September 2015 KPA CTP of the Month
Located in Skogås, Sweden (10 kilometers south of Stockholm), Aurora Hundtjanst—the business owned and run by Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Certified Training Partner (CTP) Mimmi Janeld—provides canine daycare service as well as dog training for families and industry professionals. At Aurora Hundtjanst, Mimmi also offers Sweden´s first training program focused on dog packs, called “Dog Pack Management.” Her company name and logo come from Mimmi’s connection with dogs and from her wonderful memories from the north of Sweden where you can see the Northern Lights (aurora borealis).

At a particularly low time in her life, Mimmi got herself going again by taking on a dog-walking job. The four-dog group she cared for every day not only broke her isolation, but sparked a lifetime of interest in dog packs. Mimmi says, “At the time, I had a small convertible; it must have looked pretty funny when the five of us were in the car at the same time.” In a dog magazine she found in her client’s home, Mimmi saw an ad for a one-year dog instructor course. Soon enough she was enrolled—and relocated 800 kilometers away. That one course led Mimmi to a life and career with dogs, as well as to a lifetime quest for continuing education. Mimmi has been working with dogs fulltime since 2002, and has 13 years of experience managing dog packs. She offers classes and private consultations that tackle a myriad of canine behaviors and training needs, including shelter training.
As she launched and ran her small dog-service business, Mimmi sometimes felt lonely without coworkers. Deciding it was the right time to update her skills and gain inspiration from others in the business, Mimmi searched for educational programs outside of Sweden and discovered Karen Pryor Academy. She first completed the Dog Trainer Foundations course. That was followed by the Puppy Start Right for Instructors course and, finally, the Shelter Training & Enrichment course. “After all of this, I was hooked,” declares Mimmi.
Mimmi found her first three KPA courses to be very-well presented. “They set me up for success.” It wasn’t hard to decide to enroll in the KPA Dog Trainer Professional program next! As a student within the KPA Dog Trainer International program, Mimmi was excited to realize that there were students in their homes in other parts of the world studying the same material that she was. Coming together with her fellow international students at the KPA workshop was “absolutely fantastic,” according to Mimmi.

I was intrigued to learn more about how dogs are treated and trained in other countries—and to learn from other peoples’ experiences.

Mimmi occasionally felt challenged by the program because English is not her first language. “With a dictionary and patience, it all went fine in the end,” she says. “What an experience! I truly appreciated my peers and our instructor Terry Ryan. I am still on a high and will forever be.”
Her multiples experiences with KPA have impacted Mimmi’s work and life considerably. Now, all of her course participants work with a clicker, grasping the concept quickly and training their dogs instead of just wishing their dogs would understand them. Mimmi emphasizes how clicker training is the key to communication and finds that her “clients now allow themselves to have greater empathy, understanding, and tolerance with their dogs.” That, in turn, makes it easier for dogs to be dogs in the human world. “I am so happy to contribute to that,” says Mimmi.
Mimmi learned how to handle the Aurora Hundtjanst dog pack of 12-17 dogs on 5,000 square meters of property on her own. However, she coaches other dog professionals who want to start their own businesses a bit differently.

With these students/potential business owners, I recommend clicker training, with one dog at a time if necessary, to socialize a dog pack safely.

Clicker training has spread within Mimmi’s family. Her eight-year old son, Elliott, will help her conduct a clicker training “Kids Course” this autumn. Mimmi hopes the class will not only contribute to kids understanding dogs’ needs and how to treat them, but also convey the enjoyment of spending time with a dog. “Involving both parents and children in dog training, at school and at home, our “Kids Course” can strengthen family bonds” says Mimmi.
Education is still at the forefront for Mimmi. “This year, I have re-arranged my business to have more time for education and training.” On her list are a Clicker Camp and Chicken Camps with Terry Ryan at Legacy Canine in Sequim. Another goal? “I would definitely like to clicker train other species like fish, sheep, horses, and seals!”
The Karen Pryor Academy learning opportunity has made Mimmi’s professional experiences and challenges so much more enjoyable. “I just love to contribute to an end where owners finally ‘get it’ and dogs perform better and faster—and want to learn more,” says Mimmi. “Everyone is happy then. And it’s all due to a bit of plastic thing with a button on it that makes a sound!”