Biography
Emily Hoeffler has a particular talent for reading the room—especially when the room is full of dogs. Calm, patient, and highly observant, she has a strong understanding of canine body language and social behavior and excels at helping dogs navigate interactions safely and successfully. She is skilled at spotting the subtle signs of stress, overstimulation, or conflict before they escalate and uses clear, fair boundaries to help dogs regulate their energy, build confidence, and make better choices.
That steady presence makes Emily especially valuable in playgroups and social settings. Rather than waiting for a dog to become overwhelmed, she focuses on creating an environment where dogs can stay receptive to learning in the first place. She enjoys helping dogs develop appropriate social skills and impulse control while giving them the structure and support they need to succeed.
Emily’s own dog, Aurora, played an important role in deepening her interest in training and behavior. Aurora, a pit bull, initially came to Emily as a temporary houseguest. After living with her previous family for four years, much of that time confined to a crate, Aurora was struggling with other dogs and her family was considering euthanasia if another home couldn’t be found. Emily agreed to keep her for a few weeks while they figured out what came next.
A few weeks turned into forever. Emily sought the help of a trainer, learned how to integrate Aurora safely into her home, and put in the work to help her succeed. Three years later, the dog once described as “aggressive” is a beloved member of the family whose best friends include Emily’s seven-year-old niece and her mother’s cat. Aurora was the first dog Emily trained extensively herself and helped shape the thoughtful, observant approach she brings to dogs today.
Emily also has a knack for thinking about how people learn. Before joining Philly Unleashed, she developed an online training program designed to help owners understand and practice the same skills their dogs were learning with professional trainers. Emily planned the curriculum, filmed training demonstrations, edited the videos, and built the website herself. The project gave her the unusual opportunity to study training from both sides of the camera—critiquing her own technique, learning from other trainers, and figuring out how to turn complex training concepts into short, practical lessons owners could actually use at home.
When she’s not working with dogs, Emily enjoys traveling with friends and family and spends as many weekends as possible in Wildwood or camping with her husband, Chris. She’s an avid reader-turned-audiobook-listener and describes her favorite hobby simply as “making messes.” Cooking, crafting, gardening, and fixing her Jeep all qualify: if it’s hands-on, requires figuring something out, and there’s a decent chance she’ll need an apron afterward, Emily is probably happy.
