ASSOCIATION NEWS | HEATHER MISHEFSKE ELECTED TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Heather Mishefske Elected to APDT Board of Directors for 3-Year Term
Heather Mishefske was elected for a 3-year term to the 2022 APDT Board of Directors during its annual election in September . Sandy Modell , who joined the board in 2019 , was re-elected for her second 3-year term . The 2022 APDT Board , beginning Jan . 1 , will be officers Fanna Easter , chair ; Benjamin Bennink , vice-chair ; Heidi Meinzer , secretary-treasurer , and Mark Forrest Patrick , immediate past chair , along with directors Sandy Modell , Inga From , and Heather Mishefske .
" I look forward to working with Heather when she joins the APDT Board of Directors in January ," said APDT Chair Mark Forrest Patrick , who will cede that position to Fanna Easter as he takes the immediate past chair position on the board . " She brings a great deal of experience as a dog trainer and as a business manager ."
Heather Mishefske , CPDT-KA , CBCC-KA , AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator So just who is Heather Mishefske ? She ’ s an animal lover and education advocate who once had a cow named “ Dinner ” growing up . However , if meat is on the menu at Heather ’ s house , it ’ s for the dogs since she has been feeding them a raw diet for nearly 20 years . Her husband is a vegan , and Heather herself rarely eats meat , strongly hinting “ Dinner ” might be the reason behind that choice .
Heather ’ s journey in becoming a dog training professional is similar to many others : it all started with a dog . In Heather ’ s case , it was an English Springer Spaniel named Bandi and a 4-H project . By the time she went to college , Heather decided to earn her degree in dietetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison . In the meantime , she trained and competed in dog sports with her Flat-Coated Retrievers . But the sudden death of Larkin , her 3-year-old Flat-Coated Retriever to autoimmune kidney disease in 2005 led to her decision to leave the healthcare field that December and pursue her first love of working with dogs . Just weeks later , Heather opened emBARK , aka “ Midwest Wisconsin ’ s hippest hang out for hounds ” in Eau Claire , Wisconsin . The business , which has grown in the past 15 years from a single proprietor ( Heather ) to employing 26 dog care professionals , offers daycare , training classes , grooming , massage , and behavior consulting .
It didn ’ t take long before Heather racked up dog training credentials : CPDT-KA , CBCC-KA , AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator , Living and Learning with Animals Applied Behavior
Analysis course certificate of completion , and is a certified level II Canine Sports Massage provider . She is a member of APDT ( premium professional ), IAABC , Upper Midwest Flat Coated Retriever Club vice president , and has served as a Learning Theory and Behavior guest lecturer at University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and presented a lecture on body language to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture , Trade and Consumer Protection . The staffers at emBARK have begun Fear-Free certification for 2021 . “ These are all incredibly important to me , as it shows that I am invested in my own education , and that align with the gold standards of LIMA training standards in my field . [ Dog training ] is dynamic and ever-changing and seeking out new information is critical .”
After years of being an APDT member , joining in 2014 , Heather decided to further her involvement as a member of the Board of Directors to help further the profession of dog training . “ Uniting our missions , creating legal guidelines and putting parameters in place to provide gold standards of care in teaching dogs and their humans is something that I have an extreme interest in ,” Heather wrote on her candidacy questionnaire . “ Being a board member helps me contribute on a much larger scale and collaborate with other like-minded colleagues . Utilizing my experience as a business owner and my 20-plus years as a dog trainer helps me to see the future of dog training and the ways that we need to solidify .”
Heather added there is no better time than now to further the excellence in the profession of dog training . “ We are fortunate to live in a time when peer-reviewed literature is available to us , research is being done in behavior and learning , and resources are readily available to all of us to further our understanding of canine learning . Using the resources we have available will allow us to propel dog teaching into an era where everyone is able to practice the gold standards of care based on the evidence that we have to support this .” She adds education has been a strong focus for her employees , co-workers and colleagues . “ Our staff are all heavily involved in continuing education at my facility . The staff share amongst themselves and seek out such opportunities ”
It is Heather ’ s strong advocacy for certifications and licensing in the dog training industry where she feels her skills and knowledge around the science of behavior and learning will help APDT as it navigates legislative efforts to establish licensing standards for dog trainers .
Heather believes education and outreach will support APDT ’ s mission in bringing new and existing trainers to the organization and will be paramount in unifying dog training . “ Personal connections in the dog training world are the most important to cultivate relationships with APDT ,” she explained . “ I have an odd gift to always remember people and their dogs , and this is a personal touch that is always helpful in upholding relationships .”
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Winter 2021 13