Madison’s #1 Dog Trainer!

Get a Free Evaluation

"*" indicates required fields

Name*

As Seen Training On

CNN USA Today NHL Animal Planet Outdoor Channel ESPN NBC Sports Sports Illustrated The Weather Channel MSN Mashable Barstool Sports Fox News Discovery Channel MLB Washington Post The Today Show People ABC Sporting News
    

Madison Dog Training Experts

Sit Means Sit Dog Training Madison provides professional and personalized training in Madison and the surrounding areas. We cater to all dogs, no matter the breed, age, size or temperament.
All of our programs offer lifetime support so you can reach out to our trainers as new obstacles occur throughout your dog’s life.
We always start with a free consultation so you can come in and see our facility and learn more about our programs!

We can help dog owners with:

  • Leash Pulling
  • Jumping
  • Reactivity
  • Anxiety
  • Puppy Training
  • Running Away
  • Basic and Advanced Obedience
  • Building Your Bond with Your Dog
  • And Much More!

Get Started

About Sit Means Sit Dog Training

Dog Training Programs

Any Dog Any Age Any Problem

Home school program for Dogs in Madison

Private Tutor Program (Private Lessons)

One on one sessions with one of our professional trainers are great for highly anxious and aggressive dogs, or just owners who want to be super hands on with training.

With shorter sessions than our Doggy Day Camp, the Private Tutoring is great for dogs who have a low threshold for environmental stressors or physical limitations. You remain at the lesson with your dog during the sessions.

*Six months of unlimited group classes included.

Contact Us 
Day and train program for Dogs in Madison

Doggy Day Camp (Day & Train)

Our most requested program – combining the results of our professional trainers working directly with your dog AND working with you to teach you how to get the same excellent results at home!

Day Camps put your dog on the fast track to learning new skills. When you drop your dog off for the day, our team will get started learning your dog and what the underlying causes of their behavioral issues are. We figure out what motivates your dog to learn so we can achieve long lasting results. Your dog will get continual reinforcement and reward throughout the day, helping them to retain more information.

*Optional LIFETIME, UNLIMITED group classes.

Contact Us 
Group of Dogs with owners

Group Classes

*Only available to existing customers*

We have different levels of group classes available for anyone who has completed a private training program with us first and has group classes included in their training package.

Group classes can be purchased with a training package, or at the end of your training program if you decide you want to add it on later.

Contact Us 
Dog on Chair

Bite Prevention and Lunch & Learn Programs

Do you work for a veterinary clinic, groomer, or boarding kennel? Do you and your staff love working with dogs and learning about new training methods? Sit Means Sit Madison would love to come out to you for our Lunch and Learn Program. Lunch is on us!

Our professionally trained staff will teach you tips and tricks for dog training. We will also cover bite prevention and canine behavioral problems.

We believe that balanced, attention-reward based training is the best training method for dogs and owners. We would love to introduce ourselves and our dogs while we share the latest scientifically proven methods while providing some fun entertainment!

To set up your lunch and learn, just call our office at 608-561-3647.

Contact Us 

Puppy Training

Designed for new puppy owners to get started out on the right foot. We will teach you how to create good habits with your puppy and mold them into the perfect family pet. We have two options for young puppies:

Puppy Group Class: A 6 week long group class where we will provide an opportunity for your puppy to get proper socialization and provide information on all of your puppy-raising questions including housetraining, chewing, and teaching practical skills such as coming when called and other fundamental skills. In the last class you will have the opportunity to earn your AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy certificate. We keep a small dog to instructor ratio so you will have plenty of guidance from our trainer. Sign Up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/759064691927?aff=oddtdtcreator

Puppy Primer Lessons: In these private sessions, you will learn better bonding techniques, basic obedience, confidence building, and how to avoid common mistakes with puppies. Our trainers will help steer you in the right direction and away from common puppy training myths.

Contact Us 
Transformation university.

Transformation University (Board & Train)

With our board and train program, your dog will get the best of both worlds! This means they will spend their day at our training facility working around many different distractions and then will go home with one of our experienced trainers to spend their evenings in a home setting. We only take one board and train at a time so your dog gets lots of personalized attention and training tailored to their specific needs.

