Last Updated on January, 2025
The Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers, what do we know about this school? Is it a valuable resource that can help YOU train your dog?
At iPetGuides, only the BEST of the BEST is recommended. I went through the task of attending a few of their courses, so I could review this school to tell YOU, the reader, whether this specific school can be recommended.
You are looking to train your dog and are wondering if the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers is a reliable and trustworthy resource for training your dog.
This ULTIMATE review will provide you with all the information you need and further direction and guidance on the BEST of the BEST resource through which you can LEARN to train dogs!
The Good
The Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers is a school that offers both online and in-person lessons for those looking to learn how to train dogs.
The Not So Good
The courses at the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers are known to be expensive, with basic courses costing upwards of $1000.
The Bottom Line
With the cost of even testing the content of these courses, the bottom line remains as to whether the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers is worth the investment. (There is a BETTER alternative)
Table of Contents
- What is the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers?
- How Does the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers Work?
- Pros and Cons of the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers
- Testimonials: What Do Customers Have to Say?
- My Personal Opinion: Is the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers Academy Worth It?
- The More Competitive Alternative: K9 Training Institute
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs
What is the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers?
Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers is a physical school located at 3641 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, California.
Further to providing in-person training in skills needed to become a dog trainer, they offer online courses, with participation from just about anywhere in the WORLD!
This school, intended for those looking to become dog trainers, is intended to GUIDE and TEACH you everything YOU need to learn to TRAIN any dog.
Their online courses are thus a WAY through which YOU, an ordinary dog owner/enthusiast, can learn from ANYWHERE what they reckon is the knowledge that will turn you into an EXPERT trainer.
Now the question you should ask yourself is, are you looking for resources to train your dog or become a dog trainer? Or are those two the same for you?
This school specializes in providing the customer with information intended to help them better train dogs. So regardless of whether this school is for professional dog training enthusiasts OR an average Joe or Jane, is it intended to teach you to TRAIN your dog?
With 100s of dog training providers and courses on the internet, you need to ask yourself if this is the BEST dog training resource on the internet and consider whether there is a return on investment.
With regards to costs, the Immersion Program run by this school costs $20,500, which is a heft sum!
Their average online course ranges from $1200 upwards.
How Does the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers Work?
The Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers provides YOU, the consumer, with EXPERT knowledge that is geared to turn you into a professional dog trainer. (Or at least that is what they claim.)
This is how this school is structured. You can attend upcoming courses. Unfortunately, there isn’t a library of videos that you can watch on a loop. However, you can attend a course at the school, which will be delivered either online and/or in person.
They have a list of upcoming courses on their website, which will give you an idea of what you can expect. From puppy development to obedience training, the courses cover diverse training requirements.
However, it is essential to note that, unlike other online courses, these are LIVE classes, which means you have to absorb everything and learn everything during the course.
It is a school for dog trainers; however, it is considered a possible means through which anyone can learn to train their dogs.
The Immersion Program at the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers, the one that costs $20,500, will teach you a HOST of things that YOU would basically NEED to master to become a dog trainer.
The Immersion Program is a hybrid program that requires online and in-person attendance.
What’s Included? (Courses)
First, let’s discuss this Immersion Program. The program is intended to teach you all the basics of being a dog trainer.
This involves puppy development, basic obedience skills, motivation, and management.
You will even learn advanced obedience skills and will master how to use an electric collar properly.
Not only will you be introduced to detection, but you will be provided with both intermediate and advanced detection skills.
Added to all this, there are protection theory and decoy skills, which are essential for any dog trainer. There is also a host of training sports exercises which you will learn.
This Immersion Program will help you even master BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
So, that is the Immersion Program. Apart from this, they offer various basic courses, such as puppy development and obedience training, which are online programs that can be attended without the need for in-person attendance.
Their list of basic courses varies and changes with updates available on their website. So for information on upcoming courses, please refer to their website.
Pros and Cons of the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers
Now, I had the pleasure of attending a few of their online courses as a means to test the content and delivery of content of this school.
At the end of the day, these are online courses, which are delivered through videos, and the quality of the videos determines the quality of the lesson.
After having attended their courses, it was vital that I do a good pros and cons analysis to figure out if the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers is recommendable to the general public.
The first thing that struck me as off-putting was that you had to wait for the course to start, even if you did join. As in, you cannot start learning RIGHT NOW!
So, for anyone looking to learn how to train their dog or are looking for a FREE resource to start learning RIGHT NOW, you won’t find that at Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers.
Further to this, they offer no teasers into their content and delivery. To even test this school, you will have to purchase an EXPENSIVE online course, which, honestly, was nothing that spectacular.
The content delivery wasn’t the BEST I have seen. Trust me; this is iPetGuides, dog training is one of the many fortes here, so when it came down to the quality of the content, unfortunately, it was LACKING compared to other competitors in the market.
