We are a family business rooted in a passion for canine companions. With decades of experience passed down through generations, we offer top quality private lessons and group classes. Our goal is to strengthen the bond between you and your dog.
About
Willow Creek Dog Training
Our Training Philosophy
At Willow Creek Dog Training, we believe that great training starts with understanding. Every dog is an individual, with their own personality, learning style, background, and needs. Because of this, we do not follow a rigid, one-size-fits-all system. Instead, we use a relationship-based, adaptive approach that is tailored to each dog and family.
Our first priority is building a strong foundation of trust, communication, and engagement between you and your dog. A healthy relationship is the key to long-term success. When dogs feel understood and supported, they learn faster, retain skills better, and become more confident in everyday life.
We use positive reinforcement to teach new commands and behaviors. This includes praise, affection, toys, and food rewards to motivate dogs and help them clearly understand what is expected of them. We focus on creating learning experiences where dogs feel successful, confident, and eager to participate.
If needed we introduce fair, appropriate corrections. These are never used to punish. Corrections are used as a form of communication to improve clarity, increase safety, and guide better decision-making. When used, they are typically light, quick leash pressure or similar gentle guidance, never dragging, harsh handling, or excessive force. Every correction is followed by guidance toward the correct behavior so dogs always finish sessions feeling successful.
We mainly follow a Balanced Reward System that combines positive reinforcement with thoughtful structure and boundaries. This balanced approach helps dogs understand both what to do and what not to do, creating reliable behavior in real-world situations.
We believe training should always be a partnership. Your comfort, values, and goals matter. Our role is to educate and guide.
We may use training tools such as slip leashes, prong collars, and e-collars when appropriate. Not every dog needs these tools, and not every dog is a good candidate. When used correctly, they are meant to improve communication, clarity, and safety.
At Willow Creek Dog Training, we believe that successful training is about more than teaching dogs. We place a strong emphasis on training owners. Our goal is to give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence to communicate clearly with your dog long after lessons are over. We teach you how to read body language, reinforce good choices, manage challenges, and maintain consistency at home.
Much like teaching children, when a dog makes a mistake, we calmly show them what not to do and what to do instead. Dogs learn best through clear expectations, consistency, structure, and positive guidance. We focus on helping dogs think through situations rather than simply react.
Our programs are designed to prepare dogs for real life, not just for the training field. We work on manners in the home, polite behavior in public, reliable obedience, and emotional stability in distracting environments. Our goal is to help dogs become confident, well-mannered companions who can succeed in everyday situations.
Every training program is fully customized to the individual dog, their temperament, their lifestyle, and their family. Whether you are raising a puppy, working through behavioral challenges, or refining advanced skills, we meet you where you are and build from there.
Our mission is to create strong relationships, clear communication, and lasting results so you and your dog can enjoy life together as a true team.
The Daughter
Bailee Praigg
"I am a second generation dog trainer who has been surrounded by dogs and professional training for as long as I can remember. Growing up with a mother who was a professional dog trainer, boarding kennel owner, and German Shepherd breeder with over 35 years of experience, I was immersed in the world of dogs from an early age. That foundation gave me a deep understanding of canine behavior, learning styles, and breed specific needs.
My personal training journey began at just seven years old, when I trained and certified my first German Shepherd through Therapy Dog International. That experience sparked a lifelong passion for helping dogs and their owners build strong, healthy relationships.
Over the years, I worked side by side with my mom, assisting with private lessons, group classes, and seminars. I gained hands-on experience working with everything from playful puppies to dogs with severe aggression and behavioral challenges. These experiences taught me the importance of adapting training methods to fit each unique dog and family.
More than seven years ago, I stepped into the role of full time professional trainer, leading my own private lessons and group classes. I have attended numerous training seminars and hands on workshops, including training with world renowned trainer Debbie Zappia, and I continue to pursue ongoing education to stay current in the field.
As a second generation trainer, I combine decades of family knowledge with modern, practical training methods and real world experience. My focus is on building strong relationships, clear communication, and confident owners who understand how to work with their dogs long after training ends.
I truly believe in the power of training to transform the relationship between a dog and their owner. With the right guidance, any dog can become a reliable and loving companion. My goal is to help you build a lasting bond with your dog based on trust, respect, and clear communication."