Contact Us 

FAQs

Get answers to some of our most commonly asked questions:

Each of our training programs is custom tailored to the specific situation. There are a number of factors that we evaluate prior to building a training package for you such as your dog’s age, temperament, previous training, as well as the desired goals of the owner. What will work for one dog and owner, won’t necessarily fit well with another. Because of these factors, we offer a free demonstration & consultation as an opportunity to meet with your family as well as your dog to gain insight into the unique circumstances that affect your dog’s training. During the demonstration we will evaluate the factors and develop a training plan for your dog and family. From the training plan we will be able to give you an accurate idea of cost to accomplish your goals. There is no cost or obligation associated with the free demonstration.

Sit Means Sit uses a variety of training methods and tools to achieve the goals of the customer and their dog.

The Sit Means Sit mission:

Revolutionizing the quality of life with happy, obedient, and confident dogs.

With this mission in-mind, we customize our training approach to meet with our customer's personality as well as what will result in the best possible training experience for both dog and owner. As you view our portfolio of dog training videos, we hope that you will pay close attention to the attitude of all the dogs trained by Sit Means Sit. We pride ourselves on being able to maintain a happy and relaxed attitude in our dogs.

Sit Means Sit specializes in a diversified approach to dog training. We use an attention-based dog training system developed by Founder and CEO, Fred Hassen. This approach utilizes a variety of training tools to enable our trainers to gain the dog’s attention even in distracting situations. One of the tools that we use often in our training program is our customized Sit Means Sit Collar (remote electronic dog training collar). The reason we choose to utilize technology in our training is obvious when you understand the advantages that technology allows us.

Firstly, Sit Means Sit firmly believes in safe dog training. The technology we employ is 100% safe for dogs and humans. The Sit Means Sit Collar uses state of the art digital technology to control the output from the collar to prevent it from harming your dog. The technology that is utilized in the construction of our collar is similar technology to “electronic muscle stimulators” and “TENS” units. You may be familiar with the use of these devices in the medical field (they are very common in the Chiropractic and Physical Therapy fields) or perhaps you’ve seen devices advertised on TV as “electronic muscle massagers”. These devices essentially use low-level, adjustable electronic stimulation to creating muscle contractions. In the medical field, they are used as tools to help alleviate pain, promote blood circulation and encourage healing.

In the dog training field, specifically Sit Means Sit, remote dog training collars are used as a tool to provide a remote controlled cue. The cue is designed to neither cause pain nor to disrupt the dog’s emotional state, but rather to function as an adjustable “tap”. The approach used by Sit Means Sit trainers is to treat the “tap” from the collar as a cue for the dog to pay attention. This is no different than tapping a person on the shoulder to gain their attention. The goal of tapping them on the shoulder is not to hurt them or cause emotional distress, but rather to let them know that you want to communicate something to them.

The “tap” delivered from the Sit Means Sit Collar is a highly adjustable sensation that can be set to levels that are often imperceptible to people. Obviously this adjustability is necessary because some dogs are sensitive, while others are quite tough. There is no way to determine what levels your dog will respond to until you begin to train them with a collar. Another reason why the collars are so adjustable is because distractions from the environment are never consistent. Relate this to training with a treat. How many times will that treat work perfectly indoors, but fails to maintain your dog’s attention when a cat is running by. Sit Means Sit has found that dogs can be taught to pay attention around extreme distractions very effectively.

During the fundamental Sit Means Sit training, the dogs and handlers are taught how to condition their dog to the collar in a constructive and positive manner. By adjusting the level of the collar appropriately for the dog and the situation, as well as linking the tap from the collar with an item of high value, we can effectively teach the dog that the “tap” from the collar is related to something of value. This approach to fundamentals allows for a smooth transition into distraction training and off leash control through attention to command.

You can relate the advantages that a Sit Means Sit Collar can provide you in dog training with the advantages that a state-of-the-art smartphone provides you. Cell phones these days are no longer just phones, but mini-computers with built-in cameras, internet access and applications. These tools enhance our communication with others, allow for a diversified means of gathering and sharing information as well it’s just flat out cool what can be done with them, provided you have the knowledge. You can still choose to use you old-fashioned wall-mount telephone in your kitchen if you like, but now you’re restricted to the the length of the cord, and it’s not exactly easy to send photos to your in-laws using that wall-mount phone. Effectively limiting what you can do while you’re talking on the phone. There’s nothing wrong with doing things that way, it’s just limiting. This same relationship can also be said of using a leash to train your dog. It’s just limiting. With a smartphone you can do it all from the convenience of wherever you want.

