Meet the Trainer

Felicia Santana (Owner & operator/ Lead trainer)

Felicia has been an animal lover since childhood. She loved dogs in particular, showing interest in their behavior and bonds they develop with people. Her family owned dogs throughout her childhood and she continues to have multiple dogs apart of her own family today.

In 2011 Fel adopted the first puppy of her own, Buster. As a young adult she started her journey working in the dog world. In 2012 Buster had developed significant behavior issues. These issues were disrupting the bond with her dog and his quality of life. That realization lead Fel to reach out for help, from a dog trainer/behaviorist. Fel was properly educated on the mentality of dogs and saw the beneficial results of balanced training with her own eyes. This opened her mind to understanding, that the closed minded, “humanized” way of thinking about dogs, would be her and Buster’s downfall.

This knowledge jump-started Felicia’s love for animals into her interest in dog training, specifically. She observed, through different dog trainers, obedience training, aggressive/fearful rehabilitation, socialization & behavioral modification. She went on to own 7 dogs at one time. This pack of dogs would help socialize other dogs in training. Fel spent countless hours daily, studying their behavior & how they interact with one another, in a natural pack setting.

After over 10 years of working with owners and their dogs, hands-on, she made an investment to further her knowledge of not only dogs, but now focusing on being a successful business owner. Felicia participated in a shadow experience founded by well-known dog trainer & behavior expert, Sean O’Shea. He is the owner of The Good Dog Training and Rehabilitation. In this program, Felicia learned invaluable information that would give her all the final details she needed to dominate the dog training field in Illinois.

To date, Felicia has worked for many years as a grooming assistant, kennel staff worker, vet receptionist and ultimately dog trainer. She believes all personal experiences & jobs involving animals, made her the compassionate, non-judgmental, understanding and transparent trainer she is today. Her passion is to help dogs find & keep their homes, while giving owners confidence & information to be the best leaders they can be.