Linda Michaels, M.A., Psychology

Biography

Linda Michaels, M.A., Psychology, international speaker (US, UK) and renowned author of the trailblazing best-seller, “The Do No Harm Dog Training and Behavior Handbook—Featuring the Hierarchy of Dog Needs”, is the founder of the “First, Do No Harm” approach in dog training. Linda is considered one of the modern-era dog psychology experts, influencers, and problem-solving writers in the field of canine behavior modification.

With a master’s degree (Hons) in Experimental Psychology and laboratory research conducted in behavioral neurobiology, Linda’s unique combination of academic excellence and hands-on skill with dogs, wolfdogs, and the famed Belyaev foxes, creates a bridge between the worlds of research, dog trainers and pet parents. Linda is a certified dog behavior consultant (PCT-A) and certified veterinary assistant (CVA).
The creation of the widely acclaimed “Hierarchy of Dog Needs®—Standards of Care and Best Do No Harm Practices”, translated into 12 languages, catapulted Linda into a leadership role in understanding and treating dog behavior problems. Linda provides a clear, dog-centric code of ethics in training methods, guiding pet parents and trainers away from the use of aversive treatment and toward meeting our dog’s real needs as the optimal path to resolving behavior problems, endorsed by the greatest minds in science. The Hierarchy of Dog Needs pyramid guide, used worldwide by everyone from veterinary behaviorists to the average pet parent, is now available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese (Mandarin), Danish, German, Estonian, Korean, Arabic, and Greek.

Linda’s ground-breaking book, designed for both new and seasoned trainers as well as pet parents, is now carried by more than 200 college and university libraries. “The Do No Harm Dog Training and Behavior Handbook” earned the coveted Editor’s Pick Publishers Weekly Booklife review. The foreword was graciously written by Dr. Marc Bekoff, behavioral ecologist, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of the Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Focusing on the psychological aspects of dog behavior that often mirror human conditions, such as fear, separation anxiety and aggression, Linda works without the use of dominance methods or devices, addressing the underlying causes of behavior.
Linda’s many years of shelter/rescue experience working with the most difficult behavioral cases at the San Diego Humane Society changed her life and forms the foundation of the work she does today—speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves—the heartbeats at our feet. While there, Linda explored every aspect of dog care, adoption, and behavior and witnessed the suffering caused by abandonment, making the connection between human and dog attachment disorders, and learning to apply her graduate training to helping dogs.

Living in the homes of more than 50 different dogs of various breeds, sizes, with clusters of various behavior problems as part of her early ‘pet sitting with training’ service, Linda honed her skills ensuring her methods are practical for the average pet parent, and both new and seasoned trainers.

You will find Linda in international trade magazines, as a featured expert in Psychology Today online, Newsweek online, Huffington Post Live, Wolf Dog Radio, and named one of the top ten rated dog trainers in the United States by Top Ten Magazine.
In collaboration with the International School of Canine Psychology (ISCP), Canine Principles and the International Institute of Canine Ethics (IICE), Linda’s team is developing diploma and credentialing programs using The Do No Harm Dog Training and Behavior Handbook as the educational foundation for dog trainers and behavioral consultants seeking certification, combining compassion with science in an easy-to-follow roadmap to success.

Linda Michaels founded the wildly popular “Do No Harm Dog Training” group, solving dog behavior problems for both pet parents and professionals seeking help.