Trainer, Consultant, & PETPro Mentor
Cert. SA Pro Trainer, KPA-CTP
BEHAVIOR SOLUTION SERVICES: Remote Consultations
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES: Professional Development Consultations, PETPro Mentor
SEE A LIST OF HER BLOG POSTS HERE: ELLEN’S BLOGS
Ellen Yoakum (she/her/hers) is a trainer and behavior consultant with Pet Harmony. She loves helping families build communication and cohabitate successfully by developing strategies and plans that will benefit everyone.
Ellen’s passion for animal welfare and training was ignited during her undergraduate studies at the University of Washington where she was able to work as a research assistant focusing on captive animal welfare and enrichment. For over a decade, Ellen has been working within animal care and behavior in multiple capacities including: dog daycare and boarding, wildlife rehabilitation, zoological, captive animal welfare research, and private training.
In 2015, Ellen relocated to Winter Haven, Florida where she worked with Natural Encounters Inc., a company that specializes in free flight avian education opportunities around the country. During her time in Florida, Ellen had the opportunity to experience the beauty of a teacher-learner bond with a variety of species. After returning to Seattle in 2018, Ellen joined Ahimsa Dog Training where she focused on puppy development and cultivating dog/dog social skills.
Ellen joined Pet Harmony in 2020. Ellen is a Certified Separation Anxiety Pro Behavior Consultant, and Certified Training Partner through the Karen Pryor Academy (KPA-CTP). She is passionate about helping dogs build their confidence and loves helping their humans find ways to improve their lives together.
Kind Words From Happy Clients
“Thank you to [Allie & Ellen] for all the work you have put into Maya. Honestly, she is a completely different dog than when we started working together.”
– Maya Lyons
“Ellen is easy to talk with, easy to access via zoom and email, and predictably gets back to you. Her plans are well laid out and not complicated. Plus they are available to review in a written note as well as a YouTube video of your session. She is a wonderful coach when you get discouraged. When other things come up she is willing to give advice on those as well. Though Otis and I are not at our goal of being able to leave him alone, we are getting there slowly but surely. I’m pretty sure I would have given up without her guidance. Otis and I have both gained confidence since starting this journey. The whole team puts their heart and soul into you and your dog’s success.”
– Cindy Lack
“Ben is still nervous when he hears the fireworks but he rarely digs anymore and when he does he usually stops pretty quickly! He still loves his tub, so we make sure to put lots of blankies in there and i have also been tossing treats in those blankets for him to sniff out. He is also doing AMAZING when we are out on walks and he sees other dogs! ‘Find it’ is still a multiple times daily ritual for us. We took him on a road trip last month and he did so well! Lots of new places to sniff and we got an Airbnb with a huge backyard. He loved it!”
– Liz Homuth
“I just want to say Niles is 2 today and I’m sure part is general aging BUT I also think through the training we have done with you Niles has become shockingly ok with so many things. He watched me use a drill and an orbital sander outside this weekend with no barking or anything and he even fell asleep while I was sanding which totally blew my mind. I can also vacuum around him. We even set up a treadmill in our basement this week and Niles reaction was basically “meh”. I really thought I was going to spend the rest of Niles life with a dog I love but who basically hates and is terrified of everything and now he’s actually bordering on chill and a lot of fun! So thank you and the Pet Harmony crew!”
– Robin Saywitz
