About

MHT Legacy Dog Training: About Us
________________________________________

Dogs have always been a huge part of my life; being with my dogs was fun and they always had fun with me. Dogs were an important part of my childhood and I always had fun playing with them and teaching them cues and tricks using both food and toys. Walks through the woods surrounding our home became a daily activity along with swimming in the lake during the warm summer months. I even tagged along sometimes with my Dad when he trained and hunted with our Irish Setters. Dogs were an integral part of my daily life.

But it was Maya, a lovable but challenging yellow lab, who led me into dog training as an adult. Training Maya was easy until she was about 6 months old. I brought in a private, in-home trainer to help me gain knowledge and better skills. But back then, training consisted of “old school” methods and Maya (and even me) found this form of training was not fun! Old and outdated methods like choke chains, alpha rolls and intimidation began to damage our relationship. The bond was still there, but sadly, Maya was learning to respond by cowering and submissive peeing. I came to realize that training needed to be fun again and encouraging.

I did not re-hire the trainer and brought back the gentler, kinder and positive training methods of my childhood; like petting and loving on Maya and speaking softly to her instead of using unnecessary force and control (like being forced to the ground to show her who’s “boss”) and rewarding her with her favorite treats (spray cheese and crackers), including more playtime and the activities she loved like swimming and fetch.

Soon, our relationship began to heal and blossom and she willingly gave me her full trust again. The more kindly I treated her and the more I paid attention to what she was trying to tell me, she rewarded not only me, but my children as well, with her whole heart and soul. She was our faithful and trustworthy friend and companion until she lost her battle with cancer at only 8 years old.

But Maya’s legacy still lives on with what she taught me. She’s also memorialized in the name of my training business (MHT Legacy Dog Training) along with my two current and beloved K9s, Hailey and Tadi.

Click here to read more testimonials from other clients.

Hailey

In 2012, Hailey, another yellow lab, came into our life. Hailey is the canine definition of “easygoing” and “go with the flow!” She’s the world’s best snuggle buddy with absolutely no concept of personal space; i.e., mine! Hailey is also known as a food connoisseur who loves – and lives – to play soccer!

Tadi

Tadi was a goofy, sassy 10-week-old black lab mix who came through the wonderful organization, Paddy’s Paws in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Tadi has become my Training Dog Assistant (TDA) and sometimes assists in my training sessions and workshops as my demonstration dog. He loves to learn, work and train and steals my heart every time he looks at me with those beautiful brown eyes!

In addition to continuing my formal education toward earning my Behavior Consultant Diploma, I have also participated in a variety of training including body language, scent work, trick training, dogs around babies and children, and other advanced training including:

November 2015
Comparative Canid Behavior at Wolf Park
A hands-on seminar with dogs, wolves and foxes at the Wolf Park with Suzanne Clothier. We were allowed to interact with the wolves and foxes and observe training in their enclosures. (We had more hands-on interactions with the foxes; the wolves chose how they would interact with you. I actually got a polite greeting from one! Fun fact: they will put their open mouth over your head after they thoroughly sniff you!)
May 2017
Modifying Behavior in Aggressive Dogs
A hands-on seminar on Aggression Cases: Applied Behavior Modification, Safety and Defensive Handling with Michael Shikashio and Trish McMillan Loehr.
August 2017
Advanced Dog Training Topics weekend seminar with Ken Ramirez
April 2018
Sociability versus Aggression Thresholds in Dogs with Sue Sternberg
May 2018
Separation Anxiety: Mission Possible with Melana DeMartini
April 2019
Positive Solutions For Dog Aggression with Pat Miller

Giving back has always been an important part of my life too.

Volunteer my dog training services at the Watertown Humane Society .
Participated in home visits as a volunteer for Paddy’s Paws, the dog adoption coordinator for Houston, TX rescues such as Lola’s Lucky Day, Hooves and Hounds and Houston K911.

Today, through MHT Legacy Dog Training and in honor of Maya’s memory, we work to empower and teach both our clients and the community to only use humane, safe and force-free methods in any training (or problem-solving) activity to enhance the bond with their K9 family members. (Click here to learn more about our Services including private, in-home training, workshops and more.)

Positive reinforcement training not only gives our dogs the mental stimulation they need, but it also builds and strengthens their confidence and overall feeling of security and trust.