Who We Are
Wagging Tales Dog Training was founded in 2022 by Rachael Ventsias.
The goal of Wagging Tales is to teach you to understand your dog and why they may behave the way they do and how to improve on behaviors that may be frustrating to you. We want to teach you to speak "Dog" and understand why your dog barks at the window, or digs in the yard.
We offer basic to advanced obedience, work with problem behaviors, socialization and more! We are focused on not only training your pet, but training you as well! This program is full of fun techniques that will give you and your pet a happier life together.
About Wagging Tales
Rachael Ventsias
Owner
Rachael's family has always had dogs. She grew up with two of them in the home and 4 more at her grandmother's. She has always been a lover of animals, but dogs are her forever favorite. Rachael began her dog training journey in 2012, when her family began looking for a puppy. After visiting a local animal shelter, she started to volunteer there. A month or so later, her family adopted Phoebe, a German shepherd/Alaskan malamute/pit mix from a veterinary hospital. The young puppy came with a mandatory, three session training class, hosted by a trainer who had been working with dogs for over 25 years. Rachael had grown up with a large interest in animals and she found that she loved training her young puppy! A year later, her family adopted another dog, Piper. The "Heinz-57" mutt dog needed some manners too, so they returned to the trainer.
In 2013, Rachael began working at a veterinary clinic located in Plainfield, IL. She had an urge to learn more, and sought out the trainer again. She took Rachael under her wing and taught her everything she knew. Rachael began to assist in classes and sessions and began to learn and study dog behavior in the kennel environment where she was exposed to many different dog breeds. By 2017, Rachael was running classes under her mentor's supervision.
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By 2018, she began running her own classes, teaching what she had learned and observed. She expanded her knowledge as much as she could through books, videos, seminars and watching behavior at the kennel where she worked.
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When 2020 rolled around and the world shut down, Rachael also had a change of scenery. Leaving the kennel behind and beginning work at Brightdogs Dog Park, a dog daycare center where nearly 15 dogs could be on the floor at once. There she was able to hone her skills and make some new friends! The behavior of the dogs taught her pack mentality and to recognize the shift in the dynamics. Her new boss Kyle, became a mentor and taught her new techniques that she could pass on to her students.
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In 2021, she joined the ranks of Veterinary Technicians at a top rated veterinary hospital in Naperville, IL. There she has learned not only behaviors but some of the medical side of working with animals.
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In 2022, her passions reached a height and she wanted to go into business for herself and developed the concept of Wagging Tales. Earning her LLC in 2023 and working on becoming certified in CPDT as her 2024-2025 goal. ​
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Currently, Rachael has two dogs, Casper "The Friendly Dog", a Great Dane mix and Whisper Lady, a Cocker Spaniel. Casper has worked with her to help socialize puppies for 6 years and does attend group classes as her demonstration dog. Whisper is a puppy herself so she's learning along with other dogs in group classes as well as getting extra special attention at home from the teacher! Though even she isn't immune to time outs!
The original two dogs that started the journey to becoming a dog trainer with Rachael have since passed on, but Rachael remembers and honors their memories and experiences (and troubles they caused!) by passing on the lessons she learned from both of them.
