Welcome

Force-free behavior consulting · Hudson Valley

The dog you can take anywhere — and who’s happy to be there.

Maybe you’re worn out by a dog who pulls, reacts, or shuts down. Maybe you just want to raise one who’s easy and confident from the start. Either way it comes to the same thing: understanding why your dog does what they do, and working with how they feel — not just how they behave.

$210 · the first step for every dog but puppies. Not sure what your dog needs? That’s exactly what the assessment is for.

Tessa Romita working with a dog
Why it matters who you call

A certified behavior consultant — not just a trainer.

Anyone can call themselves a dog trainer. A CDBC is earned through logged casework in the hard stuff — aggression, reactivity, fear, separation distress — which is why the difficult cases find their way to me. It’s also why the everyday dogs I help don’t become difficult ones: knowing how problems like resource guarding or dog-to-dog tension actually start is exactly what lets me keep them from starting. For a dog who’s struggling, that depth is a rescue. For a puppy, it’s insurance.

“Tessa doesn’t just train dogs well — she cares deeply about understanding the dogs, their people, and their relationship. That combination of technical excellence and heartfelt dedication is exactly what you want in a trainer.”

Terry RyanKaren Pryor Academy faculty · Legacy Canine
How we start

You don’t have to figure out what your dog needs. That’s my job.

Most people arrive knowing something is wrong but not what — and picking the wrong plan wastes months. So we don’t guess.

01

We begin with an assessment

Before any plan, we work out what’s actually driving the behavior. The same barking lunge can be fear in one dog and frustration in the next — and they need opposite things.

02

You’re matched to the right program

No scrolling a menu wondering which class or package to buy. The assessment sorts your dog into the program that fits, so you’re never paying just to find out.

03

We do the work, together

Every program is built to change how your dog feels underneath the behavior — which is the part that makes the change actually hold.

What I help with

From the puppy you want to raise right to the dog you’re worried about.

Starts with an assessment

Behavior work

Reactivity, fear, aggression, and separation distress — the dogs that need a plan, not a class. This is the heart of what I do.

Explore behavior work →
Small, sequential classes

Foundations & life skills

Calm, cooperation, and the everyday manners that make living together easy — built one level at a time, so nothing gets skipped.

Explore foundations →
Enroll directly

Puppy start

The right beginning: socialization, confidence, and the habits that prevent the very problems I’m later called in to fix.

Explore puppy start →
Often with your vet team

Cooperative care

Teaching your dog to accept handling, grooming, and the vet without fear — so care stops being a fight for everyone.

Explore cooperative care →