Unified Dog Training

03/28/2024

Indie 😌🐾

03/25/2024

📣Did you know that we offer dog walking? 🐕

📍 Servicing North Shore, Brock, Bach, Downtown, and Westsyde.

Your dog will only ever be in the hands of a trained professional.

We have experience with pullers, prey drive, and reactive dogs.

Heading out golfing for the day and won't have time to walk your dog before you leave? Something came up last minute and now your dog will be left home longer than usual? Having an extra busy week and don't think you can provide the full enriching walk that your dog desires? 🐾

Message us for more information and our rates!

** we don't currently offer scheduled walks 5 days a week

02/15/2024

Love my morning walks among the sage brush with this boy 🌿 🐾

01/28/2024

🎉Happy birthday to this beautiful girl; my daily inspiration, my steadfast companion, my greatest friend 🐶🤎

01/23/2024

This 👇💯

Over the years I’ve heard so many clients share with me how pressured in the moment they felt by often complete strangers to compromise their beliefs and actions surrounding their dogs behaviour.

And many times we can succumb to ‘correcting” our dogs to ease the social pressure from others. Friends and family members may be making hurtful comments, so you prioritize their feelings over what your dog needs from you in that moment.

I don’t share this to shame you.

I share this to empower you.

My father made a comment the last time I visited “Your dog can’t come before people”. I responded, “Yes she can!” I love my dad, don’t get me wrong but he comes from a different time and things have changed.

You certainly can put your dog first.

Don’t allow the prospect of hurting someone’s feelings allow you to compromise what your dog needs.

01/22/2024

Marveled at how two souls - two completely different species - could make eachother so happy. If you were kind to animals, they repaid that kindness a thousand fold. People disappointed; animals never did.

- Alan Brennert

Winter months are perfect for slowing down and spending quality time with your dog, getting to know them more deeply so that your connection with them may grow stronger, and your lives together more seamless.

🐶❄️

(Art: Naoko Stoop)

01/10/2024

Nova 🌟 🐾

12/28/2023

Stella 😍🐶

11/04/2023

10/31/2023

⚠️Halloween fireworks have been banned this year in Kamloops; a win for the dogs and animals!

But even without the fireworks to worry about, there are other things to be aware of to keep your dog as safe as possible:

🍭Most Halloween candies are toxic to dogs. If you have a dog who eats things they find, make sure no one is leaving dangerous goodies around.

🚪If you're handing out candy, your dog may find it stressful and confusing having people continuously coming to the door. Make sure you have a comfortable, contained area of the house for them set up.

🧟‍♀️Certain dogs may find people in costumes more than a little bit spooky. You may need to avoid them if your dog is too overwhelmed.

🎃Be careful and aware of the Halloween decorations you are using. Wagging tails and lit candles can be hazardous.

10/26/2023

❎️Outdated dominance - based training methods are unscientific and damaging to your relationship with your dog and that is why relationship - based training should be a priority for everyone who has a dog.

✅️Relationship - based training emphasizes connection first and foremost, while valuing dogs as sentient beings with their own needs and desires. It focuses on the importance of knowing your dog deeply so that you may live together in harmony.

If you are having trouble with your dog's behavior or feel like there is no connection between the two of you, you may want to reflect on how you have been approaching training and your relationship with them.

📍Do you understand their needs (physical, nutritional, mental, social, etc) and your obligation to fulfill them?

📍Do you have knowledge of canine body language and listen to what your dog is telling you? (A wagging tail does NOT always mean happy, licking does NOT always mean affection)

📍Do you enjoy time with your dog instead of approaching time with them as a chore?

📍Do you respect your dog's boundaries and need for space?

📍Do you know your dog's preferences and incorporate them regularly?

📍Do you provide choice and appropriate freedom for your dog?

📍Are you clear, consistent, and calm in your approach and expectations for your dog?

If you need help with any of these elements I am available to get you started on the right path. 📨🙋‍♀️

10/20/2023

We demand that dogs conform to our world, and too often, we demand that they do so perfectly.

Love your dog enough to let them be imperfect.

🐾👣

My morning walk with Katana on the river.

