Dedicated to helping the dogs labeled incurable

Founded on a passion sparked from personal experience

Dogs have always been a central part of life for Elexis Santa Cruz, owner and founder of Vintage Dog Training CO. She began showing an interest in animal behavior as a child, taking an active role in the raising and training of dogs in her family from the young age of 7.

That fascination with animal behavior and learning theory carried over into her adult life, initially leading her to begin an education in Veterinary Medicine at Utah State University in 2010. However, the ah ha moment that started her down this path came shortly after beginning her studies when she adopted her first German Shepherd, Treasa. A lifetime of experience living with dogs did not prepare her for the challenges of an extremely dog reactive dog.

After seeking out the help of several trainers and being told that there was no managing the behavior and that the kindest solution for her dog was euthanasia, Elexis realized this was something she was going to have to tackle on her own. She took a dive into the deep end of behavior modification, not satisfied with simply managing the problem behaviors but really seeking the root of the issue and working to create new behavior patterns in response to her dog’s triggers.

This journey of discovering the importance of relationship, structure, and predictability was life-changing for both her and her Treasa. This sparked a passion in her to not only help other dogs, but to help dog owners gain confidence and belief in themselves and their relationship with their dogs so both human and dog can live their best lives together.

Outside of her own business, Elexis also works at a local rescue, resolving behavior problems and starting basic training with the dogs, then helping them find their forever homes, bringing her full circle back to the place that started her journey into training.

A simple and balanced approach

There’s no smoke and mirrors here

It’s far too often that dog training looks like a magic trick, where there’s a sudden transformation in the dog without an explanation of the how behind the results. Or, the explanation is overly complicated and leaves the human end of the partnership confused. We believe in making dog training as accessible and owner friendly as possible. After all, how can lasting results be expected if the owner is unsure on how to maintain the training at home?

Our training program is based first on relationship then on teaching obedience - every dog and owner pair is treated as the unique individuals they are. We take the time to get to know you, your lifestyle, and understand the current dynamic between owner and dog. From there we custom tailor a training program for you.

So why the distinction between relationship and obedience?

Obedience training teaches the dog HOW to do things, i.e. sit, down, stay, etc. But many dogs know how to do all these things yet still struggle with behavioral problems. Teaching our dogs how to do these things is only part of the puzzle. If they lack the context and direction to know when they should do these things it leads to a lot of guesswork and confusion on their end.

This is where relationship comes in - how we LIVE with our dogs. By improving our relationship with clear communication of what is and is not wanted we are able to cultivate a foundation on which our dogs are able to make better choices. Increasing structure in their lives creates a stable, predictable environment that allows dogs to grow in their own confidence and increase their trust in us to guide them.

Our method is simple, redirect unwanted behavior and positively reinforce proper etiquette. By coaching relationship first and combining that with obedience training, we are really able to help reshape the way our dogs navigate and interact with the world. And when that happens, life changes in an amazing way for both you and your canine companion.