Jessie Sanfillippo, KPA CTP, CPDT-KA

Jessie Sanfillippo, KPA CTP, CPDT-KA
Dog Trainer

My Role at Tucker Pup's

I train dogs in classes, private lessons, and Turnkey Training. In addition, I am a Canine Good Citizen evaluator with the American Kennel Club.

Certifications and Education

I earned my CTP certification at the Karen Pryor Academy, one of the leading schools for people to become dog trainers.

I also earned my CPDT-KA certification (Certified Pet Dog Trainer).

I graduated from Elmhurst University with a Bachelors of Science in Biology.

Work Experience

I originally started at Tucker Pup's as a dog handler, and worked my way up from Staff Trainer to Staff Supervisor, then eventually dog trainer. I trained dogs in our Dropoff Training, Puppy Socials, and Stay and Train programs before moving to classes and private lessons.

Why I Became a Dog Trainer

Before working at Tucker Pup's, I had my first introduction to positive reinforcement training at the Shedd Aquarium. At the Shedd, I volunteered, interned, and eventually held multiple temporary positions in the marine mammals department, which included rescue dogs! While assisting in the training of beluga whales and dolphins was an absolute dream, it was the rescue dogs that were the most inspiring. All of the dogs at Shedd were surrendered to Chicago shelters for various behavior issues. Watching the Shedd trainers transform these pups with troubled pasts into literal show dogs was life-changing. This experience helped solidify my belief that all dogs are trainable and can be transformed into well-behaved members of the family.

My Dog

I have a pit bull / Lab mix named Wade. Together, we want to spread the joy and bond created through positive reinforcement training with as many people and their dogs in our community as possible. I believe that training can and should always be fun for both dog and human.

Testimonials

I have been so impressed with the training that we received from Tucker Pup's dropoff training program and Jessie the trainer! Our puppy, Zeke, has truly transformed after the three weeks. Furthermore, I feel equipped to continue with the exercises with Zeke. The 1:1 training sessions were great and did so much to build our confidence in working with Zeke on our own. All in all, he is so much more balanced, and we're equipped with much better tools to continue to strengthen our bond. Couldn't be happier!

- Virginia Venable

We are way more than satisfied with Dropoff Training! Winnie is a completely different dog in every single aspect. Starting with the training, she has learned so many new things that make our every day lives so much easier. Dropoff Training was the perfect option to get her trained fast since we both worked all day from home and weren’t able to focus as much time on training as we wanted to. David, Jessie and Jordan were absolutely wonderful to work with and genuinely cared and loved for Winnie way more than I could’ve asked for.

We started bringing her to Tucker Pup's when she was a little puppy which naturally made me nervous, but I am so glad we did. Moving onto the daycare portion of Dropoff Training, wow! This made the whole experience even better. All the handlers were absolutely awesome! Winnie was very timid at first and did not take to other dogs like we wanted her to. She would stand off in the corner and keep to her own... 3 days in she started to come out of her shell and here we are now, she LOVES to play with any and all dogs! She is the sweetest, most well-behaved dog, and we have Tucker Pup's to thank for that. I can’t say enough good things! We will continue to bring Winnie back for daycare every once in a while because she loves it so much. I don’t think we will ever feel comfortable bringing her anywhere else for training or daycare.

Thank you for all that you do, Tucker Pup's!

- Nicole Morin

Jessie was amazing for Turnkey Training and we have already gotten Kevin, my puppy, to such a great place in a matter of months! I will be continuing with a few more lessons to really get him in a well-behaved and mannered state, but I have nothing but great things to say. I have already referred a few others for it!

- Rae Hopkins

Jessie's Upcoming Training Events

Upcoming Classes:

Intermediate Manners
Starting Mon, May 12, 2025
5:30 pm
Tucker Pup's Training Center

Puppy Manners
Starting Mon, May 19, 2025
6:45 pm
Tucker Pup's Training Center

Intermediate Manners
Starting Mon, Jun 30, 2025
5:30 pm
Tucker Pup's Training Center

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