Meet Our Trainers

Right after college, Heather started training dogs for the hearing impaired. But it wasn’t until she had her first dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Wyllum, that she discovered positive reinforcement training.

Wyllum loved agility training. But the first sport they tried didn’t fit his temperament. “I knew it would preserve his personality and kind nature if I adjusted my training techniques and found a sport that he would also love.”

She leaned into it, learning as much as she could about the science and techniques behind this training. Meanwhile, she started teaching obedience classes at a local facility.

She was doing all of this on the side while she worked full time in the coffee industry. In 2009, she co-founded Happy Dog Institute with Emma and during the pandemic, she quit her 30-year coffee career and started training dogs full time.

Heather specializes in sports and advanced manners training for dogs and coaches their people; her goal is to help people communicate more effectively with their dogs and to help them embrace and engage with their dog’s temperament and personality.

Heather teaches dog-led training. “There’s not one script,” she says. “We customize instruction for the dog and help humans frame their goals.” 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.

In her personal life, Heather and her dogs — Wyete, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Myles, a Boston Terrier — compete in agility and scent work. She and Wyete also hunt truffles together!

Training & Certifications

• Bachelor of Arts in Dog Training, History, and Business
• Certified Family Dog Mediator (FDM)
• Accredited Dog Trainer, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC-ADT)
• Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA)
• Certified American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator (AKC CGC Evaluator)