myk9smind

Holly Uchida, the trainer behind myk9smind in Salinas, California, brings an unusual background to dog training. According to her website, she began training professionally after September 11, 2001, and has since worked with search and rescue groups, provided therapy dog services in nursing homes and hospitals, and trained hearing-impairment service dogs. She's also an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.

What stands out in her approach is how she's adapted skills from search and rescue work—scent games, nose work, tracking exercises—into training activities for regular pet dogs. Her site describes sessions as individually designed after evaluating each dog, owner, and household, rather than following a set curriculum. She also offers virtual training for owners who prefer working from home.

Beyond standard obedience, myk9smind lists some less common services: training existing family dogs to serve as hearing-alert animals (responding to doorbells, phone calls, or someone calling the owner's name) and emotional support dog preparation. The site mentions one of her trained dogs appeared in a Thanksgiving commercial, though details are limited. Note that the website appears somewhat dated, and group obedience classes that were once offered have been discontinued—private sessions and virtual training seem to be the current focus.