Inquiry, History & Intake Form
Tell us about your dog, your goals, and where things feel hardest right now.
Call or Text: (325) 242-9464
Serving: the Abilene, Texas area
Hoofbeats &
Heartbeats
Gentle training. Grounded care.
Positive reinforcement dog training for real-life living.
Serving the Abilene, Texas area
For busy people who want calm, connected dogs they can actually enjoy taking on everyday adventures.
You imagined peaceful walks, relaxed visitors, coffee shops without chaos, and a dog who can be part of your life instead of constantly managed around it.
Through compassionate, real-life training rooted in positive reinforcement, we help dogs and their people build calmer behavior, stronger communication, and a life that feels easier together.
Training Designed for Real Life
Choose the support that fits your dog, your goals, and your schedule.
Every program is built around calm behavior, emotional wellbeing, and helping dogs comfortably fit into everyday life.
Puppy Foundations
Building calm, confidence, and real-life skills from the start.
Packages starting at $295
Everyday Essentials
Practical training for calm, reliable living.
Packages starting at $425
Fresh Start
Helping rescue dogs build confidence, calm, and trust.
Packages starting at $475
Adventure Ready Day Training
Professional daytime training for busy dog owners.
Packages starting at $650
Canine & Equine Massage Therapy
Certified bodywork to support comfort, mobility, and relaxation.
Sessions starting at $100
Puppy Foundations
Building calm, confidence, and real-life skills from the start.
Bringing home a puppy is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming fast. This program helps you move beyond survival mode and focus on the practical skills puppies need to grow into calm, confident companions.
We work on focus, settling, leash skills, appropriate socialization, handling, manners in the home, and learning how to calmly exist in the world around them.
Because the goal isn’t perfection. It’s helping you raise a dog you can confidently enjoy through everyday life.
Everyday Essentials
Practical training for calm, reliable living.
For dogs who pull, jump, bark, ignore cues when distracted, struggle to settle, or become overly excited by every sound, person, or movement around them.
We focus on leash walking, polite greetings, focus around distractions, settling in the home, impulse control, coming when called, confidence in new environments, and staying connected to you when the world gets busy.
Because training shouldn’t feel like a battle.
Fresh Start
Helping rescue dogs build confidence, calm, and trust in their new life.
Rescue dogs often need more than obedience training. They need time, patience, understanding, and guidance that helps them feel safe while learning how to navigate an entirely new world.
Training may include confidence building, decompression support, leash skills, reducing stress behaviors, handling sensitivity, building routines, polite manners, and helping your dog feel safe and connected.
Because rescue dogs don’t need perfection. They need someone willing to help them feel safe enough to begin again.
Most Popular
Adventure Ready Day Training
Professional daytime training for busy dog owners. During scheduled daytime sessions, your dog works one-on-one with a professional trainer in real-life environments and routines.
This program is ideal for owners who want professional support without sending their dog away, feel too overwhelmed to train consistently alone, and want faster progress through consistency.
1. AssessmentWe learn your goals, routines, and biggest stress points.
2. Hands-On TrainingWe work directly with your dog during the day in real-life settings.
3. Guided SupportYou receive simple, manageable guidance to maintain progress.
4. Real-Life ResultsA calmer, more confident dog who fits more naturally into your life.
Canine & Equine Massage Therapy
Certified bodywork to support your animal's comfort, mobility, and calm.
Massage therapy can support dogs and horses recovering from injury or surgery, aging animals with stiffness or arthritis, active and working animals, and anxious animals who carry tension in their bodies. Gentle, hands-on bodywork can help improve circulation, ease muscle tension, support mobility, and promote deep relaxation.
I am a certified canine and equine massage therapist through Equissage, trained under Mary Scheiber. Each session lasts approximately one hour.
Sessions start at $100.
Please note: Under Texas law, animal massage therapy is offered only with the oversight of a licensed veterinarian. I'm happy to coordinate with your animal's veterinarian to make sure massage is a safe, appropriate fit for their needs.
