About Us
You have the dream ...
We have the expertise .
With decades of service dog experience, our team of service dog specialists can help you realize your dreams of increased freedom, independence, and quality of life with your own service dog.
Sharon Wachsler, CPDT-KA KPA-CTP
(she/her)
Owner and Head Trainer
Sharon launched At Your Service Dog training in 2014 to bring skilled, rewards-based service dog training to Western Massachusetts. A pioneer in the field of owner-trained service dogs, Sharon trained her first service dog, a bouvier des Flandres, in 1998. The two went on to win the Delta Society (Pet Partners) Service Dog Beyond Limits Award. Sharon worked in disability services before becoming severely disabled by chronic illness for 18 years. During those years, she trained three service dogs for herself. As a practitioner of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and TAGteach, Sharon’s clients enjoy humor, empathy, and clarity in their training sessions. As a nationally respected positive-reinforcement, evidence-based dog trainer, Sharon also loves mentoring and supporting professional dog trainers to achieve outstanding training results, transforming puppies and dogs into canine assistants.
Certifications
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA #2164210)
- Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner – Graduate with distinction from Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior (KPA-CTP #20414)
- Pet CPR & First Aid PetSaver program through Pet Tech
Professional Affiliations
- International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) – Provider Member
- Pet Professional Guild, Professional member
- TAGteach International, Level 1 Certification
- Thrive! Dog*Biz coaching program – founding member
- Doggone Safe, “Be a Tree” Licensed Presenter on dog/child safety
For details of Sharon’s media appearances and industry presentations, visit our Pet Professional Consulting page.
Sharon’s Training and Consulting Style
- Extensive knowledge of dog training and behavior, and the world of service dogs
- Ability to help clients understand the “why” behind the “how”
- Deep desire for every handler (and dog) to feel valued and understood
- Ability to communicate about difficult topics with human clients with empathy and clarity that enables clients to understand and take action to help their dogs and themselves
Sharon’s Fun Facts
- Disability services background: Sharon was an information and referral specialist for the Information Center for Individuals with Disabilities and New England INDEX (Information on Disabilities Exchange), a writer for the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, founding editor of the disability literary journal, Breath & Shadow, and a facilitator for the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE).
- “Lassie” training: While living in a rural area, and before the advent of cell phones, Sharon trained her second service dog, Gadget, to run a quarter mile to her nearest neighbor to deliver a note in case of emergencies.
- Free time: Sharon enjoys swimming, swing dancing, bicycling, and hiking with her partner, Ruth, and their three dogs, Kismet (blue standard poodle), Lotti (white German shepherd dog), and Gromit (miniature poodle/Chihuahua/Lhasa Apso/Heinz 57 rescue mix).
A Beautiful Fit with Our Family
Dear Sharon, I just want you to know how incredibly grateful I am for your presence in our lives. Your kind and gentle demeanor feels such a beautiful fit with our family. The genuine, affirming way you recognize what the humans are doing well lands like a salve. I felt it deeply last week in my 1:1 with you, and I see our teen take your words in, relax, and then rise up to be and do even more. I get that all this stuff works with the pups, but the way you have with us people has me in grateful awe and appreciation every time I'm in your presence. "Thank you" doesn't seem quite big enough, and yet it seems like a good place to start.
–Anya Kipp-McGowan and Aspen
Alex Wise, CPDT-KA
(they/them)
Senior Trainer
Alex Wise is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. They have been a professional trainer since 2015, teaching classes on everything from basic to advanced manners, outdoor etiquette, tricks, nosework, puppy kindergarten, reactive dog classes, as well as service and therapy dog classes. They have a particular interest in training on advanced public access manners, wake-up (alarm response) alert tasks, and nosework for indoor enrichment and confidence-building. Alex has extensive personal and professional experience with deaf dogs and is now training their second service dog, Clipper, a Portuguese Water Dog as seen in the video below.
