Hounds in the Hood

Brae Raphael has been working with dogs for over 20 years and has been training dogs professionally since 2011. She is a certified professional dog trainer through The Animal Behavior College, is a member of APDT, IAABC, PPG, and is certified Fear Free. Brae started her own pet sitting and dog walking service at the age of 13, which she continues to do to this day!

In 2003, Brae moved to New York City to pursue acting, but ended up working at a progressive doggie day care center instead. This is where she was introduced to positive reinforcement training, and she has never looked back since. While in NYC, Brae trained and fostered dogs that were in need of special care, both physically and emotionally. She is proud to say that all of her foster dogs found their perfect forever homes!

In 2008 Brae moved to Portland, Oregon to continue her passion for dog training. There, she continued her pet sitting and dog walking business under the business name, “Urbane Mutt.” Brae also worked with the Wonder Puppy dog training team, as well as for Dog Adventures Northwest. Brae was also a mentor at The Whole Dog Academy, a non profit organization that is a licensed school for future dog trainers. 

Brae has attended numerous training seminars on dog behavior and behavior modification as well as nutrition and natural medicine. Brae is especially passionate about working with dogs that are fearful, anxious, aggressive or reactive. 

In 2014, Brae joined the staff at Healthy Pets Northwest, a holistic pet supply store in Portland. This is where she met and worked with Molly Lewis, now owner of Dog River Pet Supplies. Molly further educated her on the importance of nutrition in regards to the emotional state of dogs.

Brae's unique style of training will bring laughter, creativity, and compassion. The guardian will learn their dog's body language, understand their dog's behavior, teaching skill sets, and working with their dog from the inside out.

Brae lost her heart dog, Teddy to cancer in 2021. Teddy was a rottie/lab mix who was goofy, intelligent, patience, and so loving. He was a helpful teacher/friend for dogs that were fearful of other dogs. 

"Teddy taught me that every dog deserves compassion, respect, and kindness no matter what their problem behaviors are. Most importantly, Teddy taught me to not get lost in your dog's 'can't do's'- but to work on extenuating your dog's 'can do's.'"  -Brae