WELCOME
Hi, I'm Michaela
My life began with dogs. I had a childhood that most would never get to experience; growing up with 30-40 dogs at any given time, horses, cats, ferrets, guinea pigs, etc. Sound crazy? It was.
Why so many dogs? My mom was a dogsled musher. She was a single-mom and self-employed; raising and racing sled dogs in the winter, training horses in the summer, and raising me in the midst of it all. She taught me everything she knew about dog training, and with that many dogs I inherently learned to think more like a dog than human. Understanding dog behavior and knowing how to communicate effectively to train them was a gift I took for granted until recent years.
Fast forward, I went to college with dreams about becoming a wildlife biologist, but explored many career paths. I graduated with a degree in Anthropology and pursued fieldwork jobs with Fish and Wildlife, guided horseback rides in Idaho, worked for an airline, learned winemaking at an Oregon winery, and dabbled with many other jobs with no lasting interest. While I soul-searched for many years, the one thing that remained constant was my dogs. They went everywhere with me; I trained them to go ski-joring, bike-joring, hiking, paddle boarding, and even the simple things like relaxing on a restaurant patio. This is always how I imagined life with a dog should be; mutually fulfilling and enjoyable, and it was our norm.
Fast forward some more, I started working as a vet technician at a clinic in Redmond. Every day I would see people struggling with their dog's behavior; pulling like crazy, jumping, barking, whining, even some of the injuries that we would treat were related to the owner not having the tools or knowledge of how to keep their dog under control and safe. In the back of my mind, I knew that the majority of it could all be improved if the owners and the dogs had more education and training. That idea continued to grow.
In 2022, I left the vet clinic and started Summit Homestead. My Fiancé, Phil, and I, bought a little home in Terrebonne, Oregon, overlooking the Cascade summits and settled in with our four dogs, and two horses. Our dogs get to go horseback riding, bike-joring, ski-joring, swimming, and so much more, all made possible by incorporating training as a lifestyle. It is my goal to educate and empower dog owners to live their best life with their dog, like we do with ours. Training is what makes it all possible!
My Philosophy
I look at your relationship with your dog as a whole. For any relationship to thrive, there needs to be balance. A healthy relationship with a dog needs equal parts of love, trust, boundaries, structure, and fulfillment. We can start to have a more clear conversation with our dogs if we first reflect on what might be out of balance in our relationship. Identifying the why behind your dog's behavior will help us understand how we can change it. My training techniques are always adapting to the dog and owner I am working with. I will work with you to find the most suitable and realistic training approach for what you and your dog need to help you reach your goals.
