Southampton Dog Trainer Brings Talents to Hamptons

SOUTHAMPTON, NY —All dogs are trainable, says Southampton animal trainer Lisa Hartman, and the owners are, too.

Growing up in East Moriches, Lisa Hartman couldn’t wait to move to New York City, but after 9/11 the former real estate agent relocated to Southern Florida — and followed her heart to her true vocation as a pet trainer and animal advocate.

The pivotal life change took place after she asked herself, if she could do anything, what would it be? It wasn’t selling real estate, Hartman soon realized.

Since she was a little girl, Hartman has had pets and has always known she wanted to work with animals.

In Miami, she enrolled in a dog behavioral and scientific training program so difficult that, after the first week, she was the only student left.

Hartman stuck it out though, and after completing the program, moved back to Long Island, this time settling in Southampton.

Pet trainer, talent agent for animals, and the editor/publisher of Hamptons Dog, a free glossy magazine distributed around the Hamptons throughout the summer months, Hartman wanted to show how dogs really lived on the East End in her magazine: as part of the family, on the beach, and sometimes even on boats.

But when it came to dog training, she approached it with a firm set of rules and soon saw results.

"Whether training a young puppy or an aggressive rescue, you have to treat each dog in a different way. They have their own issues and triggers," she said.

And, if a dog's aggressive, it's important to take the thought of aggression out of the mix and find out what the real issue might be, she said.

"Many dogs are afraid and when you help them feel safe, they calm down," Hartman said.

Hartman said she never uses a choke collar or electric fence, she said. “We use our brain to train with no pain,” she said, a motto for her approach to training.

A pet owner willing to work hard is key, she said.

“All dogs can be trained if the owners are willing to work with me,” Hartman said.

The best thing a dog owner can do for a dog is to teach them to sit, Hartman said.

"Sit when people are eating, sit when greeting people so they don’t knock anyone down or jump on them," she said.

Rewarding pets is also a good thing, Hartman said. "But each dog needs to be rewarded in different ways, at different times of the day. It's not always with a treat or food. Follow the dog's lead. Sometimes it’s with chicken or petting their stomaches or a tennis ball.”

A unique reason why some Hamptons dogs may need some training is because many of them are transitioning from city to country life and back again; they are more distracted in the country, Hartman explained.

Dogs aren't Hartman's only clients: She's also worked with cats, which, she said, are not as easy to train. One of the easiest pets to train, however, are rats, who are smart, as are chickens, she said.

Hartman works with celebrities and other A-list clients.

Of all the hats Hartman wears, the most important one is “dog mom,” to her own two pooches: Jay Jay, a rescue Dalmatian and Saffron, or Saffy, Monsoon, named after an Absolutely Fabulous character.

“Saffy is a hairless Chinese crested, who ironically looks like another Ab Fab character Patsy Stone," she said.

Hartman has written two books: one is a mini guide to dog training, Dial A Dynamic Dog, available on Amazon, as is her coffee table book, Hamptons Dog. Her magazine can also be read for free online here .

For more info on Hartman, check out her website here.

Photo of Lisa Hartman with Jay Jay and Saffy by Bryan Downey, and photo of Saffy by Lisa Tamburini