Our Philosophy
Wild at Heart Canine Academy is based on the belief that dogs are animals and therefore live by a different set of rules than us. This can cause confusion and chaos for people who have never owned a dog before, or have trouble with a new addition to their household. Here at Wild at Heart Canine Academy, we use the latest science based training techniques to solve why your dog is doing certain behaviors and make a training regimen to help you reach your goals with each dog. We teach both yes and no so that the dog clearly knows exactly what is and is not expected of them, leading to an educated decision based on that knowledge. We strive to be fair and responsible trainers so that we set a good example for our clients.
Meet Our Trainers
Hanna Keith
Hanna was born with a love of animals regardless of species or size and was even called an animal whisperer by her friends and family when growing up! Almost all of Hanna’s jobs revolved around dogs as well: she spent 6 years as a dog bather, which helped her learn canine body language and handling skills; at doggie daycares, which allowed her to see proper and improper body language and play styles; at pet boutiques, which gave her a wider knowledge about good nutrition and a variety of toys; and even as a pet sitter that allowed her to learn how to coexist with multiple animals at once!
Hanna has always had a passion for learning as much as she can about canine behavior and will strive to always continue that quest for new knowledge. Her passions led her to attend Purdue University and earn a degree in Animal Behavior and Wellness. Immediately after graduation, she traveled to Starmark Academy in Texas, where after hard work and dedication, she graduated top of her class and was proud to earn the title of Certified Canine Trainer and Behavior Specialist. From there she spent over a year working at a canine training facility in Arkansas, practicing her knowledge and really hone in on her skills. Finally, Hanna made the big decision to open up her own practice, Wild at Heart Canine Academy!
Hanna is also a certified American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen (AKC CGC) Evaluator and has since attended multiple seminars for continued education in different aspects of dog training including scent detection, protection, and more.
Qualifications
Bachelor Degree in Animal Behavior and Wellness- Purdue Univeristy 2018
Certified Canine Trainer and Behavior Specialist- Starmark Academy 2019
AKC Evaluator 2020
Pat Nolan seminar for duck hunting and scent detection 2019
International Association of Canine Professional Member (IACP) 2021
Completed a 4-month Mentorship with Walk With Me Ottowa 2020
Completed a 6-month Mentorship with Pheonix K9 Training 2022
Multiple protection and competition obedience seminars with Pawfect K9 - Working Spot
Cameron Ford: Odor Pays; Simon Prins: ACT! K9 School; Pat Nolan: Remote Directionals- Seminar 2022
Justin Rigney- NePoPo® and E-collar Seminar 2023
Pat Stuart- Motivate, Communicate, Coach 2023
Experience
Current Member of K9 Working Dogs of Dallas - PSA Club since 2021
Previously competed in IGP/IPO and Currently competing in PSA
Competition obedience
Trick teacher
Scent detection
Performed scent detection and obedience seminar at local Senior living center, Siloam Springs, Arkansas
Lead a defensive handling and dog behavior seminar for Circle of Life Hospice Care nurses and staff
Multiple obedience demonstrations at Holland Barn Venue for various events
Willow
AKC Canine Good Citizen
Multiple trick titles
Scent detection: bed bugs and AKC scents
Professionally good looking
Valko
AKC Canine Good Citizen
Multiple trick title
Scent detection: narcotics
BH title in IGP (Protection sport)
All around Good Boy
Demon
PSA (Protection Sports Association) PDC Title
Personal Protection Dog
Ginormous Goofball
Aubrie Keith
Aubrie is Hanna’s sister and has spent many years working with Hanna and assisting her in all of her adventures and jobs. By first becoming Hanna’s assistant, and working hard to learn from her over the past few years, Aubrie’s knowledge about dog handling, nutrition, and training has skyrocketed. Because Aubrie was self taught by Hanna, they have the same training techniques and can fluidly transition and work with each other, which causes less confusion for clients and their dogs. Aubrie has worked very hard to get where she is now and is very excited to be a Co-Founder of Wild at Heart Canine Academy.
Not only is Aubrie knowledgeable with dogs, but she also brings many other skills to the table. She has almost a decade’s worth of customer relations and sales, which has molded her into someone that can easily explain what she is selling, make sure it is the right product for you, and she does it with a bright smile and a winning personality. She also is very creative, has a love of making jewelry and fashion and wants to one day create hand made dog tags, matching jewelry, patches and more to bring a more personalized touch to the business.
