Meet the Trainer

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Hi Milwaukie! My name is Hailey Sweet (She/Her), KPA CTP and I'm the sole Owner/ Trainer at Totally Epic Dog Training. I've been training dogs professionally since I got my certification in 2015. Since then, I have helped train thousands of dogs with various behavior problems.

 

Dogs have always been my passion. My childhood was spent dreaming of and working towards becoming a Veterinarian. I spent many hours as a teen at the local animal shelter walking dogs and helping clean kennels, it was my favorite after school activity! I started college at Purdue University studying animal behavior but realized during my internships that the veterinary field was not for me. 

 

I worked at PetSmart during college as a dog bather and got a lot of hands-on experience. I adopted a dog during this time, my chow chow/Australian shepherd mix “Chevy” and quickly realized I needed help with some undesirable behaviors he had. I attended a beginner clicker class and it blew my mind. Chevy was learning tricks so quickly and our relationship blossomed into a team. I was so eager to learn more after he graduated class, I found the local Kennel Club and joined to take agility classes. 

 

After falling in love with training, I began looking into how to train dogs for a living. After an intensive six months, I graduated from the Karen Pryor Academy Professional Training Program as a certified trainer. This program helped connect me to my mentor, Julie Shaw who spent the next five years teaching me all she knew. I spent many hours reading books, going to seminars, dog training expos, traveling to dog sporting events, all to learn as much as I could to be a well balanced dog trainer.

 

During my time with my mentor, I built a Day School program from the ground up that was mainly for dogs that had been kicked out of local daycares. When my mentor retired, I was very excited for the opportunity to move across the country! 

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I share my home with four wonderful dogs; Chevy is a ten year old Chow mix, Epic is a six year old Border Collie, Spyder is a five year old Belgian Malinois, and my newest addition Bronco is an English Cocker Spaniel puppy. My partner and I love to take the dogs on hikes, play frisbee, and dabble in dog sports.