Jeff Lambrecht

Owner & Trainer

Jeff grew up in rural Northern Wisconsin where dogs have always been a part of his life. Ginger, Buster, Snoopy, Chopper, and Buddy were his personal favorites!

In 2021, Jeff retired from the full-time ministry after more than two decades of serving schools and churches throughout the Midwest. Dog Training Elite connects his passion for animals and his desire for a service-oriented business to provide new ways of being committed and connected to his community.

Shortly before opening Dog Training Elite of Kenosha and Chicagoland North, Jeff and his wife Lara adopted a Goldendoodle named “Max.” Both Jeff and Max are excited to be working together training dogs and their families from Racine to Chicago offering a better way of living and working together.

Maximilian "Max" Gustavo

Co-Owner & Lead Demonstrator

Maximilian “Max” Gustavo is an F1B Goldendoodle who was born April 2, 2021, with 13 sibling puppies at his birth home outside of Iowa City, Iowa. On June 27 of that same year, Max was adopted by Jeff and Lara Lambrecht to be the co-owner of Dog Training Elite of Kenosha and Chicagoland North. It is here that his primary responsibilities include demonstrating the many skills that the canine world has to offer.

The command “Make a Friend” is his favorite.

When not on the job, Max enjoys riding in the truck, swimming, running in the yard, playing fetch, tummy rubs, sleeping, and meeting new people and canines alike.

Lara Lambrecht

Partner & CESO

Lara grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, and has had both dogs andcats over the years. She particularly remembers her Miniature Schnauzer named “Heidi.”

Married to Jeff since 2000, they have often spoken about what would be their ideal dog choice and in 2021 agreed on a Goldendoodle named “Max.”

When not working at Dog Training Elite of Kenosha and Chicagoland North, Lara enjoys traveling, eating out, cruising, and spending time with family and friends.

Karen Leoni

Senior Trainer

Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, dogs were an important part of her early life. You could say it all started with “Penny,” a Boarder Collie; and “Brandy,” a German Shepherd. From there she has had many canine favorites and currently Karen has “Gem,” a German Shepherd rescue.

Karen graduated from Elmhurst College with a Bachelor’s of Science in which dog training played a huge part. It is with this lifelong passion that Karen has led an extremely fulfilling part-time career doing dog training in addition to working full-time as a medical lab research professional.

Apart from her love for dogs, Karen enjoys making people laugh, eating out, trap and skeet shooting with her husband – Keith, and spending family time with her mother and siblings.

Katie Matt

Owner /Trainer

Hi, I’m Katie! I grew up in the Southwestern Chicago suburbs and have always loved dogs. Before my husband and I decided to open up our own Dog Training Elite, I was a high school science teacher in the Chicago suburbs. We have grown our family in the area and love the community! We have always had dogs, and love to be out with our pups. Our dogs are a major part of our family, and really complete us with the love and companionship they provide. There are so many dog friendly areas in Chicagoland, and we love to bring the whole family when we go out. I have loved teaching and coaching, and look forward to helping improve families' lives with their dogs.

Tim Matt

Director of Operations/ Trainer

Hi, I’m Tim. I grew up in the Southwestern Chicago Suburbs, and love the community. Before my wife and I decided to open our own Dog Training Elite, I was an educator in the Chicago suburbs. Dogs provide us with love, companionship, and so many amazing services. Our family, 3 kids, and 2 dogs, loves going out and doing all sorts of different activities together. I look forward to helping you create a better connection with your dog and help to provide our community with some wonderful pets and service dogs.

Rich Naponelli

Owner/Trainer

Hi, my name is Rich and I own Dog Training Elite Michiana. I have always had a love for animals as far back as I can remember, but being 1 of 6 kids, my mother was slow to believe my unconvincing arguments that I could handle a pet. Finally, at the age of 10, she broke down and let me get my first parakeet, Petey. Since Petey, I have had more birds, a few hamsters, a frog, fish, dogs, and even bunnies. Currently, we have our dog, Ajax, and our bunnies, Cooper and Lenny.

While I am an attorney by training, I got into the pet care business in 2022, when I opened Fetch! Pet Care of Michiana, a dog walking and pet sitting franchise. My day-to-day interaction through Fetch! with people and their dogs showed me the immense impact dog training can have on people, families, and their dogs and the incredible need for experienced dog trainers. That is why I decided to bring Dog Training Elite to Michiana.

Dog Training Elite brings a proven system to teach basic obedience to dogs, but couples that with a passion for training service and therapy dogs, all while basing its philosophy in community and helping people and pets. We look forward to meeting you and your pup and starting the Dog Training Elite journey with you.