The Mother
Denise Smalt, founder of Willow Creek Dog Training
"My journey with dogs began in childhood, growing up surrounded by our family’s Siberian Huskies. Through 4-H, I started training my own dogs and quickly fell in love with the process of building a bond through communication and trust.
During the final semester of college, I brought home my first German Shepherd, “Koby.” Determined to learn as much as I could, I found a trainer who introduced me to advanced obedience and personal protection training. I drove an hour each week just to train, absorb knowledge, and improve my handling skills.
In my mid-20s, I began breeding German Shepherds and training in both AKC Obedience and Schutzhund. I attended numerous seminars across the state, including several hosted by Cornell University. I had the privilege of working under a world-class Schutzhund competitor and several renowned trainers from Germany.
As we began selling puppies, many families returned asking for help with training—and that’s when I began teaching formal obedience classes. Around the same time, I worked alongside Dr. Vivien Surman at a veterinary hospital, which further deepened my understanding of canine health and behavior.
Since 1990, I’ve been teaching obedience classes in Upstate New York, including:
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Basic Obedience
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Agility
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AKC Canine Good Citizen & Pet Therapy classes
My businesses have included:
Willow Creek Dog Obedience, Boarding Kennels & German Shepherds
Located in Bath, NY and Canandaigua, NY
I am a certified AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and have attended dozens of seminars over the years—many hands-on and advanced training sessions with elite trainers like Debbie Zappia of Proformance K9 (Marion, NY). I’ve also worked closely with Juli Lathrop of The Kramer Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to rehabilitating and rehoming shelter dogs, as well as using therapy dogs to help children through counseling programs.
Over the past 30+ years, I’ve had the privilege of helping countless people and their dogs—across a variety of breeds, temperaments, and training needs. One of my greatest joys has been passing this knowledge on to my daughter, Bailee Smalt, who began training at just 7 years old.
Bailee has personally trained five of her own dogs, earning four Canine Good Citizen certifications and two TDI Pet Therapy certifications, taking her dogs into schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. She has attended numerous seminars, including agility, flyball, and obedience seminars with Debbie Zappia in 2021. For the past four years, Bailee has taken the lead at Willow Creek, offering private lessons, group classes, and expanding our presence into Gainesville, Georgia.
I’m incredibly proud of the trainer and compassionate professional she’s become—continuing the Willow Creek legacy of helping dogs and their people build lasting, positive relationships."
A Previous Student: Kathleen Brown
"It's been close to twenty years ago now since I met Denise Smalt (Bailee's mother), then owner and operator of Willow Creek Dog Training operating in the Finger Lakes area of NY. At that time I had been participating in AKC Obedience and Conformation events for years, and it was, frankly, a godsend to find a trainer with broad experience, intuitive sense and who also shared my own personal philosophy of balanced training. In Denise I found a true friend and colleague in dogs.
However, this reference is for Bailee Smalt, the little girl who became her mother's right-hand in dog training over the years. I remember Bailee not just as a helper; she was that rare child who owned and trained her own dogs, eventually passing the therapy dog test and taking them on frequent visits to people in need. Then, as Bailee grew up it came as no surprise that she began teaching classes as an equal partner at Willow Creek, and eventually went on to teach obedience classes herself.
Having attended Bailee's classes in Canandaigua, NY, I not only found the Willow Creek training philosophy I came to know from Denise, but Bailee has evolved the program with her own personal touch to include: Updates on nutrition guidance, using new words and cues, updated training equipment and introducing different treats as rewards.
The most important things to know, though, are about the person: Bailee is exceedingly patient with both dogs and people, staying long after class has ended to help anyone in need on an individual basis. Bailee is mature beyond her years, well-organized, always keeping students informed of changes and following through on everything she commits to. As the last to leave, she makes certain the facility she uses is in impeccable order. Bailee has a special way of talking to people that makes them feel confident in their ability to handle their dogs. The manner in which she presents herself gives everyone a warm feeling of camaraderie, like we're all in this together. Bailee's involvement in and concern for people and their dogs reaches well beyond teaching her classes. She has been known to help place dogs in forever homes, is a strong supporter of animal shelters, and her social media postings are always full of dog training tips for everyone.
Dogs have always been the center of Bailee Smalt's life, and there's little doubt that she will bring her lifetime of experience to the dogs and owners there in Georgia. We miss Bailee back here in NY, but it's wonderful to see the capable young woman she has become, bringing Willow Creek Training to her new home."
