. I learn from every dog I meet — including my own.
Working with these dogs taught me how much patience, structure and compassion can change a dog's entire story, and it's what inspired my Foster Success Program.
Curious how I can help your dog?
"All of my training is built around ethical, effective techniques that prioritize your dog’s comfort and confidence"
Whether you’ve just adopted a new dog, brought home a puppy, or need a refresher with your current companion, I can help you build clarity and confidence together.
My approach focuses on strengthening the bond between you and your dog — and making the process fun. I use kind, reward-based methods that are proven to work, focusing on what we want dogs to do rather than punishing mistakes. Depending on your dog’s needs, I use rewards like play, praise and treats, plus appropriate equipment, to keep training engaging and effective
All of my training is built around ethical, effective techniques that prioritize your dog’s comfort and confidence. I believe training should feel good for both ends of the leash. My training follows standards that prioritize your dog’s comfort and confidence using the least intrusive and most effective approach (LIMA) .
From continued education to years of hands-on experience, my goal is to help dogs and their people live happier, more harmonious lives together.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me VIA email: contactthemanneredmutt@gmail.com
Oh and tell your dog I say hi!
TESTIMONIALS
MILO
Jenna + Eric
Chantelle is kind, compassionate & so invested in every dog. She emphasizes that there are multiple solutions & that it’s okay to have my own needs and preferences & work with those!
COCO
Melissa + Bert
I can't say enough good things about Chantelle, our dog trainer at PetSmart Milton. She was instrumental in helping us navigate Coco's puppy stage. Chantelle's guidance and expertise were invaluable in addressing all of Coco's puppy issues. She's not only skilled butalso very encouraging and a pleasure to work with. If you're looking for an amazing dog trainer, Chantelle is it!
HERA
Albha + Paulo
Chantelle is very talented at what she does. We had a more extreme case of reactivity and truthfully Chantelle was our lifeline. She operates without judgment and has tons of care to give
TOAST
Laura + Jonathan
It has been an absolute pleasure working with Chantelle to train our rescue pup, Toast. From the first time we chatted, she got to know our needs, as well as the needs of our dog. She took great time and care to show us strategies and techniques to best support his development, whether it be walking on a leash, going to his place, or working on reactivity to small animals such as squirrels and rabbits. Not only did she provide us with in person training, she also followed up via email with additional resources, and was available to call or text if we had questions or updates after our sessions. We really appreciate her gentle approach to training, her willingness to work with our schedules, and all the extras she provides to help us become better dog parents
ongoing education
Committed to staying at the forefront of the dog behaviour and training field. Here is a list of certification, courses and conferences I have completed:
November 2021
decemeber 2021
April 2022
april 2022
april 2022
May 2022
May 2022
March 2023
November 2023
March 2024- September 2024
may 2025-
Ongoing
June 2025
June 2025
June 2025
July 2025
AUGUST 2025
SEPTEMBER 2025
november 2025
Graduated from Animal Behavior College as a Certified Dog Trainer
Animal Behavior College Pet Nutrition and Diet Course
Animal Behavior College Training Shelter Dogs Course
Animal Behavior College Pet CPR and First Aid Course
The Dog Behavior Conference
Speakers:
Alexandra Horowitz
Michael Shikashio
Steve Sale
Zazie Todd
Sarah Fisher
Kim Brophey
Justine Schuurmans
Irith Bloom
Craig Ogilvie
Andrew Hale
Sarah Heath
Victoria Stilwell
Learning the Ropes: All Things Leash Handling, Michael Shikashio and Grisha Stewart
Understanding Dog Aggression, Michael Shikashio
The Rescue Plan, EduCanine
The Lemonade Conference
Speakers:
Tom Candy BSc (Hons) MSc CCAB CDBC CSBS
Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD
Deborah Jones, PhD
Trish McMillan, MSc, CPDT-KA, CDBC
Julie Daniels
Denise Fenzi
Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB
Catja B.Pedersen
Eva Bertilsson
Emelie Johnson Vegh
Jennifer A Rogers
Dante Camacho
Julie Flanery B.S, CPDT-KA
Nicole Wiebusch
Stacy Barnett
Amy Cook, PhD
Heather Lawson, CPDT-KSA, KPA-CTP
Jennifer Woolf, DVM, MS
Erin Lynes KPA-CTP
Melanie Cerone, Ph.D., BCBA, CPDT-KA
Kim Brophey, CDBC, CPDT-KA, FDM
Kamal Fernandez
Amy Learn VMD, FFCP
Linlin Cao, PhD, CPDT-KA, CCUI
Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) Dip CABT
Linda Randall, DVM
Kathleen Nurena, MD, KPA-CTP
Sophie Liu DVM
Simon Gadbois
Michelle Mullins CDBC, KPA CTP, CPDT-KSA
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
Megan Foster
Leslie McDevitt
Michael Shikashio CDBC
Sara Brueske KPA-CTP
Barbara Lloyd
Chrissi Schranz
Marco Ojeda
Shade Whitesel
Amy L. Pike, DVM, DACVB, IAABC-CABC
Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Julie Symons
Camille Ward, M.S., M.S., Ph.D., CAAB
Amy Johnson
Petra C Ford
James W. Crosby MS CBCC-KA
Allie Bender, CDBC, SBA, CPDT-KA
Emily Strong, CDBC, SBA
Laura Waudby
Katenna Jones, ScM, ACAAB, CCBC, CDBC
Kathryn Lord
Nancy Gagliardi Little
Elinor Karlsson
Jiovany Alcaide, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT
Taylor Barconey, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT
Sarah Stremming
Dr. E’Lise Christensen DVM
Bobbie Bhambree CDBC, CPDT-KA
Daniel Promislow
Sharon Carroll MAnSc, CDBC, CPDT-KA
BAT 101: (Re)Socialization for Aggression, Frustration, & Fear, and Grisha Stewart
Accredited Dog Trainer, PetSmart
Assistant Dog Trainer at Pawsitive Plus
CCDPT Certification Placement Hours (75 hours), City Dogs & Tailspin Dog Training
Monthly Course Membership, Grisha Stewart Academy
Monthly Course Membership, Michael Shikashio Agressive Dog Master Course
Monthly Course Membership, Dunbar Academy
Decoding Aggression & Reactivity Summit, Hosted by Ness Jones
Condo Canine Seminar Series, Hosted by City Dogs
Dogs and the City Conference, Conference Speakers Tom Candy, Zazie Todd, and Melena De Martini
Chasin Tails Behaviour EH Calgary Canada Conference, Conference Speakers Andre Yeu, Simon Gadbois, Cat Harbord, Kendra Gale, Marlene Laberge, Cindy PeacockCPDT
Certifications & MEMBERSHIPS
certified Dog Trainer
Animal Behavior College
Graduated 2021
Accredited dog Trainer
PetsMart Trainers program
Graduated 2023
MEMBER
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINERS
Member since 2021
member
Association of Professional Dog Trainers
Member since 2021