10/18/2023

Loki practising his sit/stay with park distractions 🐶🍂

10/10/2023

🍂🐶🤎🌾🍁
I am thankful for:

My best friend; my faithful canine companion

The dogs I have worked with in the past who have taught me so many things

The dogs who I work with now, who trust me and have patience with me while I try and find the best way to help them

The dogs who I have yet to meet

The dogs who I have lost
🍂 🐶🤎🌾🍁

10/09/2023

➡️If there's one thing that every dog owner can start implementing today to create a more optimal relationship with their dog, it is this:

👉 reinforce positively every time your dog offers you a behavior that you like. Every. Single. Time.

It is a lot easier to train behaviors that your dog is already willingly offering to you without a cue beforehand.

⁉️ Why spend time teaching a "look at me" cue if you are just going to ignore the times your dog looks at you naturally while you're out and about?

🤦‍♀️ So often we put so much of our focus and energy into stopping the behaviors we DON'T like, all while letting the offered behaviors we DO like go unnoticed.

✅️Take the time you would normally put into fretting about, or trying to cease, the undesirable behaviors your dog displays, and use it to pay attention to when they offer you behaviors you do like so you can reinforce those and help them become more consistent.

10/04/2023

Cooper 😍🐾

09/27/2023

📣Less than a week to sign up for our October walk & train packages, and only a few spots left!

📨Message us or email [email protected] to reserve your spot.

09/25/2023

Wizard 🪄❤️

09/20/2023

If you have ever had a dog, known a dog, or talked to someone about a dog, chances are at some point or another you have had the "alpha theory" mentioned to you.

"You just need to be the alpha and then they'll behave better." 🤦‍♀️

"Put them in an alpha roll and make them submit." 🤦‍♀️

"It's all about showing them who's in control." 🤦‍♀️

We have all heard phrases like this at some point or another. My hope is that you too will shake your head at them and choose a better way of living and loving our canine companions.

✍️Here are some things to be aware of:

➡️️The study that led to the belief of the alpha theory was done on two groups of captive wolves in a zoo.

➡️The study did not include any observations of actual dogs, or even wild wolves.

➡️Dogs are not wolves, nor do they think that we are wolves.

➡️The theory was debunked decades ago.

➡️This theory has justified the use of harsh training methods which are damaging to dogs in a magnitude of ways, and are damaging to the human-dog relationship.

➡️"Dominance" is no longer thought of as an inherited trait in individual dogs.

➡️Training methods that have been based on the "alpha" or "dominance" theory have been challenged extensively by modern behaviour science.

➡️There are far more humane, enjoyable, and effective training methods that are backed by modern science.

➡️Your dog deserves better.

09/16/2023

📌🐕OCTOBER WALK & TRAIN PACKAGES 20% OFF

➡️Are you and your dog struggling with leash pulling? Reactivity? Lack of focus?

➡️Are you finding it difficult to put aside the time to train appropriate leash walking? Or are unsure how?

➡️Don't have time in the day to walk your dog? Want a professional to get it done while ALSO training your dog to be better on the leash?

✅️These packages are for you!

📍For the month of October, I am offering 8 or 16 session packages at 20% OFF. You do not need to be available during the day for these walk and training sessions to take place; just your dog does 🤗.

Message me to reserve your spot or to find out more! 📨📩

(Currently offering services for: North Shore, Downtown, Bachelor Heights, Brocklehurst, Westsyde)

09/14/2023

Embrace a life where you and your dog work together to build a symbiotic relationship where the needs of both of you are heard and met. 👣🐾

➡️ It IS possible to live harmoniously with our canine companions, where you both feel safe, calm, and happy.

If you are feeling frustrated with the lack of connection in your relationship with your dog, and you don't know where to start to improve things; I can help! Message me for your free consultation. 👩📩

09/09/2023

Mijo 🐾

09/02/2023

✍️We get our new dog home and immediately dive right into training as many commands as we think they should know. Sit, down, stay, shake a paw, roll over, ect. Our dog is learning fast and doing great!

➡️But then what happens?

🤦‍♀️We head out into the real world where there are squirrels and other dogs and things far more novel than ourselves, and all of a sudden all of our hard work seems to have gone down the drain. We are missing an incredibly important aspect to our training:

‼️IMPULSE CONTROL‼️

The thing is, most dogs can learn a command like "sit" or "shake a paw" relatively quickly, even in a few minutes, but getting them to perform that command outside of the home with distractions all around proves to be a little more difficult.

