Our Story
Enlightened Hounds was created in 2017 when trainers Lydia and Meggan, each living with their own complex dogs, realized every training journey was founded on one principle: building a trusting relationship rooted in understanding each individual dog. First hand, they experienced the daily challenges of creating a peaceful household and wanted to help provide their clients with support to do the same. Since then, Enlightened Hounds has helped support thousands of people and pups build a brighter future together through personalized care focused on you and your dogs unique needs.
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While the company was founded in Austin, Texas, and remains a small, independently owned business, life has taken Meggan and Lydia both on separate paths to each coast. Meggan now lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where she launched Enlightened Hounds Maryland in 2024 providing professional dog training to the Baltimore and DC areas. Texas remains in the hands of our incredible and trusted trainers Giulia, Alec, and Maida. And Lydia, along with Taylor, recently moved to Portland, Oregon, to experience the magic of the PNW and bring their passion for canine-human connection to Enlightened Hounds Oregon.
Our Philosophy
​At Enlightened Hounds, we believe every dog is a unique individual deserving of a training plan that reflects that. We will consider all aspects of you and your dogs life including their relationships, environment, health, training, and behavior history in order to better understand the root cause of their behaviors. Along the way, we will help you develop a better understanding of your dogs behavior and needs, helping to strengthen your relationship and communication skills. We teach using approaches that are up to date, science supported, and centered around your dog's physical and emotional well being. We take pride in helping people and dogs of all ages and skill levels in a judgement free atmosphere with the goal to make training educational, fun, fair, geared towards your goals and accessible for every member of your family. Together, we can help you build a brighter future with your dog.
Meet The Team
Lydia Yancey, CBCC-KA
she/her
Lydia has been working professionally with animals since 2007 in a variety of settings including veterinary hospitals, dog boarding, daycare, and training facilities. She is a professional member of the Pet Professionals Guild as well as the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and is Certified Behavior Consultant Canine - Knowledge Assessed (CBCC-KA) through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers. She is influenced by many well-known trainers such as Karen Pryor, Pat Miller, Ken Ramirez and Kathy Sdao.
Over the years, Lydia has gained extensive knowledge on dog body language, physiology, behavior, and learning theory. Her experience has helped her understand that training is not one size fits all, and requires understanding where a behavior is stemming from in order to address it. She loves working with people and dogs of all ages using methods that are fun and engaging for both dogs and their guardians. Her goal is to leave you feeling like you understand your dog better and to help you and your dog build the skills needed to confidently and safely move through life's tougher moments together as a team.
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In her free time, Lydia enjoys listening to podcasts, birdwatching, painting and catching up on basketball games (go Fire!).
Taylor Cox, CPDT-KA, FFCP-T
she/her
Taylor began working professionally with dogs in 2017 after completing the Appalachian Trail with her now 14 year old border collie, Blue. She formed a deep interest in canine behavior and began taking group training classes and utilizing what she was learning to help teach foster dogs new life skills. Eventually, this led to apprenticing under experienced trainers and becoming a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers as well as a Certified Fear Free Professional Trainer (CFFP-T).
Taylor believes that every dog has something to teach us. She enjoys working with a variety of cases including puppies, reactivity, chronic pain/illness, and has a special interest in helping dogs have more autonomy in the care they receive throughout their life. She believes that vet visits, grooming needs, nail trims, car rides and putting gear on should help foster trust, not break it.
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When Taylor is not training dogs, she enjoys spending her free time in the mountains with her border collies Blue and Luca, volunteering for trail maintenance projects, and attempting new DIY projects and crafts.