Building on the premise of safety, the use of a remote controlled cue allows for greater freedom of communication, and in turn more efficient training through the enhancement of near-instantaneous timing. Being able to re-direct your dog’s energy or attention while he is at a distance from you greatly enhances the reliability you can achieve in a short period of time. It's also allows for you to communicate with your dog without confrontation from yelling. Also, the uniqueness of the Sit Means Sit approach stands head and shoulders above other technology-based dog training systems because of our ability to establish a neutral communication system allowing for unprecedented problem solving abilities, and through our enhanced communication skills a truly politically correct training approach. We invite you to view our training first-hand by contacting us for a free demonstration with a local trainer.

Training with a remote dog training collar like the Sit Means Sit dog training collar is really no different than training your dog with a leash or with treats. Reinforcement in any form is a required and necessary part of your dog’s life. Even after they are trained, it will still be necessary to maintain your rules and boundaries. This is really no different than we encounter with people learning to drive a car. Obtaining your driver’s license only shows that you understand the rules of the road, and have demonstrated your ability to operate a car safely. It does not guarantee that you will stop at every stop sign, and drive the speed limit all the time. Obviously there are a lot of factors that change as you drive, and some drivers are more honest than others. The bottom line however is that there are police officers responsible for maintaining the law and enforcing the rules that we have agreed to.

When looking at dog training from this standpoint, it easy to see how reinforcement of rules will be inevitable at some point. Every dog is different though, and some dogs require more or less reinforcement than others.

The good news is that proper and thorough training will result in your dog being more reliable even without training equipment or training ‘aids’ as we call them. Training your dog to be reliable without a Sit Means Sit dog training collar on is a matter of transferring attention through conditioning. There are three broad phases of training that you will encounter as you train your dog. Sticking with the your training and reinforcing your rules consistently over a long enough period of time will get your dog as reliable as they can be. The phases of training are as follows:

Phase 1: The Teaching/Control Phase ~ 6-12+ weeks

During phase one, the goal is to achieve control over your dog, teach them the rules, boundaries and desired behaviors you want. It also the time to teach the dog to pay attention and perform these commands around distractions. This phase lasts between 6-12 weeks on average, however in certain situations it may take longer to gain the reliability needed before moving on to phase two. Once your dog is capable of performing commands quickly and reliably around a variety of distractions with minimal problem solving required, then your dog and you are ready to move on to phase two.

Phase 2: The Reinforcement Phase ~ 6-12+ weeks

During phase two, the goal is to begin phasing out your training aid (remote dog training collar). In phase one, we use the dog training collar on a regular basis to regain attention and maintain our rules. Now in phase two we begin to reduce our dependence on the dog training collar and introduce consistency via variable reinforcement. You may or may not need your dog training collar, but we want to teach the dog that you are still in control even if the perception of the dog is that you are not. This phase will last between 6 – 12 weeks on average, and will require you to stick with phase two for longer than average. It’s also not uncommon as dogs mature and age to have to revert back into phase one training again for several weeks depending on how your dog’s performance and behavior is. When your dog is capable of performing commands without the need for reinforcement for approximately 6 weeks, then your dog is very likely to be reliable without their training aid present. We are ultimately looking to have your dog learn how to filter our distractions entirely. When this is achieved, your dog is much less likely to act out in an unwanted manner because of distractions.

Phase 3: The Maintenance Phase ~ Ongoing

The third and final phase of training a dog is the maintenance phase. During this phase, you will likely be using your dog training collar or other dog training aid very little as your dog is capable of ignoring distraction. The catch however is that they are still capable of distraction (they are not robots). A smart trainer recognizes this and is ready to maintain their rules, commands and boundaries at anytime. It is not uncommon to have a dog who sense the lack of maintenance and begins to revert back in their behavior. The benefit of having done your dog training properly to begin with is that regression is easily minimized and dealt with by simply jumping back into training for a short time to remind the dog of the expectations.

Can't Find Your Question?

No problem. Contact us and we'll be happy to answer your questions.

(608)-561-3647 Contact Us

Trainers & Staff

Professional trainers. Attentive friendly staff.

