The Smiling Dog - A Little Company with a Big Heart!

At the heart of The Smiling Dog is Lori Melhuish. Lori founded The Smiling Dog on the belief that dog training should be fun for both the dogs and their humans!

Lori is an Animal Behavior Consultant and owns and operates The Smiling Dog in Yorktown, Virginia.  Lori has an extensive background in animal behavior and training. She was a Professional Wolf Trainer at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia.  In addition to training the endangered Grey Wolf, she worked in the zoological department with a variety of animals including exotic birds, reptiles and small mammals.  Lori has authored numerous articles on the subject of animal behavior and has given seminars for the Peninsula SPCA (www.peninsulaspca.com) and Dachshund Rescue of North America (www.drna.org).  She is also published in "Top Tips from Top Trainers," a book published by The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com).

Lori specializes in canine behavior modification in pet dogs.  She truly enjoys helping dog owners with their dog's behavior challenges including, aggression, separation anxiety, house training, jumping up and other common canine behavioral problems   She especially enjoys helping owners with rescued/adopted dogs.  She is also available for bird and small mammal behavior consulting.

 Lori's unique approach includes a system that she has developed through years of research and personal experience.   Rest assured that you will be in good hands with Lori, as she not only understands dogs, she understands people.  She will help you feel relaxed and confident in your own skills as a dog trainer, enhancing the bond between you and your canine companion. 

- Lori resides in Yorktown, Virginia with her husband and twin girls along with their menagerie of rescued dogs, parrots and one charming Siamese cat. 

 

Lori is an advocate for rescue and adopted pets.  She has volunteered for Dachshund Rescue of North America www.drna.org  as a foster care provider, trainer and home visit evaluator. She has also volunteered for the Peninsula SPCA, www.peninsulaspca.org, caring for adoptable dogs and providing seminars for staff and volunteers.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, their identical twin daughters and their pets. 

Lori  is insured by The Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Lori has developed several in-home training programs, each designed to achieve specific results. Her approach is not one size fits all. Some of Lori's programs include:

• Puppy Preschool
• Basic Manners Obedience Training
• Behavior Modification
• Aggression Control and Management
• Housetraining 101
• Walk This Way - Leash manners

 

 

“The ability to train dogs is a very special skill, for it requires a person who not only loves dogs but understands them and knows how to teach them to be responsive to human commands.”

- ‘Uncle Matty’ Margolis, Dog Trainer to the Stars