About Us

Dog's Best Friend Ltd. was founded in 1988 by Ph.D.'s Patricia McConnell and Nancy Rafetto, as one of the first programs in the Midwest to apply positive reinforcement and other scientifically proven methods to treat serious behavioral problems.

In addition to offering one-on-one consultations, Dog's Best Friend developed a new dog training class curriculum that incorporated knowledge of ethology and psychology, along with the belief that training should be fun for everyone involved. While Nancy moved on to a full-time position at the University of Wisconsin, Patricia continued offering classes and consultations to dog lovers from all over the Midwest.

Aimee Moore, CPDT, began training for Dog's Best Friend's in 1997. At that time, classes became so popular that Patricia soon promoted Aimee to Training Director to insure that all of the classes maintained high standards and were taught by skilled, knowledgeable trainers. Together, Patricia and Aimee continued to work toward the goal of improving relationships between people and their pets by providing fun, effective, and family-friendly dog training classes.

The Dog's Best Friend curriculum soon distinguished itself as a program that combines positive methods with a solid understanding of canine behavior and continued its dedication to helping owners understand their dogs, (and vice versa!) as well as teaching basic skills and training techniques. Over the years, Agility, Competition Obedience, Tracking and Rally classes were added for clients who wish to explore these same training methods in the context of performance activities.

During this same time, Patricia continued behavior consultations, but began to spend more of her time writing and publishing books, booklets and DVD's. What began as the printing of a few small booklets has evolved into a publishing business which sells over 60,000 dog and cat training books and videos every year.

Dr. McConnell also travels extensively, giving seminars on cat and dog behavior and training, throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. Patricia is also the co-host of Wisconsin Public Radio's Calling All Pets, and teaches a class on human/animal relationships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Chelse Wieland, CPDT, canine behavior specialist, joined the pack in 1998. Chelse was trained extensively by Dr. McConnell and is one of the only individuals (along with Karen London, Ph.D., Flagstaff, AZ) to have personally worked and trained with Patricia using her knowledge and methods. Chelse works w/ families whose dogs have serious behavior problems, and is known for her compassion and dedication to her clients, as well as her extensive knowledge of canine visual signals and behavior.

By 2007, Dog's Best Friend was engaged in four separate businesses: behavior consultations, dog training classes, publishing and seminar presentations. That's a lot of balls to juggle out of one little office, especially when you add in Patricia's radio show and university course.

Accordingly, in 2007, Aimee and Patricia decided that they could do their best at offering great service and cutting-edge knowledge by dividing Dog's Best Friend, Ltd into two companies: Dog's Best Friend Training LLC, owned by Aimee Moore, and McConnell Publishing, Ltd., owned by Patricia McConnell. Both companies continue to work closely with one another in a shared commitment to improve the relationships between people and their pets.

Denise Swedlund

Denise Swedlund is the Office Manager extraordinaire of McConnell Publishing, Ltd. She started with Patricia and what was then Dog's Best Friend, Ltd., in 1995, and immediately set to work creating order out of chaos. (Apparently, Patricia had not yet figured out how to train papers to file themselves. Rumor has it she has still not perfected that method... ). Denise has been an integral part of the business ever since she came, using her analytical and organizational skills to grow a tiny business into an ever-growing enterprise.

Denise and her husband John live in the little town of Mazomanie, in the hills of Southwestern Wisconsin. She has two sons, Brandon and Nick and shares her home with 2 cats, Morris and Callie, and a Golden Retriever named Cooper. She is also the owner of an Appaloosa horse named Poco. In her spare time she enjoys renovating her home, gardening and spending time with her family and pets.

Andrea Jennings

Andrea Jennings joined the staff of McConnell Publishing, Ltd. in 2005 as Marketing and Sales Coordinator, after having been in sales for many years. A regular listener to Dr. McConnell's "Calling All Pets" on Wisconsin Public Radio and a fan of Dr. McConnell's books, she still wonders how she was so blessed to have found this job. (And Patricia wonders why she was so lucky to have her join the pack.)

Andrea has three children, four step-children and three step-granddaughters. Andrea and her husband, Joe, currently share their rural Mazomanie home with two dogs -- the slightly overweight Sparky Lynn and the ebullent Miss Zoe Anne, (both of which are mixed breed rescues) and one calico cat, Honey Kitty, who is a dog wannabe.

Andrea has shared her life with dogs since she was two years old, and can not imagine life without them. Her love of animals passes on to her children, Megan, who is a Reserve National Champion Jr. Horse Handler, Willie, who is an avid outdoor sportsman, and Gianna, whose goal is to become a veterinarian and international speaker on animal health. In her spare time, Andrea loves running, reading, cooking, entertaining, gardening, and attending the numerous events in which her children are involved.

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, has made a lifelong commitment to improving the relationship between people and animals. She is known worldwide as an expert on canine and feline behavior and training, and for her engaging and knowledgeable books, dvd's and seminars. Patricia has seen clients for serious behavioral problems since 1988, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, teaching "The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships." She dispenses advice on behavior problems, and information about animal behavior research, on Wisconsin Public Radio's Calling All Pets, which is heard in over 90 cities around the country.

A highly-sought after speaker on dog behavior and training, McConnell has presented seminars all over the United States, and in Canada, Australia and Belgium. She'll be speaking soon in Germany and Sweden, as well as in many cities in the United States. Dr. McConnell is also the behavior columnist for the Bark magazine ("the New Yorker of Dog Magazines") and a Consulting Editor for the Journal of Comparative Psychology. She is the author of the much-acclaimed books The Other End of the Leash (which is now published in 10 languages and For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend. Her self-published book and booklets on dog training and dog and cat behavior problems continually receive rave reviews from professional trainers, veterinarians and dog and cat lovers from all over the world.

Patricia received her Ph.D. in Zoology in 1988 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison researching dog behavior and communication between professional trainers and working domestic animals. Her dissertation received the prestigious Allee Award from the Animal Behavior Society in that same year. Patricia and Nancy Raffetto founded Dog's Best Friend, Ltd in 1988. Dogs Best Friend Training, LLC is now owned and operated by the very capable Aimee Moore of Madison, WI. For more information about dog training classes and behavior consultation in the Madison, WI area, go to www.dogsbestfriendtraining.com.

Patricia has three dogs, one confident cat and a very spoiled flock of sheep on a small farm in Southwestern Wisconsin. Her two Border Collies, Lassie and Will, keep her outside and active, and her Great Pyrenees, Tulip, keeps her humble. Trisha suffers from Separation Anxiety each time she leaves her dogs at home when she leaves on her numerous speaking engagements around the country