Meet Hannah Thiemann | Dog Trainer & Behavior Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Thiemann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Before starting my own business, I was working for a large dog training facility in Denver. The owners shared my commitment to dog-friendly training, but the enormous overhead of maintaining the facility meant that their prices were seldom people-friendly! I went into dog training to help people and dogs, and I could see how much inflexible policies and high costs were harming them instead. I started my own business so that I could offer greater flexibility and sliding scale services to accomplish my primary goal: keeping pets in loving homes! I’m so thrilled that my remote model allows people to access a specialist in canine fear and anxiety without the cost that usually comes with my expertise.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started my business in September 2019 – just months before the global pandemic that had well-established businesses scrambling. To say that 2020 was a stressful year for my wife and me would be an understatement! I diversified my services to make it through the pandemic, doing everything from puppies to court-ordered evaluations for serious aggression cases. I also did a lot of consulting for rural shelters that needed expert support but didn’t have the resources for a full-time behavior team. A “take all comers” approach kept me afloat through the pandemic, but it was really hard both physically and emotionally. I was driving hours a day, writing follow-up emails at midnight, and responding to panicked texts from shelter managers on my weekends. The pandemic taught me the danger of spreading myself too thin and the importance of saying no. I’ve stopped trying to teach “one size fits all” group classes and I refer out cases when I’m not the right fit. I now specialize in offering personalized support to guardians of anxious dogs. A lot of my clients come to me after months or years of training efforts that have gotten them nowhere, and it’s really satisfying to give them the individualized support they need to succeed.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would definitely be heading to New Terrain Brewery for delicious beer, amazing food truck food, and gorgeous views. Of course, I would be obligated to point out the Kong headquarters next door as we passed; as a Colorado-raised dog trainer, how could I not? We’d bring our dogs of course, either to hang out on the patio and people watch or to head down the hill to the Tony Grampsas Dog Park, one of my faves because of its wooded, “off-leash hiking” vibe. On another day, we’d head up to Boulder to tour the Celestial Seasonings factory. If you’ve ever wondered what your dog gets out of sniffing everything on walks, this 45 minute stroll through the herb-scented factory will show you the true meaning of the word “sniffari!” After we’d had our fill of good smells and delicious tea samples, we could head to Walnut Cafe if we were hungry. To be honest, I’m a bit of a homebody, so we’d probably not do more than two “big outings.” The rest of the week, we would bike, hike, or walk the dogs in local parks, play board games, and sit outside enjoying the sunshine and the mountain views.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, an organization that took my lifelong passion for helping animals and gave me the support, education, and guidance I needed to turn passion into productive action. HSBV not only sponsored my education at the Academy for Dog Trainers but also gave me hands-on experience with thousands of animals of all different shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. The combination of a top-notch education and thousands of hours of practice has given me a level of expertise and familiarity with dog behavior I never could have accomplished elsewhere. Thank you, Humane Society of Boulder Valley, for all you taught me and for giving me the push out of the nest when it was time for me to move on. I am so so grateful.

Email: hannah@happytailstraining.com

Website: HappyTailsTraining.com

Instagram: happytailstrainer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happytailspettraining