Two local Orlando nurses are now shifting their focus to caring for dogs by opening Dog Training Elite Orlando, which focuses on obedience and specialized training. Chelsea and Cheyenne Emery met in nursing school when paired up on an assignment and have spent their careers working in hospitals like Advent Health Orlando, including during the pandemic. Their passion for caring for others has led them to open Orlando’s first Dog Training Elite franchise.
“Cheyenne and I have worked in the medical field for over eight years now and of course it has been a roller coaster ride because of the covid pandemic,” Chelsea told West Orlando News. “We both have been raised around dogs our entire life, so it became second nature to us to always have a dog by our side. Nursing has been a fulfilling career for us, but we wanted to help even more out in the community. Central Florida, especially Orlando, is such a diverse and unique city that we wanted to leave a lasting impression on dog owners.”
Growing up, Chelsea had a family dog that had severe behavioral problems that ultimately led to the family having to give the dog to an owner who was better equipped to help the dog. She hopes Dog Training Elite will help families in the Orlando community not have to separate from their beloved pets. Cheyenne and Chelsea are excited about bringing their passion for caring for others and their love for dogs together. While Chelsea continues her career in nursing, Cheyenne will be working as a part-time nurse practitioner while they build their new business together.
“Both of these careers can be very similar because we are still helping people, but now we help people and their dogs to both have better lives,” they said. “It was already a natural fit because our love for dogs, but the moment we had our first client and saw the difference it made for the family, that was when we knew we picked the most amazing and rewarding career.”
Both were raised in Central Florida, as Chelsea lived in Eustis and Cheyenne lived in Umatilla, only a few minutes apart. They met each other in nursing school, got married three years later, and moved to Orlando. Feeling a connection to the City Beautiful, it was the perfect location to start their business.
“Orlando has always had a special place in our hearts because of how unique and diverse it is,” the Emerys said. “We also felt like we could be ourselves and feel accepted in the community because of the diversity. The culture that is built around Orlando is so open and accepting that we felt like we belonged there. We loved traveling to Lake Eola and walking around the lake with our dogs. It was a great place just to enjoy a nice stroll, have a good dinner or just enjoy the sunset over the Downtown Orlando buildings. We noticed there were so many dogs and so many local shelters and rescues in the Orlando area that we knew this would be the perfect location to start our dog training business.”
Lake Eola is actually where they hold group classes on Saturday mornings at 10am, for clients that have graduated advanced obedience class. “It provides the dogs so many different distractions that we can really provide the owner and dog a well-balanced training,” they added.
So far, the response from the Central Florida community has been strong, with many people reaching out in regard to training, career opportunities and just as an overall embrace into the community. The Emerys also started The Malinois Foundation, which works with veterans and local heroes – like teachers, nurses, first responders, and law enforcement – to assist them with specific services. They also provide multiple veterans and local heroes free service dog training to their dog.
“It is the best feeling to see that transformation right in front of your eyes,” they said. “Dogs crave structure and that is what we provide with our training methods. We also are huge advocates for building confidence in dogs that might lack it or are extremely anxious and filled with fear. By challenging them with different things during our training sessions, we immediately see that dog blossom into a very confident and relaxed dog.”
The biggest needs they see from local pet owners are manners and safety. Manners include jumping up on others, destructive behaviors in the household, barking at other people or animals, and their overall behaviors out in public. Safety includes situations like when owners have trouble keeping their dog from running through an open door, darting across the street, or jumping into pools or lakes, which are very common in Florida. These kinds of needs can be addressed in the first appointment with the dog and Dog Elite Training Orlando.
“Our services have such an enormous range of things that some owners don’t even realize are things needed when it comes to training a dog,” the Emerys said. “At the end of the day we want to provide freedom for the owner and the dog! Our service packages include PTSD/psychiatric, Autism support training, mobility support, and different medical alert training (diabetic, seizure, migraines, cortisol levels, allergens, and so many more). This need has been tremendous in the community and we didn’t realize there were so many people struggling in the community that need help and either didn’t know that other options existed that either couldn’t afford a pre-trained dog or couldn’t afford the lengthy training. We step in to be able to provide that affordable training and involve the owner in every step of the training to help build that bond with their pet.”
They work to help owners really be able to understand their pet and how they are feeling in certain situations. They provide knowledge and techniques to help build strong connection that every pet strives to have with their owner.
“Dogs are the absolute best companions to have in a home and what better way to enjoy them, but with the freedom and structure we can provide with our training program,” the Emerys said. “Our love and commitment to pets go far beyond what we ever thought possible, but now we also know and understand that it is just as important for the owner to have this freedom and reassurance as well! Since we are also nurses we understand the meaning of compassion and care and that is what we also want to provide in the dog training industry for all of Central Florida.”
As an an in-home based training company, Dog Training Elite makes it convenient for the owner by going to their home and working with the owners and dogs. Local pet owners can check out a free in-home evaluation form on their website to provide information on specific training they are looking for. When commuting around Central Florida, look for their wrapped vehicle as well.
