Marielle Lemal began Dogwerks Training Kennel when she was stopped on the street while walking with her multi-obedience titled Rottweiler 'Maverick' and asked if she would help to train a Rotti puppy. Her much loved hobby of dog training was the seed that grew into the thriving business that is Dogwerks today.

Marielle is a  1987 graduate of Dartmouth College and has been applying her degree in Biology/Psychology to the training of people and their dogs in Missoula Montana and around the world since 1992.

        She has trained in a wide range of disciplines from Competitive Obedience, Schutzhund, Agility, Weight-Pulling, and Hunt Tests, to practical applications including Police Work, Drug and Bomb Detection and seeking out invasive Brown Tree Snakes in the jungles of Guam for the USGS.     Many of her skills were called upon in 2007 when she was hired by the BBC to travel to Bangladesh to help the locals train their street dogs to detect and deter Tigers. (BBC film “Tiger Dogs” aired on Animal Planet)

        Marielle has learned from the myriad dogs that she’s worked with, that Canines are remarkably consistent in responding to calm, assertive leadership and clear communication, regardless of breed, age, or prior experience.

Training Philosophy

Marielle believes that the key to effective training is clear communication with a dog. It is essential to understand that dogs don't speak our language or share our culture. To be fair to our dogs we must step into the role of leader and interpreter for them. A dog learns (as do we) through consequences of his behavioral choices, and it is our job to provide appropriate consequences both positive and negative to help him to choose behaviors that work best for him, and for us. The goal is to provide reliable leadership so that our dogs can relax and enjoy being themselves, secure in the knowledge that they have a guide through this crazy human world.