About Hearth & Hound
LAUREN KUNIN (she/her), Owner of Hearth & Hound; Dog Trainer & Behavior Consultant
In 2014, Lauren decided to pursue a new career that brought her great joy: working with dogs! Under the mentorship of Shoshi Parks, Lauren started walking small groups of dogs who are typically excluded from group walks due to circumstances or personality traits beyond their control; who have trouble dealing with their anxiety, fear, hyper-excitement, and/or general discomfort around strange people and other dogs. The experience of working with these reactive dogs and their human families is what ultimately inspired Lauren to become a trainer.
As a dog trainer, Lauren is passionate about demystifying canine behavior and making training fun! She believes that understanding and appreciating how dogs communicate with us is paramount to creating strong dog-human bonds and happy homes. She loves serving as a translator, teacher and therapist to help improve quality of life for dogs and their human families!
Lauren attended the Dog Training Internship Academy in San Francisco and completed Susan Friedman's Living & Learning with Animals course with a Certificate of Excellence. Lauren graduated from dog*biz’s Dog Walking Academy and is certified in pet first aid and CPR. She has volunteered at animal shelters and rescue organizations for over 20 years. She was a training assistant for the Adolescent Manners and Adult Manners classes at the SF SPCA, and for puppy socials and puppy classes at SF Puppy Prep. She is a member of the Shock Free Coalition. She is committed to learning and updating her tools and methods as scientific understanding grows and best practices in modern dog training evolve.
Before her career as a Professional Dog Person, Lauren earned a BA in Global & International Studies at UC Santa Barbara and worked in nonprofit management.
When she’s not dog sitting, Lauren lives on a very steep hill in Noe Valley.
WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY HUMAN AND EVERY DOG DESERVES ACCESS TO QUALITY, HUMANE TRAINING.
If you are experiencing financial hardship and need dog training, please contact us about sliding scale pricing.
