Experienced Dog Training & Behavior Consulting
Serving Greenville, Greer, Simpsonville, Taylors, and Travelers Rest.
If any of this is your week, you're in the right place.
Training that fits your dog, not a class schedule.
Every dog learns differently, so no two plans look the same. I work with you and your dog in the places the trouble actually happens: your living room, your street, your front door, using force-free, reward-based methods. No prong or e-collars. No fear. No shortcuts.
Six ways to meet your dog where they are.
A few reasons owners reach out.
Four steps from overwhelmed to on-track.
Calmer dogs, calmer owners.
Melissa is an exceptional dog behavior consultant whose expertise, patience, and research-based approach completely changed the dynamic between our two dogs in our home.
When I met my now-husband, we had a difficult time introducing my anxious and resource guarding dog to his socially-unaware and rambunctious dog. So we turned to a local dog trainer group.
Unfortunately, we learned that not all dog trainers are the same. While well-meaning, the experience helped us realize that there is a big difference between someone who simply loves dogs and someone with advanced education in behavior. Melissa's CBCC-KA certification places her among the most highly trained behavior consultants in the field. In many ways, she approaches dog behavior the way a clinical psychologist approaches human behavior.
Her methods are grounded in research, and she was always generous about sharing resources with us, including studies, podcasts, and explanations of the science behind what we were doing. As people who like to understand the why behind things, we really appreciated that.
Melissa also went above and beyond in supporting us between sessions. She sent detailed recap emails after each visit so we could revisit what we learned, and she made herself available for questions as new situations came up.
Most importantly, she helped change how we think about our dogs' behavior. Rather than focusing on “fixing” problems, she taught us a philosophy of making it easy for our dogs to make good decisions. She helped us learn how to read their body language, notice early stress signals, reward calm behaviors, give them breaks from one another when needed, and increase mental enrichment in their daily lives. Through techniques like dog-to-dog counter-conditioning, we were able to address challenges that once felt overwhelming.
What we value most is that Melissa didn't just provide short-term solutions. She gave us dog tools and understanding that we will use for the rest of our lives. The harmony we now have in our home is a direct result of the skills and confidence she helped us build.
She earned our trust very quickly, and we are deeply grateful for the role she played in helping our dogs and us live together more peacefully.
"Melissa was fantastic with our dog Mace. I contacted her wanting help with his dog reactivity and we learnt some new things that have been game changing for us! he's gone from lunging and barking at dogs to being able to just stand there and watch them without reacting. She also helped us with his behavior in the house. Melissa is an amazing trainer and a lovely person! highly recommend"
"Melissa is an amazing trainer! Her knowledge about dog behavior, patience, and genuine love for animals is very impressive. I have learned so much from her. My dogs have benefitted so much from her expertise."
"Melissa is wonderful! From simple manners to reactive dog problem solving to fun enrichment and competitive nosework training there's nothing she can't do! My golden boy loves her! We recently did an ORT after working with Melissa and passed all three odors with flying colors! My golden even correctly alerted on anise in 6.03 seconds! Melissa makes training fun for people and animals and is always doing her best to put their comfort and well being first in training. You can trust her with your dog 100%!"
"Melissa is a great, understanding, patience, and positive trainer. She addresses concerns well and sets the dog and owner up for successful. Her use of positive reinforcement and patience is key. She is great. I recommend her to everyone."
"Melissa is absolutely AWESOME! It is apparent that she truly is vested in the best interest of our puppy. Ensuring we have the tools and understanding to have a happy and healthy relationship with our puppy for years to come. It is obvious she enjoys her job and is extremely knowledgeable."
"Melissa was amazing to work with. I brought my older dog in because she was having some negative reactions to my infant son, and just from some of the tips she gave me over the phone along with the in-person session I was able to feel much more confident and understand why my dog is behaving the way she is and how I can make her feel better. My dog is a member of the family, and Melissa helped me understand how to meet her needs."
When I adopted my newest family addition (dog), I envisioned a love able, friendly, I can take you with me everywhere pet. Never thinking the 4 month old Aussie I feel in love with, and she with me, would be so “reactive” to new situations and people. Thank heavens my vet recommended New Dawn! Melissa Kolmar has been a major help in my understanding of dog behavior. I like most people “had no idea” that people go about their daily life/interactions in a way that stresses canines. Melissa is calm, patient, knowledgeable and has helped me read my dogs body language (& the body language of other dogs as well) so that I too understand the situation my dog feels she is in. Understanding is the key to any relationship. Thanks to Melissa, I understand my Aussie, she understands what I am asking of her and we are both making progress together. The saying “you can't teach an old dog new tricks” is far from truth as I am learning lots. Namely “in the dog world, slow is fast” and “the quickest way to get to where you want to be is slowly”. All relationships take time and commitment. Thank you Melissa, my Aussie and I are on this journey together and you are helping make sense of it!