You want to do right by your dog, But you might be missing part of the picture.
Together, we see the whole dog as the individual they are, and find what actually works for both of you.
Meet the Founder: Justus Joseph
Certified Professional Dog Trainer & Behaviour Consultant
Chicago & Virtual
I work with caring people who are trying hard — the ones who want to do everything right for a dog they love completely, and sense they're missing part of the picture. Together, we look at the whole dog: behaviour, body, and the particular individual in front of us. Then we build something that actually works, for both of you.
My dogs taught me how to live. Not as a metaphor, as a fact. Watching them age, advocating for their bodies, walking them toward the end of their lives with the same intention I brought to the beginning changed how I see this work. Lineage of Love isn't a training business; it's a way of being: for the dogs in my care and the people who trust me with their most important relationships.
I specialize in pain-mediated behaviour, end-of-life support, and dog dance and sports as a relational practice — CPDT-KA certified, with additional training as a Dynamic Dog Practitioner (functional movement assessment), and credentials through IAABC, APDT, and Susan Friedman’s Living and Learning with Animals program.
Credentials:
CPDT-KA | DDP | MFA | LLA | IAABC | APDT | THRIVE Member
Feel like we’d be a good fit?
Let’s begin your journey together.
Where dog training becomes relationship, ritual, and legacy.
Training at Lineage of Love isn't about teaching your dog to behave; it's about learning to see each other — your dog's body, their history, the particular way they move through the world — and building from what you find there.
This is science-led work with an ethical foundation. Consent, communication, and your dog's inner experience aren't add-ons; they're the whole point. Whether you're raising a puppy, navigating reactivity, supporting a dog through pain or disability, or wanting more depth in the bond you already have, you'll find rigorous, personalized support here.
This is more than dog training.
Together we create a plan for the life you’re actually living.
line·age of love (noun)
The deep, intuitive bond you form with your first dog — the kind of connection that shapes how you love, listen to, and learn from every dog that follows.
A soul-level understanding shared with another being — one that expands your awareness, brings meaning to your life, and leaves an imprint on your heart forever.
Those of us who seek better for our dogs — who want to make their world safer, softer, and more joyful — are always becoming. Always learning. Always reaching for something kinder.
That is what a lineage of love means. Not a destination. A lifelong choice, rooted in care, curiosity, and deep respect for the dogs who walk beside us and change us as they go.
If that sounds like you, you'll find a place here.
Love is the starting place.
I’ll help you with the rest.
"It was not a strong armed approach."
— DonnaMeet Justus’ Dogs
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Bronte
ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
The one she orbits. Souldog. The question that never stops asking itself.
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Emerson
JUNIOR BARK RANGER
The reason no one can sit on the couch without checking the blankets.
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Burns
HEAD OF SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT
Loves his mama and everyone else is subject to potential murder.
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Fleur Darling
PAWTENTIAL ADVISOR
She came in like a tornado and made herself at home.
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Olivia Penelope
HEAD OF UNSOLICITED ZOOMIES
Gabe fell in love and couldn't let go, which is exactly how the best ones arrive.
Justus’ Lineage
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Homer WCB Pants
GUARDIAN OF MIDNIGHT SNACKOS
The poet who gave her a lineage.
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Princess Suicide Belle
GUARDIAN OF COMFY BEDS
She taught us the slow, gentle work of helping a traumatized dog feel safe.
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Milton
GUARDIAN OF SWEET SURPRISES
He went from barely walking to running with joy.
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Byron Sheffield Billy Elliot
GUARDIAN OF MISCHIEF
Losing him unexpectedly altered the shape of her world.
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Poe-Tato Hedgehog
GUARDIAN OF THE LOST
A love that lived entirely in hope.
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Wilde Scuttlebutt
GUARDIAN OF JOY
Pure joy, uncomplicated, ever-present — everything she wants the world to be.
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His Tiny Terrificness Thomas
GUARDIAN OF QUIETITUDE
Four pounds soaking wet, and the biggest presence in every room.
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Ginny Sweetpea
GUARDIAN OF FRIENDSHIP
The goodest girl who helped every other dog and person feel safe.
Certified, insured, and trained across the disciplines that inform this work — from behaviour consulting to functional movement assessment.
Certifications
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The CPDT-KA is awarded by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers — the only independent certifying organization for dog trainers in North America. It requires demonstrated competency across learning theory, instruction skills, husbandry, and ethology, and is maintained through ongoing continuing education. It's the benchmark credential for professional dog trainers, and the one most veterinarians and behaviour professionals recognize when making referrals.
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The Dynamic Dog Practitioner framework trains practitioners to assess a dog's gait, posture, and movement patterns as part of a behaviour consultation — identifying physical discomfort or pain as a potential contributing or causal factor in behaviour problems. This is the foundation of Lineage of Love's Dynamic Dog Assessment service, and the credential that positions this practice at the intersection of behaviour and veterinary care. DDP practitioners work in close collaboration with veterinary partners to ensure findings are communicated clearly and acted on appropriately.
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The MFA is the highest degree awarded in creative writing. It informs the way Justus reads, writes, and tells stories: the precision of the clinical documentation sent to veterinary partners, the care taken with every client-facing word, and the belief that language is how we make meaning of the relationships that matter most. At Lineage of Love, writing is not an administrative task; it's part of the practice.
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Susan Friedman's Living and Learning with Animals program is a rigorous, science-based curriculum grounded in applied behaviour analysis and ethology. It is one of the most respected continuing education programs in the companion animal field, and completing it signals a practitioner's commitment to understanding behaviour from the animal's perspective — consent, agency, and the dog's inner experience are not add-ons here; they are the foundation.
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As an official AKC evaluator, Justus is authorized to test and title dogs in AKC Tricks (Novice through Advanced), Canine Good Citizen (CGC), CGC Advanced, CGC Urban, STAR Puppy, and AKC Fetch. Testing is available to current clients as part of their training journey — a formal recognition of the real skills you and your dog have built together.
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The IAABC is the professional body for animal behaviour consultants worldwide, with a code of ethics and standards of practice that go beyond basic training credentials. Membership signals a commitment to evidence-based, humane behaviour consultation — and access to a peer network of specialists across species, which directly informs complex case work.
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The APDT is the largest professional membership organization for dog trainers in North America, with a strong commitment to science-based, humane training methods and ongoing continuing education. Membership provides access to current research, peer community, and professional development that keeps this practice current and connected.
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THRIVE is a business development and professional community for dog training and behaviour professionals, run by DogBiz University. It's included here not as a behaviour credential but as a transparency note: the business side of Lineage of Love is held to the same standard of intentional, ongoing learning as the clinical side.
"Everything and more than I could have hoped for... Knowledge. Peace of mind. Joy."
— David Wellman