Hey there, thanks for stopping by!

My name is Emily, founder and head trainer at The Homegrown Dog

My entire life has revolved around all animals from the time I was old enough to talk, but my two true loves have always been horses and dogs. In 6th grade I moved to a new state, in a new neighborhood and I used my love for animals to meet people, pets (and make some pocket money too!) I had my mom help me make flyers for our entire neighborhood, probably well over 60 houses, offering dog walking and pet sitting services. Because of this, we as a family ended up meeting some incredible neighbors who turned into friends, and I had great clients that lasted me through high school, until I moved for college!

My horseback riding career began around age 6 and I was also able to ride competitively through my elementary - high school years. I am lucky enough to still be riding and pursuing that passion to this day. There are an incredible amount of lessons to be learned on the back of a horse, a lot of which apply very similarly to dog training.
After high school I went to college and graduated from Radford University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and a concentration in Advertising.

Now, let's talk about my why.
It's the year 2020 and I brought my very first puppy home expecting some work, but lots of puppy love!
Instead...I was met with shark teeth, a voice box that could match Mariah Carey and non stop tornado energy.
Cue my puppy blues and some intense feelings of "what the heck did I do"...
Sophie was the cutest bundle of crazy you ever laid eyes on but, like so many others, I was overwhelmed with the chaos I brought into my home. This very quickly launched me into the big, WIDE world of dog training. 
I spent the next year and a half learning, researching and focusing heavily on raising the most balanced dog I could and in turn, fell in love with dog training.

This newfound passion, and some encouragement from loved ones, lead me to quit my desk job and apprentice under 2 incredible mentors where I was able to gain experience and learn how to train many different dogs in a board and train setting. I have also furthered my education with webinars, seminars and workshops. Continuing education is a priority for me; a dog trainer can never have enough tools in their toolbox and l will never be done learning!


I truly believe in giving owners the guidance and help I struggled to find when I first got Sophie. 
I can't wait to get started with you and your pup!