About THE TRAINERS:
Bliss & Jessica Steele
Bliss and Jessica Steele live in Lancaster, South Carolina with their son and seven dogs. Both Bliss and Jessica have had a lifelong love for dogs. Having grown up with a blind father, Bliss has always been around and worked with well-trained service dogs. That knowledge, along with a passion for animals, eventually led to his working with and training hunting dogs at a hunting preserve. For the past fifteen years Bliss has worked professionally training dogs, addressing behavioral issues, and providing in-home guidance for dog owners.
Jessica always had a desire to work with dogs but didn't know in what form that would take. Her dream became a reality when she joined lives with Bliss in 2019. Jessica specializes in the training of year-under pups and relishes the opportunity to train these dogs in such a way that they are a source of joy for the families they join.
Along with their work at Inline Training, Bliss serves as the Corporate Chaplain for Nutramax Laboratories in Lancaster, SC where he and Jessica met. He has had the opportunity to travel and speak to audiences, teaching life lessons through the unique use of Retrievers with their ministry, Disciple Dogs.
Using dogs in various stages of training, Bliss illustrates biblical truths combined with practical application to show the power of obedience in a person's life. The ministry of Disciple Dogs teaches a simple message based on truths that come from God's Word and truths that have the power to forever change a person's life.
what does it mean to live in freedom?
"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:32
Click here to learn more about the ministry of Disciple Dogs where our mission is for all people, regardless of age, race, gender, or situation, to experience the freedom that comes from living a life of obedience.
About the training:
Inline Training principles & Methods
1
Boundaries, rules, and limitations are the foundation of all that we do.
To play a field sport, like soccer or football, boundary lines and rules are necessary. Without them, there is no game, it's only chaos. There is no working as a team, it's every player for themselves...and they aren't even sure where to go. The same is true for our dogs (and for ourselves as well, truthfully). You give your dog a sense of safety when you give them rules and boundaries. We will teach you how to communicate those boundaries, rules, and limitations to your dog in a way that they can understand them.
your Dog's behavior can be understood & addressed. Dogs can't speak human but you can learn to speak dog.
Dogs love us and we love them but we have to remember that dogs are not people.
2
If this is a hard truth for you to accept, we understand. So many people have attributed human qualities to their "fur babies" and this is often to the detriment of the relationship between owner and dog. Children do not fair well when they are treated like adults. Even more so do canines suffer when they are treated as children. Though many of the principles of dog training can be translated and applicable to our growth as humans as well, there are key differences and they must be acknowledged.
Dogs were created by God with a purpose specific to their breed.
Dogs are incredible animals, each breed demonstrating strong traits. It is important to recognize this beautiful part of their nature and not to demand they act completely contrary to their nature. As humans we know that we find the most joy when we are operating within our natural gifting coupled with self-control and proper authority. You would not demand an artist work as an accountant and then expect them to be joyful with their tasks. Nor could someone with the natural abilities of a horticulturist be content with building roadways.
3
Dogs crave and require consistent leadership. If you don't lead, they will.
4
Dogs require masters. If you will not be the master, the dog will either happily or reluctantly take on that role. Again, it's not cruel to enforce boundaries for your dog - it's actually kind. Your dog looks to you for leadership. If they do not see your position of leadership communicated they will see your household as a leaderless pack and will step up to the task - willingly or begrudgingly. You must learn to communicate in their language that you are the leader. Once you communicate it and then demonstrate your consistency your dog will fall in line.
at inline training, we train both you and your dog on how to have the most enjoyable relationship with each other!
What past clients have to say about inline training
As a busy mom with three young kids I knew we wanted to add a dog to the mix but I was overwhelmed at the prospect of training them. It was all I could do to train the three humans I was responsible for. Enter Bliss & Jessica. We loved them the minute we met them and they alleviated so much of the stress and fear of bringing a dog into the family. Teddy spent two months with them and when he came home he was house trained, crate trained, respected boundaries (such as doorways), and knew sit, stay, off, and ok (permission). Honestly, I wanted to send my three kids to live with Bliss and Jessica for a few months with how well they worked with Teddy.
We've continued Teddy's training and he has been an absolute joy. We're actually considering adding a second dog and my husband and I agree that will only happen if the puppy stays with Bliss and Jessica first.
Stephanie & Teddy / Puppy training academy
