About Us
Our Approach
“Tame the Wild, Honour the Spirit”
Wild Spirit Dog Training practices a positive first training methodology using motivation, relationship, and clear communication to maximize your training potential. We will teach you how to build motivation in your dog to truly want to work for you! By using good motivation and clear communication, you are able to not only have a well behaved dog but also have a fantastic relationship with them. We help you understand how your dog thinks, learns and views the world. At Wild Spirit Dog Training we believe the process of training can and should be an enjoyable process for both you and your dog! Let’s build our dogs up to be the best they can be, in a way that is fun and motivational!
Our extensive options for training and our personal approach allow you to find the perfect fit for training to suit your needs and your dog’s needs. Discover and unlock your dog’s potential today!
How it all Started
As long as Lisa Hildebrandt (Founder and Head Trainer) can remember she loved dogs! She was fortunate to get her first dog when very young. A Yellow Lab named Lady. Much to her extreme disappointment her family had to gift their precious puppy to extended family in PEI but Lisa was fascinated to see the training her cousin did with Lady. He was able to train this show line puppy to be a very well trained hunting dog! She looked forward to her visits to see Lady and find out what new things she had learned.
Even at this young age Lisa was already using her passion to help her friends the best she could with their dogs. She also enjoyed using her free time to learn about dog breeds and never turned down a book about dogs.
The Next Step
When Lisa was a teenager she got a Shiba Inu puppy named Bear and was able to attend her first obedience classes and agility classes as a student. This was her first introduction into structured training and she loved it. If Lisa wasn’t already, she was officially hooked! She also had the opportunity to work with her neighbor’s dog who worked with the RCMP as a K9 unit. She did some tracking with them and even took her first bite with a sleeve at 16 years old. These experiences all provided insight into even more facets of the dog world.
During this time she lived in the country and rode her neighbor’s horses and even helped with the horse’s training. She didn’t realize at the time how those experiences with horses would help with her understanding of animal behaviour.
The Leap into Professional Training
In 2010 Lisa rescued a dog who had some pretty severe behavioural issues that she was not aware of or prepared for. She looked for professional help and after completing private training with a local trainer and seeing the transformation in her dog, Lisa began her journey into the world of professional dog training.
Since that time Lisa has completed an intensive shadow style training program and has worked with and learned from some of the top dog trainers from across North America and even Australia. She regularly updates her training through seminars and working with top trainers in the field and never stops researching and studying training techniques and dog psychology. All of this is to offer her students the best training and support available.
Lisa has worked with hundreds of puppies and dogs over the years with various behavioural issues and thoroughly enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills to help dogs do better and be happier. Helping people build the relationship with their dogs they always wanted is one of her favorite parts of working as a dog trainer. Her favorite thing to hear from students is “I can really enjoy my dog now!”. She would love to help you as well!
Lisa lives with her husband, son and daughter, and two dogs just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Complete a consultation form to talk further about your dog and our training programs. You can also call or email us directly for more information.