The Virtuous Dog
Service area: Serves Reading, Allentown, Philadelphia, Lancaster, West Chester, Berks, Harrisburg, Carlisle, Chester, Montgomery, Lehigh, Schuylkill, Lebanon, and surrounding areas. Additional travel charges apply for extended distances.
Service Overview
Types of Dog Training
- Family Dog
- Behavior Modification
Specialty Focus Areas
- Basic Obedience
- Puppy Training
- Leash Pulling
- Reactivity / Aggression
- Jumping on People
- Barking Excessively
- Separation Anxiety
- Biting / Nipping
- Potty Training
- Resource Guarding
- Fearfulness
- Recall
Training Formats Offered
- Private Lessons
- In-Home
- Video Calls
Program Formats
- One-Time Consultation
- Sessions Package
- Ongoing Weekly
Types of Dogs
- Working
- Terriers
- Doodles
- Brachycephalic
Age of Dogs Trained
- Puppy (<1 year)
- Adolescent (1-2 years)
- Adult (2-8 years)
- Senior (8+ years)
Dog Training Methodology
Methods:
- ✓ Positive Reinforcement Only
Equipment:
- ✓ Clickers
- ✓ Food Rewards
- ✓ Harnesses
- ✓ Head Halters
- ✓ Flat Collars
- ✓ Martingale Collars
Training begins with a 90-minute behavior consultation to evaluate the dog’s issues, motivations, and goals. Follow-up private sessions are 60 minutes and conducted in the client’s home, focusing on customized behavior modification and obedience training. Sessions include practice around distractions and holistic care advice. Remote video training is offered for clients outside the service area, with video submissions and live sessions available. Packages of multiple sessions are encouraged for long-term success.
Pricing & Policies
Pricing Summary
Initial consultation is 90 minutes and required for all new clients. Private training sessions are 60 minutes. Discounted rates available for multi-session packages. Remote video training available for qualifying cases. Additional charges apply for extended travel.
Testimonials
“I highly recommend The Virtuous Dog. Kelly will guide you and your dog with empathy, care, knowledge, advocacy, intuition, and practical skills beyond belief. I have a special needs dog. Kelly was the only trainer who could pinpoint the reasons for certain behaviors that were linked to his health condition. She found answers and implemented a unique plan, which no other trainer could do. She was a supportive advocate who went above and beyond for us. Oh, and did I mention my dog adores her?”
– Client
“We absolutely LOVED Kelly! She was amazing with both our dogs and trained us how to train them. She was super professional and approachable. I HIGHLY recommend her! She helped our dog adjust to having a new doggy brother as he worked through anxiety and mild aggression. We now have a plan in place for how to help deescalate if aggression does occur, but we also have a much better understanding of how to be proactive and decrease stressors for them both. We have not had an incident since her intervention so money well spent. She is THE BEST!”
– Client
“Amazing! Kelly is so easy to talk with and so full of phenomenal insight! She takes time to listen, observe and is willing to do whatever it takes. Can’t recommend her enough! Understanding the science as she does makes it so much more helpful than just learning ‘tricks’! She has taught us so much about our dog than we could ever have imagined!! #10Stars”
– Client
About the Trainer
The Virtuous Dog is a positive reinforcement dog training business based in Reading, Pennsylvania, led by Kelly Armour, a Certified Trainer Counselor (CTC) from The Academy for Dog Trainers. Kelly offers in-home private training sessions for dogs with behavior issues such as aggression, fear, reactivity, resource guarding, leash pulling, barking, and separation anxiety, as well as basic obedience and puppy training. She specializes in working with fearful, aggressive, and rescued dogs, including Pitbulls and bully breeds, and has over 25 years of experience in shelter, rescue, and animal advocacy. Her methods are science-based, force-free, and focus on building trust and understanding between dogs and their owners. She also provides remote video training for clients outside her service area and offers behavior analysis, adoption support, and community education. Kelly is actively involved with animal welfare organizations including Best Friends Animal Society, Pinups for Pitbulls, and The Animal Rescue League of Berks County.
All new clients begin with a 90-minute initial behavior consultation to assess the dog’s needs, identify motivations, and create a customized training plan. Sessions are 60 minutes long and include hands-on coaching, practice in distracting environments, and holistic care recommendations. Multi-session packages are available for discounted rates.
Accomplishments
Kelly Armour is a Certified Trainer Counselor (CTC) from The Academy for Dog Trainers, known as “The Harvard for Dog Trainers.” She has 25+ years of hands-on experience working in shelters and rescues, rehabilitating abused dogs, and providing behavior modification after natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey. She volunteers with multiple animal welfare organizations and advocates against breed-specific legislation.
How to Get Started!
All new clients must begin with a 90-minute initial behavior consultation to evaluate the dog’s needs, identify behavior triggers, and create a customized training plan. This consultation is required before scheduling private training sessions.
Contact Information
Availability
- Weekdays
- Weekends
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening
Hours
9am-5pm
Certifications
- CTC
Associations
- IAABC
- IACP
- PPG
Languages
- English
Misc Features
- wheelchair accessible parking
Other Services Offered
- Pet trainer
Location
33 Fawn Dr, Reading, PA 19607Listing Tools for Trainers
For The Virtuous Dog Only
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