Episode 11: Michael Ellis

Philosophers & Madmen

Michael is an internationally renowned dog trainer and teacher with 30 years of experience in the competitive dog sports. He has taught extensively to a very diverse group of trainers, from competitive sport trainers, police departments, and the US military, to search and rescue groups, service dog agencies, and pet dog trainers. Michael’s clear, concise, and patient style has made him one of the most popular coaches of trainers in the country. He has given over 300 seminars in the United States, Canada, and South America, that’s well over a thousand days of lecture and practical work in the last eight years alone, and as a result, has been one of the driving forces in popularizing reward based training systems for the protection sports.

Michael has competed in and done decoy/helper work for several national level competitions, both in Schutzhund and ringsport. He was also one of the first Mondioring decoys certified in the US. He has coached national champions in several disciplines, and many national and international competitors, but he is perhaps most proud of the hundreds of club level and beginning trainers that he has helped to improve their communication and physical skills. He was a past president of the American Working Malinois Association and a former board member of the US Mondioring Association.