Certifications
Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA #2207006)
American Kennel Club Approved Evaluator for Canine Good Citizen Testing and Tricks Titles (Evaluator #100291, testing exclusively for current clients)
Pet CPR & First Aid PetSaver program through Pet Tech
Alex’s Training and Consulting Style
- Extensive knowledge of dog training and behavior
- Clear instruction; patient, kind, calm, gentle
- Devises low-cost DIY solutions for behavior management
- Commitment to meeting each dog and human where they are; tailors training to each client’s individual goals and needs
Alex’s Fun Facts
Expert on deaf dog training: Alex’s first service-dog-in-training, a white Pitbull named Hitch, turned out to have significant behavior problems, along with being deaf. Alex transformed Hitch into a well-behaved in-home service dog that was fluent in dozens of visual cues. Alex has since applied their unique expertise with training and behavior modification for dozens of deaf and deaf-blind dogs.
Studying medical alert training: Alex is currently training their second SDiT on medical alert training, with the goal of eventually providing this service to At Your Service clients
In their free time, Alex enjoys woodworking and bird watching.
Superior Instruction & Real Care
I was concerned that online wouldn’t work as well:) I was wrong! Alex is extraordinary in every way—deep knowledge and real patience. I feel much more confident regarding my training. Alex pays close attention to each student and pup. Superior instruction & real care.
–DB
Eli MacCullagh, CPDT-KA
(he/him)
Staff Trainer – Board & Train
Elijah MacCullagh trains service dogs in his home in our board-and-train program. Eli grew up raising and training future guide dogs in manners and public access skills as a puppy-raiser family for Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. After graduating from Bard College at Simon’s Rock in 2013, Eli homeschooled his niece and nephew. From 2023 to 2024, Eli participated in the At Your Service Dog Trainer Mentorship program, where his incredible work ethic, intelligence, and intuitive understanding of dog training made him a standout trainer! Eli also teaches puppy and basic manners classes at Animal Alliances Dog Training School.
Certifications
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA #12510107)
- Pet CPR & First Aid PetSaver program through Pet Tech
Eli’s Training and Teaching Style
- Excels at public access training
- Funny and down-to-earth, he uses great analogies to help owners understand how to apply training instructions
Eli’s Fun Facts
- Eli is an avid roller skater who has previously skated and officiated with the Pioneer Valley Roller Derby league. In 2023, he undertook a journey across South Korea entirely on rollerskates, and has the medal to prove it.
- Free time: Eli enjoys baking, cake decorating, and spending time with his family and his cat Minuet. Eli has plans to get a puppy in spring 2025.
Superior Instruction & Real Care
We love sending Bode to At Your Service Dog Training Board & Train. We know he is well taken care of while he is there, we get daily updates and he returns to us better trained! I love watching the training videos! Every time he returns from B&T, he has improved his skills...touch, settling, loose leash walking. As much as we miss him, it's nice to have a little break 🙂
Kate’s life has been transformed by Leo, her black Labrador retriever
Laurie DiDonato, Ph.D. (Biology)
(she/her)
Office Manager
Laurie DiDonato has a background in energy conservation, biology, and local government. She joined At Your Service in 2021, after many years of administrative experience. Laurie is a lifelong dog-lover. She trained her Irish Water Spaniel, Bishop, with At Your Service, to mitigate Bishop’s reactive and anxiety-driven behaviors.
Laurie brings thoughtfulness, organization, thoroughness, and care to her interactions with clients. Her work “behind the scenes” allows us to provide helpful, efficient, and compassionate training services to all our dog-and-handler teams.
Laurie’s Fun Facts
- Company karaoke: Laurie enjoys singing with friends at karaoke bars and hosted At Your Service’s first Company Cottage Karaoke party in 2024!
- Municipal manager: Laurie is the chair of the Wendell Selectboard. When she is not managing the office for At Your Service, she is helping to manage a small town!
- Laurie’s Irish Water Spaniel, Bishop, sometimes acts like a cat, sleeping perched on the back of the couch, and one-time nestled on top of a basket full of clean laundry.
LGBTQ+ Owned and Operated