About Us
Meet the Trainer
At Hoofbeats & Heartbeats, training begins with respect for the dog in front of us. Every dog has their own history, personality, confidence level, and way of experiencing the world.
My Approach
I believe dogs learn best when they feel safe, understood, and supported — not forced.
Every dog is different, which is why I meet each dog exactly where they are emotionally, behaviorally, and developmentally. Whether a dog is fearful, overexcited, overwhelmed, distracted, or simply still learning how to navigate the world, we work from that place together.
Rather than forcing behaviors or pushing dogs beyond what they're ready for, I focus on creating opportunities for success through positive reinforcement, guidance, trust, and clear communication.
My goal is to help dogs feel more confident and capable while helping their humans feel calmer, more connected, and better understood too.
CATCH Certified Dog Trainer
Committed to humane, practical, positive reinforcement training for real life.
Why "Hoofbeats & Heartbeats"?
The name reflects what I love most: the steady rhythm of horses' hooves and the quiet beat of the connection we share with the animals in our lives. Whether four legs or four paws, every animal deserves to be understood — not just managed. That belief is at the heart of every training session.
My Training Philosophy
I don't believe in "quick fixes," dominance theory, or training tools that work through fear or pain. I believe in building dogs up, not shutting them down. Real, lasting change comes from understanding why your dog is doing what they're doing — then helping them learn a better way through patience, repetition, and trust.
Modern, science-based training isn't permissive. It's clear, consistent, and kind. Your dog can learn boundaries, manners, and impulse control without ever being yelled at, jerked on a leash, or shocked into compliance.
What Sets My Training Apart
- It happens in your real life. Training in your home and neighborhood means the skills your dog learns actually stick where you need them.
- The whole family is part of it. For most programs, I coach you alongside your dog so progress doesn't disappear when I leave. With Day Training, I work directly with your dog first, then meet with you and your family afterward to walk you through what we worked on and show you exactly how to keep it consistent — so the training stays on track when I'm not around.
- Your dog's emotional wellbeing comes first. A dog who feels safe learns faster — and trusts you more in the process.
- No force, no fear, no fancy gadgets. Just clear communication, well-timed reinforcement, and a plan built around your dog.
Who I Love Working With
I work with all kinds of dogs and all kinds of families — first-time puppy owners, families adjusting to a new rescue, busy households juggling kids and dogs, and folks who simply want a calmer, more connected life with the dog they already love. If you're committed to your dog's wellbeing and open to a gentler way of training, we'll work beautifully together.
My Story
My journey to dog training didn't start with a certification. It started with a Doberman mix named Lillith.
I'm a military veteran, and like a lot of people who've served, I came home carrying things that don't show up on an X-ray. PTSD has a way of making the world feel loud and unpredictable, and for a while, I wasn't sure how to navigate it.
Lillith figured it out before I did. She was a rescue — sensitive, intuitive, and somehow always knew exactly what I needed before I could put it into words. She had this quiet way of anchoring me when everything else felt unsteady. I don't use the word "saved" lightly, but she saved me. She also showed me something I've never forgotten: dogs have an extraordinary capacity to meet us exactly where we are. No judgment. No conditions. Just presence.
Lillith passed, and the loss was real — the way it always is when you lose a dog who was more than just a pet. But her legacy lives on in the work I do now.
I went on to earn my certification through CATCH Canine Trainers Academy, and I'm also a certified equine and canine massage therapist through Equissage with Mary Scheiber. I've spent years working with shelter dogs as a foster — because I believe deeply that many dogs just need time and a little patience before they show the world who they really are. Sounds familiar, honestly.
