Meet Canine Trade Group – Longhorn Dog Training’s exclusive support team

John Van Olden – President/CEO – Canine Trade Group

John is a recognized and respected member of the canine professional community, and the president of Canine Trade Group.  He started the company in 2010 to provide professional development, peer support, administrative, marketing and back office support for an exclusive network of invited professional dog trainers, who are all highly successful, independent, business owners. 

His more than 30 years of experience began in the military and continued to grow as he started the very first dog training franchise in the country, K-9 Advantage, becoming one of the earliest members of the International Association of Canine Professionals, eventually serving on their Board of Directors. 

Cristin Ellis – Operations Manager

As the Operations Manager, Cristin is a valuable part of the Canine Trade Group team, but it’s her passion and dedication to the industry that makes her invaluable. Cristin’s training venture began with agility competition training rather than behavioral training, and it was a major success—among the many titles her dogs earned were two Master Agility Championships (MACH).

But after getting a Border Collie, Sike! who developed fear aggression, anxiety, and resource guarding issues, she delved deeper into the world of behavioral training and found CTG’s techniques to be the most effective. Cristin can tell you firsthand why a CTG trainer would be the right choice for you.

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Dr. Karen Usselman V.M.D. – On Staff Veterinarian Consultant 

Dr. Usselman is originally from western New York, attended Cornell University and then the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia.  She graduated in 1996 and joined Brenford Animal Hospital in May 1996.  She is currently a partner with the practice.

Dr. Usselman enjoys working with dogs and cats.  She is particularly interested in internal medicine, ultrasonography, behavior and dentistry.  She serves as the treasurer of the Delaware Veterinary Medical Association and has taught in the Delaware Technical College Vet Tech program.

Dr. Usselman is married to Dr. Jeff Booth and has two children, three dogs and a cat to keep her busy at home.