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Our Story
Enlightened Hounds Dog Training was founded in Austin, Texas, in 2017 by trainers Lydia Yancey and Meggan Porter. Since then, Enlightened Hounds has grown into a small team of trainers who share the same dedication to learning, teaching and caring for your pets. Through guidance and support, we have helped bridge the gap between humans and canines for thousands of families along their training journeys.
Enlightened Hounds Texas continues serving the Austin area under our trusted team of trainers. While in 2024, Meggan moved to Baltimore and started Enlightened Hounds Maryland, servicing the Baltimore and DC area. And in 2026, Lydia and fellow trainer Taylor, moved to Portland with hopes to bring their passion for humans, dogs and training to Enlightened Hounds Oregon.
We are proudly queer & woman owned, and remain an independent small business committed to supporting our surrounding communities.
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.
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.
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.
