TRAINING & BEHAVIOR

This 90-minute seminar covers everything you need to be successful with your new dog. Crate training, housetraining, food and much more! You will learn about how dogs think and how to use that information to better understand them and train them. We will discuss the importance of mental stimulation and why it’s a must for a healthy, happy dog. You will learn about the myths and sort out the conflicting information about dogs and training methods with science-based facts. You will also learn a simple “4 step formula for the best dog ever” to ensure you and your new dog get off to the RIGHT START! Whether this is your first dog or you have had dogs your entire life, you are guaranteed to learn information that will last a lifetime.

Details coming soon!

Details coming soon!

They are so much fun but can be a lot of work. Come to our 90 minute Puppy Workshop for some great tips on getting started on the right track. You will learn the 3 most important things you should teach your puppy from day 1. Hint – it’s NOT sit! You will learn how to bond with your puppy and learn some games to make learning easy and fun while training habits that will give you a friendly and great dog as an adult. Even if you have had dogs your entire life, you will learn something new and science is teaching us there is so much we didn’t know before about our canine friends!

To request assistance for private lessons, behavior consultations and assessments, or phone consultations for training or behavior, please click here to complete your request for Private Lesson, Behavior Consultation and Assessment, or Consultation form.

Whether you have a newly adopted adolescent companion or an older family companion, private training lessons are a great way to learn how to train your dog to come when called, stay, leave it, and much more. Have a friend join you and split the private lesson for twice the fun! Private lessons are 1 hour in duration and resource handouts are provided to assist with the content of the private lesson.

Phone consultations (Basic manners/Training) are available for behaviors that are less serious in nature such as crate training, housetraining, leash pulling, jumping and more. Get answers to your questions and speak to a certified professional. Handouts provided as needed also.

Carol Sumbry

Dog Training and Behavior Manager

Carol is part of an elite group of behavior consultants. There are only about 200 certified behavior consultants in the US certified by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (www.iaabc.org) and Carol is 1 of only 4 certified in the state of Wisconsin. This certification included hundreds of hours of behavior counseling and seminars. Carol is also a Certified Dog Trainer certified by the The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers® (CCPDT®), the leading independent certifying organization for the dog training profession. She has been working with dogs for over 2 decades. She has also fostered dogs with behavioral problems. She specializes in shy/fearful dogs, anxiety in dogs, aggression and dogs that have experienced trauma. Recommended by area vets, Carol is well respected for her work with canine behavior. Carol has been voted Milwaukee’s Top Trainer and is an assessor/evaluator of therapy dogs through The Alliance of Therapy Dogs organization. If you would like to pursue working with Carol for your dog’s behavior, please complete our consultation request form that can be found here. 

Sheila Postotnik

Humane Educator

Sheila serves as our Humane Educator, leading a variety of youth programs at the shelter and in area schools. As a Certified Humane Educator with over twenty years’ experience working with youth and in the community, Sheila’s passion is education and outreach. Sheila is also an avid dog lover and long-time student of a variety canine sports such as agility, nose work, and tricks. Prior to coming to EBHS, Sheila worked at a large dog training facility, teaching active dogs how to swim and helping assist older and injured dogs in guided swim sessions. In addition to these experiences, Sheila is passionate about Therapy Dog work, serving as an Evaluator for Alliance of Therapy Dogs, facilitating our Therapy Dog Information Sessions and Test Preparation Workshops, and leading the EBHS Therapy Dog department in which there are over twenty teams! Sheila also founded and leads our popular READ to Me™ program in which young people gain confidence in their reading skills by reading to Certified Therapy Dogs. In her dog training journey, Sheila enjoys helping pet people reach their basic training goals – and maybe learn a trick or two. Sheila can be reached at sheila@ebhs.org.

Katy Knas

Dog Behavior Lead

Katy graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Behavior and a minor in Psychology. She specialized in animal welfare and canine behavior management. Katy started working in the animal field at a doggy daycare following high school graduation and moved on to various veterinary clinics as a vet assistant and client service representative, all leading her to her dream job of working with shelter dogs and developing ways to improve their welfare and aid in their adoption. 

Outside of work she enjoys various outdoor activities, but her favorite is swimming with her two dogs, Grimm and Khaleesi! Katy’s other companion at home is her Maine coon, Ares, who enjoys being held like a baby and snuggling up to his family! She hopes to one-day train shelter dogs to become therapy and service dogs for people struggling with mental illnesses.  

Katy’s favorite quote reflects the risks necessary to find true happiness: “To love at all is to be vulnerable.” 

Brynn Kebisek

Dog Behavior Team

Brynn graduated from Carroll University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. Her profound love for dogs led her to this role, where she is growing her skills in understanding and enhancing their behaviors. At home, Brynn is accompanied by Scarlett, her cherished senior petite Goldendoodle. Beyond canines, her fascination with ornithology blooms, with corvids like the American Crow, Blue Jays, and Magpies captivating her. In her downtime, Brynn is an avid gamer, immersing herself in zombie survival and storybook games. An artist in her own right, she finds joy in drawing and digital art, and family TV show nights round out her diverse range of interests.

Rena McCormack

Cat Behavior Lead

Rena graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. From a young age helping animals has been a passion of Rena’s; throughout the years, Rena’s jobs have had a focus on caring for animals, which ultimately brought her to EBHS. While Rena loves all animals, she holds a special place in her heart especially for cats. Because of this passion, Rena volunteered at EBHS as a cat socializer for four years before joining the behavior and counseling teams.  In her free time, Rena enjoys reading and taking pictures, with her best models being her two cats. One of Rena’s favorite quotes is by the author Dean Koontz- “No one can grant you happiness. Happiness is a choice we all have the power to make.”

Shelby Adkins

Cat Behavior Team

Shelby volunteered for about two years as a cat socializer at EBHS before she became part of the team. Before this she worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at an Assisted Living facility for seven years. She loved taking care of the elderly almost as much as they loved her. As hard as it was to leave, she decided to change her path and help animals and people as an Animal Caregiver. She has always loved animals since she was a little girl and her aunt always told her she’ll either be helping animals or people. Shelby hopes for a program that she can help out with that includes animals and the elderly as it is very therapeutic to them. During her free time, she loves to be at home with her two cats, Callie and Tweet who were adopted from EBHS, visiting her past residents, camping, being around family, and enjoying life as it is. Shelby’s favorite quote is advice from her father, “If it scares you or it’s out of your comfort zone, do it anyways, it will almost always be the change you needed”