Hillary - Dog Behavior Consultant, Head Heart & Founder
Hillary has worked with shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries across the country for over a decade. Her qualifications are based on over 5000 thousand hours of training and behavior modification, with a focus on hard-to-place, behaviorally complex dogs. The advocacy program that Hillary built from the ground up at a prominent shelter in Austin, TX, contributed to the successful placement of over 500 dogs into adoptive homes.
Throughout the course of her career, Hillary has learned that many dogs need much more than obedience to succeed in a loving home and ultimately stay out of the shelter system. In order for them to work past their trauma, those dogs need to be approached with gentle clarity, kindness, understanding, and empathy. Hillary has coupled her academic and professional studies with real-world experience to develop an innate, intuitive sense of dogs’ emotions. She chooses to support and nurture a mutual dialogue, approaching each interaction as a guide, rather than a trainer.
During the pandemic, she offered free, online community classes to help with foundational skill building for leash reactivity. In addition to running the Speckled Hearts Project, Hillary continues to teach privately both in person, as well as virtually.
Working dogs and doing dog things
More to Come!
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