Meet Trailblazer Heidi Korpela

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Korpela.

Heidi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always loved animals. I know, lots of people do, but I never thought about making a career out of that affection. I got my first dog, a Rottweiler, when my husband and I were young marrieds, and we knew we needed to train her. Back then, traditional methods that were pretty harsh were the norm, and we trained our sweet girl and got good results even though it didn’t feel very good to treat her the way we did. With our second dog, a roly-poly yellow Lab, we wanted something different. Positive reinforcement training had begun to gain a widespread foothold, we really liked the sound of it after having done some pretty crappy stuff to our first dog, and we found a great force-free trainer. I enjoyed the classes with her so much that I asked if I could help out with her classes. She hired me as an apprentice on the spot, and I worked for her for six years. I got outstanding hands-on experience teaching hundreds of dogs in group classes during that time. From the very beginning, I loved every minute of it and I haven’t looked back since. I started my own business, Happy Tails Dog School, seven years ago and have seen steady growth year after year.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have been extremely fortunate since starting my own business. I have not experienced any significant setbacks. I attribute this to many factors. First of all, luck plays a big role – sometimes being in the right place at the right time can set you up better than all the diligent preparation in the world. My Bachelor of Science degree in Business Admin from CU, the skills I have acquired and cultivated from all of my past jobs — particularly customer service experience and good people skills – and a hunger and passion to learn as much as I can about canine behavior and cognition have been the foundation and driving forces behind my success. My advice to young women starting out is to give yourself time to try different things, collect experiences, fail spectacularly and recognize the educational value of that, and give yourself time to grow. I found my jam at age 38. I was ready by that time to take an opportunity and turn it into magic. Further, by that age, I had developed strong self-awareness, the ability to own my crap, and the perspective to recognize what is important and what isn’t. Just give yourself time to grow into your fullest potential. I think there is far too much pressure to know exactly what you want, who you are, and where you are going in your 20’s. That’s ridiculous.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Happy Tails Dog School – what should we know?
I teach people to train their dogs, but more importantly, I teach them to understand their dogs. In my group classes or during an in-home lesson, I strive to build a bridge between my clients and their fur babies based on both science and kindness. There is a mountain of terrible dog training advice, myths, and misconceptions out there, and it is all doing a lot of damage to thousands of dogs. I am most proud of the fact that I have worked very hard to educate myself diligently about the science of dog training through reading everything I can get my hands on and attending seminars and conferences regularly. The field of canine cognition is exploding, and we positive reinforcement trainers are only getting better. I have so much to offer dog owners who want to do right by their dogs through humane training that rejects punishments, shocks, pinches, or collar jerks. My strongest skill is working with people to show them how easy it is to train the dog that they adore to do just about anything they’d like through simple, effective techniques using treats and praise. My clients can feel GREAT about everything I teach them to do with their dogs. There is no guilt with my type of training because we honor and respect the dogs as individuals deserving of empathy and compassion.

So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well-positioned for?
Let’s face it – women, minorities, immigrants, gender non-conformists – all get the short end of the stick. Collectively, we must work together to chip away at this reality, but I don’t have time to wait around for any significant results in this realm that aren’t guaranteed anyway, sadly. I believe in making my own opportunities where I can. I believe that if you work hard, show up when you say you will, don’t make excuses, talk less and listen more, treat others with dignity and respect (even the jerks), you will outshine those around you. That’s when the powers-that-be will offer you an opportunity because you are worthy of it. Control what you can control – yourself. Behave well, be easy to work with or work for, comport yourself with grace, and know your stuff. It will all follow after that.

Pricing:

• Group classes range from $145-$185
• Contact me for a quote for private in-home training

Contact Info:

• Website: www.happytailsdogschool.com
• Phone: 720-839-5145
• Email: heididogtrainer@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happytailsdogschool/?ref=bookmarks

Image Credit:
Chris & Heidi Korpela, Tess & Kenneth Buchler

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