Impulse control is a crucial element in having a dog who will behave well in various situations, resulting in a calmer, and more joyous life for both of you. Rather than feeling frustrated and anxious when they cannot get to the things that they want, impulse control can help your dog feel more in control of their environment.

📍Impulse control training can help with the following and more:

☑️Prey drive
☑️Recall
☑️Pulling on the leash
☑️Jumping
☑️Counter surfing
☑️Bolting through open doors
☑️Running out of the yard
☑️Rushing for food

📨If you need help with any of the previous behaviours message me to learn more about impulse control, how it can help you and your dog, and how to begin integrating it immediately into your everyday lives.

🐾👣

08/27/2023

Loki 🐶🌾

08/23/2023

👎Ownership: "the act, state, or right of possessing something"

👍Guardianship: "the position of protecting or defending something"

What do you believe to be true about the relationship that you have with your dog?

For a long time, we have been conditioned to see ourselves in the position of master, where our dog has an obligation to abide by every command given, and where their unconditional obedience is the most important aspect in our relationship with them.

✍️But in this one sided relationship, we forgot some very important things. What are our obligations to our dog? How well do we fulfill them? Is obedience really the most important aspect in this relationship? Can we move past this old fashioned way of thinking and develop a bond that goes deeper than "do what I say"? And how will it feel when we do?

📌There are countless arguments for and against all the different training methods out there, but I believe that when you change your fundamental belief about the way we need to approach our relationship with our dogs, the path becomes clearer. There is no need for intimidation, punishments, or discomfort inducing tactics when you respect your dog as a sentient being with their own needs and desires.

⚠️A relationship that is framed entirely around utmost obedience is denying you and your dog the opportunity at something much more profound.

➡️✅️Your dog, by no choice of their own, relies on you for fulfilling the majority of their needs. Make sure you are fulfilling your obligations to them.

➡️✅️Begin to think about how you can incorporate choice into your dog's life. They will be calmer, happier, and appreciate you more.

➡️✅️Obedience is an important factor in this relationship, but it should not be the MOST important. Learn to value quality time with your dog where they are free to be themselves.

➡️✅️Focus on becoming calmer, more confident, and consistent with your expectations, so that your dog can grow to see that you are reliable, trustworthy, and safe.

➡️✅️Reach out to me to learn how to start incorporating these philosophies into your daily life with your dog.

👣🐾

08/17/2023

⚠️For a long time we have been told that a growling dog needs to be scolded and corrected... that a growling dog is rude, bad, or dangerous.

A growling dog can make us fearful and uncomfortable, and in our ignorance we believe it is the dog that needs to change.

🐶 In reality, growling is one of the various ways your dog uses to express his discomfort with a situation. He cannot use words to tell us when he's scared, uncomfortable, or needs space. So instead he uses body language, and if we miss those initial silent cues, that's when the growl comes in.

❗️If you tell your dog off for growling, you have done nothing to resolve the root of the problem, but you have suppressed a powerful warning system that is being offered to you.

➡️Dogs who learn that a growl will be punished, will no longer offer it before escalating to more dangerous self preservation tactics.

✅️Respect your dog enough to let them express themselves.

✅️Acknowledge that your dog, as a sentient being, has a right to feel differently than you do in a situation.

✅️Address the ROOT of the growling, instead of punishing the behaviour.

✅️Learn and listen to the multiple ways your dog tries to communicate to you over and over again through body language.

✅️Build a loving and genuine relationship with your dog where they let you lead in uncomfortable situations, and trust that you will allow them to express themselves.

⚠️A growling dog doesn't mean a dangerous dog, but a dog who has learnt not to growl can.

👋👩If you are struggling with a dog who growls at you, and you are having a tough time understanding why, or addressing the root of the problem, message me for a free consultation and to learn about the training packages I offer.

08/11/2023

Emma 🐕💙

08/09/2023

🐕 Dogs experience the world through their nose, and one of the greatest gifts we can give them is the opportunity to do just that.

👃SNIFFING ON WALKS:

📍Relieves stress

📍Provides stimulation

📍Improves mental health

📍Provides information about your dog's environment

📍Offers enjoyment

This is not to say that every walk with your dog needs to turn into a sniffari. Structured walks are equally as important and provide a magnitude of other benefits.

✅️A good walk has a time and a place for both.

If you need help with loose leash walking or leash reactivity, message me for a free consultation to learn about my "walk and train" package. 📨📦

08/06/2023

Mijo 😍🥺