About Lisa

Lisa Manolius, Owner/Trainer of Oh Behave!, is an Honors graduate of the San Francisco SPCA’s Academy for Dog Trainers, frequently referred to as the “Harvard” for dog trainers, and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Training dogs is Lisa’s passion and dream job. Lisa’s credentials include:

  • Certificate in Training & Counseling with Honors, SF SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers
  • Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed
  • Internship Certificate, Dog Behavior & Training, SF SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers
  • Internship Certificate, Shelter Dog Training, SF SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers
  • Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers

In addition to working with private training clients, Lisa is currently a trainer at the East Bay SPCA in Oakland, where she teaches dog training classes to the public, and teaches kids how to train dogs in the shelter’s Teaching Love and Compassion or TLC program. The first program of its kind in Northern California, TLC is designed to help kids learn about conflict resolution, non-violence, and respect and compassion for animals and people. The East Bay SPCA recently invited Lisa to be a guest speaker on dog body language and dog bite prevention at a series of seminars for the Oakland Housing Authority.

Lisa has worked in puppy day care, and as a shelter dog trainer at Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation and the SF SPCA. She has conducted many behavioral evaluations of shelter dog candidates, has taught dog training classes to shelter volunteers, and monitored countless dog and puppy playgroups. She teaches a variety of group dog training classes.

Committed to continuing education, Lisa regularly attends dog behavior, training and wellness seminars and conferences, and reads current literature on these topics.

Before following her dream, Lisa had a successful career as a lawyer. She has a J.D. from U.C. Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, and an MFA from SF State University.

She lives in San Francisco with her Australian Kelpie mix, Vinnie, who Lisa trains all the time, her cat ,Ted, who Lisa clicker-trained, and her Russian Desert tortoise, Thomas, who is completely untrained.

View more of Lisa’s dog training experience, reviews, and resources