Now, the information on the course was satisfactory. It wasn’t that the informational value of the content was lacking; the problem was with the delivery.
The most significant CON of them all was that the courses compared to other dog training courses on the internet were almost double or more expensive.
If you want to spend thousands of dollars to learn how to train your dog, you may want to consider whether you want to spend thousands on learning or simply hire a dog trainer, which will probably cost you as much.
So in actuality, though the courses can be accessed and attended by the average Joe or Jane, at the end of the day, it simply didn’t have the BEST content out there on dog training.
Testimonials: What Do Customers Have to Say?
Now, when it comes to reviews and testimonials, there are two sides to the story. One is the beautiful image they portray on their website with GREAT testimonials from people who loved the courses at the school and LOVE the school for helping them learn how to train their dogs.
However, I did a bit of digging, and if you look through the internet yourself, you will find a good number of people who actually DID NOT think it was a good investment of their time and money.
Now, remember, these courses can cost a lot of money. So people are expecting something spectacular. Now, what happens when you expect something spectacular but end up with something subpar? You know people are going to complain.
The testimonials clearly told me one thing. If you are JUST looking to train your dog, this may not be your best option.
Though you may think I am being partial in digging up dirt on the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers, you should thank me. Otherwise, you may spend thousands of dollars on one of their courses and find yourself disappointed.
At iPetGuides, only the BEST of the BEST is recommended to the reader.
My Personal Opinion: Is the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers Academy Worth It?
After attending their courses myself, it was evident to me why the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers didn’t even provide any video teasers on their website.
Their content delivery is subpar, leading to not EVERYONE resonating with the lessons and the delivery.
In my opinion, this school is intended for those looking to do dog training as a profession or even a side hustle.
Even if that were the case, this school isn’t on my list of recommendations for dog training schools.
The fact that I had to wait to enroll in a class and the time it took to finish the course felt like it didn’t deliver the result that I was expecting.
I have seen many dog training videos, and nothing in the content or the delivery of the content by the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers wowed me enough to say, yes, I can recommend them to you.
In actuality, when considering some of the other GREAT competitors on the internet when it comes to dog training resources, this school falls far short of the ranks of the BEST.
At iPetGuide, it’s all about the BEST of the BEST, and unfortunately, the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers is only an average resource that costs a LOT of money!
The More Competitive Alternative: K9 Training Institute
I will tell you right now, if you haven’t heard of the K9 Dog Training Institute, it is EXACTLY what you need to BEST learn how to train your dog.
Train your dog, train someone else’s dog or even become a dog trainer; it’s all possible with the K9 Training Institute.
This Institute is why my expectations were so HIGH when I reviewed and attended the course with Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers.
The K9 Training Institute is a social impact organization formed to help improve the relationship between dog owners and their pets (around the WORLD!).
They teach a large number of dog owners every single year. Their courses are EXPERT knowledge on the best way to train dogs based on their OWN research on animal behavior.
Apart from offering a Total Transformation Masterclass, they offer courses and workshops intended to provide you with the most reliable information and delivery when it comes to learning how to train your dog.
Unlike the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers, which hides its content quality from the customer, the K9 Training Institute offers a FREE workshop, which is a GREAT starting point for ANYONE looking to learn how to train a dog.
Compared to the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers, which will cost you over $1000 to attend a class, this FREE workshop will show you how AMAZING the video quality and the quality of the lessons are.
Now for anyone looking for the means to TRAIN their dogs, this FREE workshop will help you housebreak your dog.
It will also help you learn how to stop bad behaviors. You can use this FREE workshop to train your dog to become as obedient as service dogs.
They use the same secret methods service dog trainers use to provide you with the VITAL information that YOU need, all for FREE!
So, now you see, with FREE resources such as this on the internet, it is so difficult for me, with a clear conscience, to recommend a school that costs thousands of dollars at sub-par value.
If you are looking for the BEST of the BEST resource on the internet that will help you LEARN everything you need to know to get started, you don’t have to wait around…
You can access the FREE workshop by K9 Training Institute by dropping your email and simply signing up and grabbing a seat.
Other dog training program reviews:
Final Thoughts
What can I say? I had HIGHER expectations for something that cost thousands of dollars. This is the thing with the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers; though they are a good resource, a valued resource, they are an EXPENSIVE resource.
The K9 Training Institute being the better option for many more people, the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers simply does not compare well.
In actuality, if you are simply looking for the best resource to help you save a little money through the process of training your dog, attending the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers may not be the BEST for you.
If you want to become a professional dog trainer, then it is best to start with something that DOESN’T cost money and invest in a school or program that is known and trusted by the BIGGEST community.
FAQs
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