Allie Rich
Owner - Lead Trainer
Allie’s love for dog training began as a child after watching a dog performance at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. Fascinated by the dogs' skills and enthusiasm, she eagerly started training her family’s Cavachon, Libby. Though her early attempts weren’t successful, they sparked a lifelong passion for training.
Throughout her teen years, Allie honed her skills by working with friends’ dogs and deepening her knowledge through research. In college, she knew she wanted to make dog training her career. She moved to Texas, where she trained detection dogs, working daily with a Golden Retriever named Levi to keep schools safe. During this time, she also developed a strong interest in service dogs, learning from experts like Ken Ramirez, Kathy Sdao, and Suzanne Clothier.
After returning to Tennessee, Allie worked as a Petsmart trainer, gaining valuable experience with various breeds and training her first personal service dog, Tucker. She then moved to Michigan, fulfilling her dream of becoming a staff trainer for a service dog program. The pandemic led her to Illinois, where she served as the training director for a board-and-train facility. While there, she learned about balanced training, though she now focuses on positive reinforcement techniques.
Allie currently works full-time as a Lead Trainer for a service dog organization in South Carolina, where she combines her passion for training life-saving service dogs with helping family pets thrive. She’s dedicated to fostering strong, respectful bonds between dogs and their owners through positive reinforcement.
Tucker
Chief Dog Officer
Tucker is Allie’s retired service dog and is one of 2 resident dogs at Model Paws. He excels at teaching younger pups the way of the house and can always be counted on for a good couch cuddle. Tucker was a huge inspiration for Allie in starting Model Paws and he continues to be a key aspect in the day to day work.
Tucker is 3/4 Golden Retriever and 1/4 Labrador Retriever. He was born 2/5/2018 and is a seasoned pro!
Lincoln
Resident Dog
Lincoln is Allie’s current working Service Dog and he is the other resident dog here at Model Paws. He is always down to play with the dogs who come through, and loves nothing more than to chase a ball. Lincoln loves to be a distraction while other dogs work on stays or leash walking, and he takes his job as a role model very seriously,
Link is a purebred Golden Retriever and was born 10/12/2022. He loves anyone and everyone, so if you ever see him out and about when he is off-duty, he would love some scratches!
Testimonials
“Allie is the best dog (and human) trainer EVER! She is so knowledgable, patient and understanding. I was struggling so hard when I first got my puppy, and Allie came to the rescue to teach me, step-by-step, how to be the best dog owner I could be. My pup is 2 years old now, and Allie is still just a phone call away whenever I need her. She has never made me feel bad for not knowing something, and is always there to answer questions, guide and help! I’d highly recommend Allie to anyone who will listen!! ”
“I’ve had many dogs throughout my lifetime and many dog trainers. Only one trainer has gone above and beyond to make me and my Havanese pups feel like there’s nothing we couldn’t accomplish with her training course; meet Allie Rich. Allie is friendly, reassuring, and most of all encouraging; she makes you feel like family. If one method of training a skill doesn’t work for your pup, Allie has another that will. My pups couldn’t wait to see Allie each week. If you’re lucky enough to be within traveling distance to Model Paws Dog Training, consider yourself very fortunate. There’s no need to look further than Allie at Model Paws. Allie receives top praise from me! ”
“Allie is an extremely experienced, versatile trainer that has the skill and ability to not only work with any dog, but any person as well!
We worked in close contact with each other at a training facility where our primary focus was towards sensitive dogs, therapy training, and manners in the home and in public. We also put countless hours into better educating brand new pet families on proper care and communication with their furry friends!
Allie is a great trainer to brainstorm with and get advice and critique from. She almost always has an answer for a better way to do things, and if she doesn’t it doesn’t stay that way for long.
Her speciality is creative training and thinking outside the box to get a desired result while maintaining the most positivity and best attitude from the dog. Her ability to then communicate those plans and training philosophy to clients is something that is hard to find in the training industry!
Training with Model Paws will be a breath of fresh air for you and your family, and your pup will thank you for years to come!
Allie gave me the finishing advice that helped us push from Service Dog in Training to fully trained and finished Service Dog! ”
“Allie is down to earth and was incredibly helpful with getting our puppy adjusted and acclimated to life with our family. She’s got fantastic, do-able training tips for high-energy dogs!!”
“Allie has been an absolute lifesaver over the past six months since I adopted my rescue. She is thorough, patient, and very knowledgeable! I would recommend her to anyone.”
“Allie is Fantastic. I have 2 corgis that are 6 years old. I was unable to walk them without a lot of stress for me & the dogs. Literally in one session I was able to was them individually with no stress & at the end of the 2nd session I could walk them together. I learned a lot of other things from her (like having a “spot” for the dogs to go to when I needed them to calm down & how to greet people without jumping). She is patient, friendly & very knowledgeable. She can bring her dog to sessions as needed too to help with socializing and training. I highly recommend her! - Susan with Cosmo and Ranger (Corgis)”
Statement of Training Philosophy
Model Paws Dog Training follows a LIMA format of training. LIMA stands for Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive. In a nutshell, this means that we want to make sure we are being fair to the dog, and setting them up for success! We utilize heavily positive reinforcement methods to achieve a relationship built on trust and mutual respect with the dogs we work with.
Please be aware that MPDT does not utilize prong collars, e-collars, choke chains, or other aversive tools.