Mike Wheeling on Dock With Dogs

Mike WheelerOwner & Master Trainer

Mike and his wife Paige are the owners of Sit Means Sit Madison, WI. Before moving back to Wisconsin in 2012, Mike was the original owner of a Sit Means Sit in Texas. Dogs have always been a part of Mike’s life. He has always had a very special bond with dogs and a natural talent for training, even as a young child.

Before training dogs, Mike served in the Army for 5 years. After getting out of the Army, he began working with a lot of friends and their dogs and getting amazing results. His love for transforming dogs to help them be a better part of their families is what drove his ambition to train dogs professionally. As a result, he started Cen-Tex K9 Academy in 2004 in Temple, Texas. Within a few short years, he decided to join the Sit Means Sit franchise to be a part of a training community focused on the growth and knowledge of dog training.

Mike has attended several seminars for obedience and police K9 training, as well as clubs for protection work. This includes training for personal protection dogs, dock diving, detection, barn hunt, and more. He has helped with training therapy dogs and service dogs, specifically helping the United States Tennis Association in designing a program where players’ service dogs are able to be in the game with them. He is a certified Pet Tech CPR and First Aid Instructor and a part of Go Team Therapy Dogs with his dog Gauge. During the summer, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, cooking/grilling, and traveling.

Dog trainer in blue shirt with two dogs

Paige WheelerCo-Owner

Paige always had dogs growing up and developed a passion for them at a very young age. Her first job as a dog sitter and walker for all of the neighborhood dogs sparked her passion for helping dogs and their families. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Finance from UW- La Crosse in 2015. As soon as she moved back to Madison, she got her first puppy on her own, a ten week old Shepherd/Lab/Husky mix that she named Nitro. She went on to work at a doggy daycare for a while before working in finance.

As Nitro grew older, he started to develop anxiety and reactivity, which ended up starting Paige’s path to Sit Means Sit Madison. This is how Paige met Mike and they wed in 2019. Her passion for dogs only grew stronger after joining Sit Means Sit as she began helping both dogs and their humans become more connected, the way Sit Means Sit helped with her and Nitro.
Paige is a certified Pet Tech CPR and First Aid instructor, certified trainer through Sit Means Sit, and part of the Go Team Therapy Dog team. She has attended many dog training seminars and events over the years, as well as takes her own dogs to sports like dock diving, barn hunt, and PSA.
In her free time, Paige enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, and, of course, spending time with her dogs.

Dog Trainer in Madison with two dogs

Greg WolffTraining Consultant

Greg has always loved dogs since a young age, but he did not actually own a dog until 2017. It was then that he got his first dog, Rufus, a Husky/Shepard mix. At ten months old, Rufus’s severe separation anxiety was getting worse and his over-friendliness was causing other dogs to react toward him. This is what led Greg and his now wife, Carol, to seek out training with Sit Means Sit. After doing so well with Rufus’s training and attending group classes for over two years, Greg decided to add a Malinois puppy to the family named Iris. He enjoyed having a working breed so much that a couple years later he added Iris’s half sister, Val, to the pack.

Before joining the Sit Means Sit team as a Training Consultant, he was working in the beer and beverage industry. While he loved the beer industry, his love for dogs was even greater. He enjoys meeting new people and guiding them to the training path that will best suit them and their dog. His favorite part of his job is seeing clients succeed and build a stronger bond with their canine companion.
Greg is enthusiastic in everything he does. He is an outgoing guy who loves his family, hiking, beer, cooking, and, of course, dogs. In his free time he enjoys exploring the outdoors which includes camping, hiking, and backpacking. He enjoys that Rufus, Iris and Val can tag along on his adventures and they can all explore together.

Brenna ForrestManager

Brenna grew up always having two dogs in the home at a time. Her family had many different types of breeds and sizes throughout the years and she developed a love and appreciation for all animals. As she got older, she couldn’t imagine going through life without a four legged best friend by her side. Before she left for college, her family added another rescue to my family; a Lab/Terrier mix named Daisy. When Brenna moved to her first apartment, she brought Daisy with her.

Before becoming a trainer, Brenna had worked as a Hostess, Server, and Bartender. In 2021, Brenna joined the Sit Means Sit team and worked her way up to Assistant Manager in 2023! Her compassion for people and animals shows with every client and dog she works with. She is a naturally easy going person and loves to help people.
When not training dogs, Brenna is usually visiting with friends, kayaking, camping, hiking, or watching Netflix with Daisy.