Today I share my life with Freddie — my service dog, my partner in crime, and the most intelligent chaos agent I've ever met. She's a cattle dog/Weimaraner mix hiding in a Labrador's body, and she keeps me humble every single day. She also jumps into trees to chase squirrels, which tells you everything you need to know about her. She's joined by Sunny, a husky/Great Pyrenees mix who is equal parts majestic and dramatic; Captain, a border collie mix who takes his job title very seriously; Tango, a husky/terrier mix with opinions about everything; and Peaches, a shepherd mix who appears to have been assembled at a slight reduction in height — we think a corgi may have been involved somewhere down the line.
Peaches came to me as a foster, completely shut down, with nothing left to give the world. Today she is best described as what happens when a tank meets an energizer bunny. She is proof of everything I believe about dogs — and honestly about people too. Sometimes all it takes is time, patience, and someone who refuses to give up on you. Together, the five of them ensure that peace and quiet remain a distant memory in our house — and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I work with dogs and their people using positive, relationship-based training methods — whether your dog is a brand new puppy, a rescue still finding their footing, or a longtime companion with some habits you'd like to work on.
Every dog deserves a chance. I've seen firsthand what happens when they get one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about training, pricing, and how we work together.
What is positive reinforcement dog training?
Positive reinforcement training rewards the behaviors you want to see — using treats, praise, play, and clear communication — instead of using punishment or fear. It builds trust between you and your dog, creates lasting behavior change, and helps your dog feel safe while learning. It's the most widely endorsed approach by modern veterinary behaviorists and professional dog trainers.
Where do you offer training? Do you come to my home?
Yes! Currently, all training is done in your home and the real-world environments where you and your dog actually live — neighborhoods, parks, sidewalks, and other everyday settings. This helps your dog learn skills that transfer directly into their daily life. I serve Abilene, Tye, Buffalo Gap, Tuscola, Clyde, Merkel, and surrounding communities. Board-and-train options are coming soon.
How much does dog training cost?
Training packages start at $295 for Puppy Foundations, $425 for Everyday Essentials, $475 for Fresh Start (rescue dog support), and $650 for Adventure Ready Day Training. Each package is built around your dog's specific needs and your real-life goals. Pricing details and what's included are listed in the Services section.
Do you work with rescue dogs?
Absolutely. The Fresh Start program is built specifically for rescue dogs and their families. Rescue dogs often need more than obedience — they need time, patience, and trust-building. We focus on decompression, confidence building, handling sensitivity, and gentle leash skills to help your rescue dog feel safe enough to begin again.
Is my dog too old for training?
Not at all — dogs of every age can learn. Older dogs often surprise their families with how quickly they pick up new skills once given clear communication and the right kind of support. Whether your dog is 8 weeks or 10 years old, training meets them where they are.
How long until I see results?
Most clients notice meaningful changes within the first 2–3 sessions. Lasting change depends on consistency between sessions, your dog's history, and the goals we're working toward. Training isn't about quick fixes — it's about building real skills and a deeper connection that lasts a lifetime.
What is Day Training and how does it work?
Day Training is professional one-on-one training where I work directly with your dog during the day in real-life environments while you focus on work and life. You receive simple, manageable guidance to maintain progress. It's ideal for busy owners who want faster, professional results without the pressure of training entirely alone.
Do you offer a military or veteran discount?
Yes! All active duty service members, veterans, and immediate military family members receive 20% off every training package. Just mark it on your intake form or let me know when you reach out. It's my way of saying thank you for your service.
Are you certified?
Yes. I am a CATCH Certified Dog Trainer (CCDT), which means I've completed formal coursework and hands-on training in modern, science-based, force-free methods. I'm committed to humane, practical, positive reinforcement training rooted in your dog's emotional wellbeing.
From Chaos to Calm — Without Rearranging Your Entire Life
You don’t need to figure this out alone. Whether you’re raising a puppy, helping a rescue dog adjust, or struggling with everyday behavior challenges, we’re here to help create a calmer, more connected life with your dog.
Call or Text: (325) 242-9464
Serving the Abilene, Texas area