Colleen Tvorik

Owner & Trainer - DTE Northern Utah

Colleen grew up in Lansing, Michigan with parents who bred and co-owned Golden Retrievers with a professional trainer who specialized in field trial retrievers and obedience. She can't remember a time when a retriever in training was not actively a part of her family. During her teens, Colleen got her first taste of training service puppies, when her family acted as a puppy raiser for, Coco, a Chocolate Lab who went on to pass training with Leader Dogs for the Blind and ended up with a recipient in Spain.

In addition to working with Golden's, Colleen also grew up near a horse farm, where she taught riding lessons for a Hunter/Jumper Horse Show Barn. Her experience working with horses allowed her another view at the powerful connection animals large and small might have with humans.

Colleen moved to Utah after obtaining a degree in Environment Journalism at Michigan State University and worked in Customer Service Management in the Hospitality and Software Industries. While living in Park City, Utah after college, Colleen got back to her canine roots as a popular dog sitter for several families.

When Colleen met her husband, Dan, and moved to Salt Lake City years ago, the couple happened upon a puppy in Central Utah that excelled within the Dog Training Elite program. Initially, as Dog Training Elite clients, Colleen and Dan realized how special the Dog Training Elite program was and how much fun it would allow them to have with their dogs! Colleen and Dan loved the training so much, they would go on to become trainers for Dog Training Elite and volunteers for The Malinois Foundation, training and placing service dogs with those in need.

Colleen used her puppy experience as a youth to specialize in the developmental training for the over 14 puppies she's had a hand in training over the last several years. She's excited to help her clients find and train their perfect canine companion!

When Colleen isn't training dogs, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast who loves skiing, hiking, biking and paddleboarding in Northern Utah with her dogs.

Dan Hutchings

Owner & Trainer - DTE Northern Utah

Born and raised in Utah, Dan's family always had multiple dogs that would accompany the family on trips to the mountains and deserts, including Lake Powell. As a teenager, Dan frequently visited his grandfather's farm in South Jordan and developed a passion for working with animals.

After graduating from the University of Utah, Dan volunteered for Greyhound Pets of America, fostering and rehabilitating retired Greyhounds.

After meeting and training with Dog Training Elite Founder, John Mestas, in 2012, Dan found a true passion for training and helping clients and dogs alike! He now specializes in task-specific training for service dogs and specialized, advanced training for his clients.

Dan is an avid runner, skier and outdoor adventurer who in his spare time enjoy's exploring new places with his dogs!

Trevor Ruff

Trainer

Trevor discovered a love for animals at an early age. He went to Veterinarian School, but found that he had a real love for training specifically. So, he decided to enroll in Animal Behavioral College, and graduated and became a certified dog trainer. 

Since then, he has donated his time to adoption clinics, training dogs with behavioral problems to help them get placed, and has donated his time to The Malinois Foundation, training service animals for people in need.

Trevor has become the lead trainer at Dog Training Elite and enjoys training dogs to very high levels and improving the relationship between our clients and their dogs.

Melanie Harker

Trainer

Born and raised in Utah, Melanie has grown up having quite a bit of animals in her household (Hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, fish, turtles, snakes, cats, and dogs).  She loves all animals and in particular has a deep passion for dogs.

Melanie has worked at two different vet clinics taking care of the cats and dogs boarding and also managing a doggy daycare of 25+ dogs all together with just herself alone. This allowed her to learn the science of dog behavior over the full 15 years of experience dealing with all different breed types and sizes. While she worked with dogs every day, the kennel setting didn’t allow her to fully train and help dogs with their behavior. With all of her experience, she wanted to expand her love for dogs and joined the DTE Northern Utah team to fulfill a personal dream.

In her spare time, Melanie loves to be outdoors up in the mountains camping or hiking with her dogs all year round. She also loves art and likes to draw.