About Dog On It Training & Grooming

Lia is one of the owners and the head trainer of Dog On It. She has been training dogs for over 15 years and has experience working with a variety of breeds. Continuing her education on a regular basis is a priority to her, as is making sure that training is fun for both dog and owner. Dedicated to the humane treatment of animals, she focuses on strengthening the human-animal bond through training. Lia is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator as well as a Therapy Dog Evaluator and handler. She lives in Grovetown, GA with her husband Eric, son Arlo, and their dog Opie.

Tiana’s goal has always been to have a career working with animals. By the age of 12 she was pet sitting for friends and family and by 16 she began working at a pet store. She enjoyed working in pet retail but wanted to explore other career paths in the pet industry. Over the years she has worked at dog daycares, grooming facilities, and veterinary clinics, developing a strong understanding of the industry as a whole and the best and most ethical ways to provide services for our pets.

Nicole was born and raised in South Carolina. She grew up around wolf dogs and horses and spent most of her summers working at horse farms in Kentucky. She spends her free time on her farm collecting rocks and crystals, reading, rescuing reptiles, and spending time with her daughter and husband. Most of Nicole’s animals are rescues as her and her fiancé are active in rescuing and fostering pets.

Theresa is an engineer who moved to the US from Austria. Growing up in Austria, she became exposed to positive reinforcement training methods from a young age, as aversive equipment is illegal in Austria. Inspired by her dad who also trains dogs, she gained experience working with a variety of breeds, especially French and Belgian Shepherds. Theresa owns Tucker, a Chocolate Lab, and Flynn, a Carolina Dog mix, who are an inseparable duo. She is certified through CATCH Canine Trainers Academy (CCDT) and her motto is “Why do I work with dogs? Because I speak their language and I would love to teach you too!”.

Growing up, Sam’s family always called her Dr. Doolittle. This was because of her love for animals of all different shapes and sizes. Sam’s home has always had a plethora of pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, hamsters, and gecko. She even petsat turtles over school vacations. Sam is an Augustan native whose passions are music, upcycling, and spending time with other people’s pets!

Sonja grew up having close relationships with dogs and has never been without a canine companion. In 2015, she became interested in what it was about the human-canine relationship that helped her rescue dog, Lucy, recognize what she was asking without having formal training. She started researching training methods, specifically positive reinforcement. When she got her first German Shepherd, Elsa, she began working with Lia after becoming convinced that positive reinforcement was the best way to maintain and grow her relationships with her dogs. Two more dogs later, training is Sonja’s favorite part of the day! Currently, Sonja lives with cats Squeaky and Junebug, two German Shepherds (Elsa and Arthur) and a Belgian Malinois (Rocco), all rescues. While she trains with all the dogs, Rocco keeps her especially busy, training in bite sports and dock diving. Sonja is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA).

Becky has lived in the Augusta area since 1975. There has never been a time in her life when she did not have pets! Becky’s first experience with positive reinforcement training occurred in 2013 when she adopted a Lab puppy, and she has never looked back! later, she still enjoys training with both of her dogs, along with her grand dog, Baylor. She is currently working toward her first training certificate through the CATCH program and is certified in pet CPR and First Aid. She lives in Martinez with her husband, Sean, and their two dogs, Daisy and Cooper. They have two grown children and one grandson.