Qualifications
Co-Founder and Lead dog trainer at Wild at Heart Canine Academy
Completed Shadow program with Kane9 Dog Training 2021
Completed virtual program with Walking Dog Training
Group Class Game Changer Seminar - 2023
Experience
Apprenticed under Hanna Keith since 2016-2020
Dog walking, boarding, and transportation experience since 2016
Attended protection and working dog seminar with Pawfect K9 - Audit
Cupa
Scent detection: AKC scent
Multiple tricks
Perfect snuggle buddy
Mykelti Rhodes
Mykelti grew up in a small west Texas town where she learned the importance of properly caring for animals at a young age. Through her participation in 4H and FFA, Mykelti helped raise lambs, pigs, goats, horses, and cattle. Mykelti’s family also utilized border collies on their farm for herding purposes.
With her childhood being heavily influenced by animals, Mykelti was beyond excited at the opportunity to adopt a dog of her own while attending West Texas A&M University. At the time, Mykelti was a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance. She quickly discovered the dog she adopted had significant behavioral issues and began researching dog training. Shortly after graduating with her Bachelor of Arts, Mykelti decided she needed to make a lifestyle change in order for her dog to improve. She sought out the help from experts, which lead her to enroll in Startmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers. During her time there, Mykelti gained experience working with different breeds and temperaments. Her passion for understanding dog psychology and application of different training techniques grew immensely.
Once she acquired her certification as a Professional Canine Trainer and Behavior Specialist in 2019, Mykelti immediately began her career in the industry. Since then, Mykelti has worked at facilities across the country in Texas, Arkansas, and Oregon. Mykelti grew more interested in behavior modification, competitive obedience, protection training, dog sports, and biologically appropriate canine nutrition throughout her employment at various facilities. Mykelti strives to further her education by attending seminars like Jerry Bradshaw’s PSA seminar, and enrolling in courses to become a certified professional canine nutritionist.
Mykelti is grateful to be part of the Wild at Heart Canine Academy, where she’s encouraged to utilize her combined knowledge of theatre and dog training. Mykelti’s performance degree has influenced her training career by helping her be cognizant of body language, voice inflection, and the importance of timing when rehearsing quality repetitions with dogs. She is passionate about supporting her clients and their efforts to improve their dogs’ quality of life. Mykelti aims to keep herself and her clients motivated, by safely and properly implementing science based balanced training, as she continues to grow her knowledge base on the subject.
Ruca
Best Brewery Pup
Sheds a mile a minute
Alyssa Foster
Alyssa grew up surrounded by dogs which is one of the reasons she decided to become a dog trainer! Alyssa has worked under Hanna for several years, learning the ins and outs of dog training. She has also worked alongside Daniel and Kayla Morris from North Texas Working Dogs while raising her puppy in competitive obedience. She has also learned the sports of dock diving and agility training with Pamela White of Dallas Air Dogs. Alyssa has also attended several dog training seminars such as play seminar with Urban Dog Leader, shadow program with On Command Dog Training, puppy raising course with Take the Lead Dog Training, private lesson with Forrest Mickie and NePoPo Seminar with Justin Rigney.
Alyssa wants to one day own her own dog training facility and is actively pursuing a degree in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. She also attended the "Badass Business Summit" with Donnie Boivin.
Alyssa has participated in many dog sports with her personal dog Rio, a French shepherd, and together they have accomplished 9 titles so far! Those titles include Canine Good Citizen, Canine Good Citizen Urban, Canine Good Citizen Advanced, Trick dog titles Novice, Intermediate and Advanced, Rally Obedience Novice, and Dock Diving Junior and Senior.
Rio
"Eagle Valley Soul Du Loup Sauvage DS RN CGCA CGCU TKA"
Canine Good Citizen (cgc)
Canine Good Citizen Urban (cgcu)
Canine Good Citizen Advanced (cgca)
Dock Junior (DJ)
Dock Senior (DS)
Rally Obedience
Novice (RN)
Trick dog Novice (tkn)
Trick dog Intermediate (tki)
Trick dog Advanced (tka)
Mango
Mango is our glorified receptionist at Wild at Heart Canine Academy’s Facility! She was found wandering around Hanna’s neighborhood one morning as a stray. Because she was so friendly and curious, Hanna decided to bring her to the facility as the new Door Greeter! She enjoys staring out the windows, rubbing her face on anything she can find, and taunting the training dogs as often as possible!
Come Train With Us
Dallas / Forth Worth and surrounding areas