Jess Arundale

Trainer

Hi, I'm Jess! I'm the Lead Trainer with DTE Chicago. My favorite part about dog training is learning from our dogs and using the information they give us to help strengthen bonds and communication skills. Knowing dogs on an individual level is always key to reaching out training goals.

Growing up I was fascinated by the way our family dog understood me and I was inspired to train him for fun. I really enjoyed teaching him to jump over agility jumps, and that is still one of my favorite skills to train!

During college I began working with dogs in my home and in a large dog daycare facility. That gave me an amazing opportunity to observe a wide range of dog behavior and become a pro at reading dog language. After earning a bachelor's degree in psychology I went on to earn my certification in dog obedience training from Animal Behavior College in 2019. 

Ember - Lead Demo

Meet Ember, a sweet and spunky Miniature Pinscher who loves to show off her skills! You can catch her exploring the city on walks, shopping in dog-friendly stores, or snoozing with my two senior dogs at home.

Fun fact, Ember and I share the same birthday! 

Pauline Picardi

Trainer

Pauline has always been passionate about animals and is enthusiastic about dog training. She has two daughters and two dogs; a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bernedoodle. In her free time she enjoys a good book, crafting, and visiting new places with her family. 

Dogs have always been a big part of Pauline's life. Whether they were her own or a family member's dog, she has made close connections with them throughout the years. Pauline has always enjoyed helping people, and dog training has allowed her an opportunity to not only train, but to help people make deeper connections with their dogs. She has completed basic through advanced training at DTE. She is currently a Premier Service Dog Trainer certified, and continues her education in scent based service dogs.

Grace Schwegel

Trainer

I grew up with dogs and have always loved animals, but my passion for dogs developed when I  took a summer job during college as a dog daycare and boarding attendant. I loved spending time with the dogs and getting to know their personalities and breed characteristics, but I was often frustrated by their lack of obedience and manners. This led me to pursue a career in dog training at the Tom Rose School for Professional Dog Trainers (TRS) after graduating from college. At TRS, I trained a malinois puppy and my personal dog, a small munsterlander, in competitive obedience, agility, tracking, scent detection, and the AKC’s CGC test. After graduating from TRS, I moved to Illinois and took a job as a trainer at a dog daycare facility where I worked for 3 years before I found Dog Training Elite. I’ve enjoyed helping clients understand their dogs better, and I’ve learned so much from the various dogs, clients, and other trainers I’ve worked with. I truly look forward to learning more as my career progresses.

In my free time, I love being outside, trying new foods, working and pheasant hunting with my dog Dreya, and spending time with friends and family.

Michelle Kritch

Trainer

Michelle grew up in the early eighties near Wildwood, IL, and began grooming and caring for both cats and dogs at a boarding kennel in Lake Forrest where Michelle became the assistant manager. It was her dog ‘Pee-Pee’ that Michelle fondly remembers as never liking to be the practice of her grooming skills.

In 1994, Michelle received her degree in animal science and zoology after which she began to train dogs as a career, a joy she has had ever since. She now comes to Dog Training Elite of Kenosha & Chicagoland North with both a passion and drive to be a part of the elite training that is offered.

When not training dogs, Michelle enjoys riding a Harley with her boyfriend and spending time with her dog “Alex,” listening to good music, going to concerts, gardening, and always bringing a smile to people’s faces.

Alea Tibayan

Trainer

lea comes to Dog Training Elite of Kenosha & Chicagoland North as our newest team member all the way from Davao, PH, where she recently graduated with a degree in Psychology.

In her role as a virtual assistant, Alea is heading up sales appointments, group class management, Social Media development, and a large chunk of data entry. As Dog Training Elite of Kenosha & Chicagoland North continues to grow, her attention to detail and knowledge of Google & CRM software will be invaluable.

Sarah Knopp

Trainer

Hello! My name is Sarah and I am a Trainer at Dog Training Elite Michiana. Growing up, my family has always had dogs. I spent a lot of time outside with them playing fetch with a ball or a Frisbee. I remember teaching them tricks like sit, shake(paw), down, bow, and heel. I always loved feeding them, bathing them, and brushing out the burrs from their fur after playing in the woods. It was a dream of mine to work in the pet industry from the start!

My love of animals has grown with each new opportunity I have grasped. I have worked in many different areas which have required the utmost care of client pets. I had my start at a daycare facility which gave me the opportunity to be trained in basic manners and dog body language. I have had experience in boarding, daycare, grooming, swimming, training, and post-surgery pet care.

These experiences have shown me the importance of teaching basic manners, bonding with, and socializing your dogs. Dog Training Elite provides that training to you and your dog to help you navigate through life with the best start and helping to fix problems that arise along the way.