I’m Leah Lodato, a dog trainer who’s been handling dogs since 2015. I owned and operated FitPet Boston, a dog walking company, from 2015 to 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I got into training in 2016 after booking a lesson with Lori for Lucky, a high-energy bully mix. Instead of loose-leash walking, she handed me a tug toy and said, “We’re going to teach this dog how to play.” That one session changed everything. Building a coach\/player relationship through play transformed how Lucky and I worked together, and I was hooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I went on to learn everything I could from Lori and her mentee, Melissa. I was inspired as much by their skill as by their own dogs, Colton and Ripa. These dogs were the best canine companions I’d ever met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My training philosophy centers on building dogs up through play and obedience. I’m a strong believer in off-leash hiking and the freedom to run, using the remote collar as a tool to make that freedom safe. Practicing good animal husbandry skills and teaching people how to actually live with their dogs is just as important as formal training, I strive to teach both to my clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I Am Not Helping Others<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I train and compete in AKC obedience, IGP obedience and disc dog sports with my own personal dogs, Reuben and Raven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve attended countless classes and training days with various clubs and schools around New England. However, I cannot write this bio without recognizing Pat Scribner and her influence on my AKC obedience training journey. From 2018-2024, Pat tutored me regularly because I attended her Competition Obedience classes at Auntie Dog in Tewksbury MA. I’m lucky to still to train with Pat on occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, I completed a 6 week mentorship program for professional dog trainers with Paul Edward, head trainer at Modern Primitive K9.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2025, I completed a course on Canine Nutrition from the Feed Real Institute. I help dog owners, via formal nutrition consultations, build whole food feeding formulas for dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may have caught Lori and I on the FitPet Boston Talks<\/a> podcast. I produced the show from 2019-2026 and it is archived on all platforms. I’ve retired the podcast but stay tuned for a reboot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Certifications and Memberships<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pet First Aid\/CPR Certified – Pro Pet Hero<\/p>\n\n\n\n CPCN Canine Nutrition Certification – Feed Real Institute<\/p>\n\n\n\n AKC CGC Evaluator<\/p>\n\n\n\n IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals) Professional Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n LRCGB (Labrador Retriever Club of Greater Boston) Club Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greater Lowell Kennel Club Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n Granite State Working Dog Club Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Fetch Collective Disc Dog Club<\/a> – Director<\/p>\n\n\n\n Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2026 3 Day AKC Obedience Camp – Laurie Strimavicus – Focus: Advanced Obedience Training<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2025 Weekend Seminar – Paul Edward – Focus: Behavior Modification<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2025 1 Day Seminar – Laurie Stramavicus, Train M.E. – Focus: AKC Obedience<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2024 Weekend Seminar – Josh Miller, Riverstone Kennels – Focus: Formal Retriever Training<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2024 6 Week Mentorship Program for Professional Dog Trainers – Paul Edward<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2024 2 Day K9 Brain Lab Seminar – Paul Edward & Dr. Melanie Uhde – Focus: Neurobiology and Behavior Modification<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2021 3 Day Seminar – Jay Jack\/Larry Krohn\/Joel Silverman – Focus: Behavior Modification<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2021 Virtual Seminar – Christopher Lile “Dog is Love, Wolf is Wild”<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2021 1 Day Seminar – Paul Edward “Play as a Primary Reinforcer.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2019 Weekend Seminar – Sue Sternberg. Focus: Evaluating dogs in Rescue<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2018 CPTD-KA Certification *Expired in good standing, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2009 Salem State University – Bachelors of Science, Business Management<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m Leah Lodato, a dog trainer who’s been handling dogs since 2015. I owned and operated FitPet Boston, a dog walking company, from 2015 to 2026. I got into training in 2016 after booking a lesson with Lori for Lucky, a high-energy bully mix. Instead of loose-leash walking, she handed me a tug toy and … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-901","page","type-page","status-publish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcdogtrainingwoburn.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcdogtrainingwoburn.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcdogtrainingwoburn.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcdogtrainingwoburn.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcdogtrainingwoburn.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=901"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/abcdogtrainingwoburn.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":905,"href":"https:\/\/abcdogtrainingwoburn.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/901\/revisions\/905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcdogtrainingwoburn.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}