About Me
My name is Hannah Halpern (she/her) and I am a KPA Certified Training Partner, a lifelong dog lover and an eager student of all things behavior. My passions are in understanding and teaching positive reinforcement techniques as means for dogs and humans to build strong, healthy relationships through science-based training, communication, and foundational skills.
In addition to my love for dogs, I am an artist and illustrator, graduating with a BA in Studio Art from Pacific University. My dream is to combine my passions for animals, art, and education to share knowledge in fun and informative ways with learners of all ages!
In my free time, I can be found drawing, experimenting with new artistic media, or exploring the outdoors with my friends, family, and my own very special dog Russell.
About Honest Dog
Knowing what advice to follow and where to turn for support is difficult and confusing in an unregulated industry like dog training. Conflicting messages from social media to reality tv make it hard to know what’s real, what works, and who to believe when it comes to understanding, living with, and training our dogs.
As someone who was once confused and frustrated by the plethora of conflicting information I found online, I understand this feeling only too well. This meant spending years using training methods that did more harm than good, both for my dog, and our relationship. It wasn’t until I came across a book by Dr. Patricia McConnell that I was introduced to the science of animal behavior, force-free, reward-based dog training, and began to see real improvement in my dog’s training and behavior, and in my ability to understand him and his needs.
Now as a certified professional and a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy, it is my duty and my pleasure to provide guidance and support to other families looking for the most humane and effective ways to understand, learn with, and teach their dogs.
“The dog’s agenda
is simple, fathomable,
overt”
— Caroline Knapp
“The dog’s agenda is simple, fathomable, overt.” A quote from Caroline Knapp and a tenet I live by. Honest Dog got its name because we understand that behavior is an honest reflection of our dog’s needs, and that it is our human duty to do our best to meet those needs.
Often, common behavior issues can be addressed by making sure our dog’s basic needs are being met on a regular basis. When you work with Honest Dog, I will provide creative strategies for working with and teaching your dog, and foundational information about understanding and meeting their needs in ways that work for you and and your family.
At Honest Dog we use only force-free and reward-based methods that center the dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing. We will never use punishment, aversive tools, or corrections, and training does not require physical strength, intimidation, or manipulation to “control” the animal. For more information about our methods, and why they work, visit our FAQs page.
If you’re ready to strengthen your relationship with your dog, and learn how to teach them and communicate effectively, you can schedule a consultation here.
Photographs on this page taken by @ella_arie of @morningsideway
Contact me
Hannah Halpern, KPA-CTP
she/her
hannah@anhonestdog.com
(206) 369-1731
Occupied Duwamish Territory // Seattle, WA
