Meet Our Trainers

Ashley is a scientist at heart, with a knowledge mindset that regularly prompts her to attend conferences and seminars so she can stay up on the latest industry research and best practices. At Happy Dog, she teaches many of our classes, including Puppy Training & Socialization, Chaotic Canine, Focus and Control for Teens, Foundation Skills for Adult Dogs, and About Town.

Paul describes themself as “a giant nerd for brains and feelings.” After earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Washington in 2014, they directed their expertise to the application of learning theories in the realm of domestic animals. Paul instructs many of our group classes, using warm, engaging group dynamics to help human-dog teams build rapport, learn together, and expand the ways they communicate with each other.

Jodi, a dog-savvy, dog-loving outdoor enthusiast, started with Happy Dog in the most authentic way possible: as a longtime client who started taking classes with her first dog, Stormy, and then became an instructor. Jodi is a gifted instructor who specializes in outdoor adventuring and agility training. She loves that these activities not only provide dogs with brain and physical enrichment but that they strengthen the guardian-dog bond.

Emma's career working with animals began when she began walking dogs and, later, when she started teaching classes with Heather. Once she was back from Edinburgh, Scotland, where she earned a Masters of Science in Animal Behavior and Welfare, she and Heather co-founded Happy Dog Institute in 2009. When you contact us, Emma is likely the first person you'll be talking with.

Right after college, Heather started training dogs for the hearing impaired. In 2009, she co-founded Happy Dog Institute with Emma, quit her 30-year coffee career and started training dogs full time. She values and teaches from a whole-dog perspective, helping humans round out their companions’ experiences in areas such as relationship building, impulse control, interactive games, and more. She’s proud of the Happy Dog team and the way they work collaboratively, playing off each other’s experience and strengths.

As our demo dog, Dax is a highly dog-social dog. He’s forgiving, thoughtful about body language, and can hang with even the most hesitant pups. He’s a great first introduction for dogs who need social integration or who need to build confidence around other dogs. Dax was a potential service dog but that wasn’t the life for him. So now he’s living a fulfilling life, popping into classes when we need him to help guardians teach their dogs skills.