Josh FitzgeraldTrainer

Josh came to us with an extensive background in training people. In 2018 he and his wife got their first dog together, Kida. Shortly after that, Zuko joined the picture and both went through the Sit Means Sit program as clients. In 2023, Josh joined the team to put his training skills to use by improving the lives of dogs and their owners.
When he’s not with dogs you can find him trying out new and weird recipes or in various tabletop gaming groups around Madison.

Jada Paul-EmileTrainer

Jada is a dedicated animal lover and fur mom. She had always grown up around dogs in the house since her family would take in any dog that needed to be rehomed by family friends. She started dog sitting for family and friends in her early teens, and you could always find her snuggled up with any dog at any event. Early on in life, she wanted to be a veterinarian to help animals. As she got older, she shadowed at vet clinics, but decided it wasn’t the right fit for her.

Jada’s first job was at a doggy daycare at the age 16 and she stayed in that field for five years. She loved learning from the dogs and was always fascinated by them. She was so drawn to learning about their behaviors that she would work on training obedience with them just for fun. She loved seeing the transformation of how dogs walked in on their first day to how amazing their overall day to day habits changed.
While at one of her doggy daycare jobs, Jada saw a pamphlet for Sit Means Sit and took it home. This training franchise stayed in the back of her mind for a while until one day she decided to apply. Bringing Jada into the team was a no brainer. Her calm, friendly, and positive demeanor makes her a natural dog trainer, and a fantastic coworker.
The dedication Jada has for her profession shows in her commitment to working with her own three dogs. She currently has a Pitbull mix named Pretzel, a Dachshund/Beagle mix named Pico, and a Norfolk Terrier mix named Emmy. She also has a Tuxedo cat named Nessy, a Calico named Skye, and a Tabby named Miso. She cannot wait to continue her journey with Sit Means Sit and further grow her passion for animals.

Rachel SvetlikOffice Coordinator

Rachel is a self proclaimed cat lady, though really, she is an all around animal lover. Growing up she had pets ranging from turtles to birds to dogs, instilling her love of animals. While she has no dogs of her own, she lives with three cats, only acknowledging one as her own. Rachel has also become her friend’s go-to pet sitter, watching their dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, and whatever pets they get in the future.

She has always been interested in working with animals so she was excited for the opportunity to work for Sit Means Sit. While she works in the office, she enjoys seeing everyones dogs come through training and see all of the progress they’ve made.
In her free time Rachel enjoys hiking and bird watching, always making sure to have her camera with her to catch whatever wildlife she sees. She also enjoys cooking, table top role playing games, and telling everyone they should listen to her favorite podcasts.

Service Areas

We proudly serve the following areas in Madison.

Cities

  • Madison
  • Edgerton
  • Fitchburg
  • Middleton
  • Monona
  • Stoughton
  • Sun Prairie
  • Verona
  • Belleville
  • Cross Plains
  • Dane
  • Deerfield
  • DeForest
  • Maple Bluff
  • Marshall
  • Mazomanie
  • McFarland
  • Mount Horeb
  • Oregon
  • Rockdale
  • Shorewood Hills
  • Waunakee

Don't See Your Location?

Sit Means Sit has 157 locations across the US and Canada.

Find a Sit Means Sit Dog Trainer near you.

Find a Location

Dog Training Videos

Check out a few videos to see our dog trainers at work!

Sit Means Sit Commercial

5 Star Reviews

We love customers and their dogs. They love us.

Training with results

Already could see a positive difference in our dogs behavior after 1 training! Loved the positive approach they use with the dogs! Looking forward to our next sessions! -Heather M.

Mati N.

I can only say wonderful things about Mike and his team at Sit Means Sit. Everyone is so helpful and works as a team together and with their clients. If I ever have a question or problem with my dogs they give me lots of advice and tools to resolve an issue. I go twice…

Harless L.

I took my German Shepherd, Roc, to Sit Means Sit for help with decreasing his aggressiveness and some additional clean-up work with obedience. I am extremely satisfied with the support and work that Mike and the rest of the team put in to make our experience a positive and successful one. Roc is a lot…

Paige D.

This place is amazing! I have a 1 1/2 year old shepherd who was reactive to basically everything that moved. I had tried two other training companies in the Madison area without seeing any progress before coming to sit means sit and it was the best decision I could have made! I did the 2…