Way of Life Dog Training

09/03/2025

Don't miss Souha Ezzedeen's fourth and hard-hitting interview with Global Podcast Network's Jill Nicolini, as she identifies the real reasons for the explosion in canine behavior issues: Dogs are expected to play the role of companion, which is not instinctive and causes anxiety and conflict that burgeons into fear, reactivity, resource guarding, and more.
Souha also targets governments for doing little to shut down puppy mills producing dogs of questionable temperament, the trend to create "designer" dogs, and premature neutering for contributing to the prevalence of behavior issues.
If mainstream training approaches -- reinforcement, control tools, medication, board-and-train -- were lasting solutions, she asks, why are the majority of dogs still struggling? Because traditional interventions are fixated on changing a dog's behavior when the answer lies in changing their way of life. Listen along with Global Podcast's 1.5 million followers!

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09/02/2025

Summer has ended and a new school year is upon us! Best wishes to our clients and students, followers and friends from our Way of Life puppies - Xena the Malinois, Wisdom the working line Cocker Spaniel, Finley the Labradoodle, Eveeon the Aussie, and Ruby the Doberman!
Wishing you all a great academic year ahead and we look forward to serving you if you are new to us and continuing to work with you, your dogs, and family if you're already a part of our growing community!
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08/21/2025

We are thrilled to share with the Way of Life community that Souha Ezzedeen is now a Relationship Assessment Tool™ Certified Instructor! The training course, which took a year to complete, is offered by Suzanne Clothier, a renowned authority on human-canine relationships and the developer of RCT - Relationship-Centered Training.
RAT, as it is called for short, identifies the strengths and weaknesses of any dog/handler team and helps the trainer prioritize a targeted plan for improving their relationship. Souha is honored to achieve this challenging certification in her ongoing education. Congratulations Souha and thank you Suzanne Clothier for a challenging and rewarding educational experience!
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Congratulations, Souha Ezzedeen!

08/20/2025

Podcast Alert! 🎙
In her 3rd exclusive interview with Jill Nicolini of the Global Podcast Network, Ezzedeen this time tackles the topic of rescue dogs: the dire numbers waiting for homes or being euthanized and the foot-dragging of governments to shut down puppy mills. Souha firmly dispels the myths that keep some people from adopting rescue dogs:
Want a specific breed? There are breed-specific rescues!
Want only a puppy? There are dogs of every age in rescues!
Think they're too damaged to change? Not with the Way of Life Method!
Listen to Episode 3 here, along with Global Podcast's 1.5 million followers:
https://global-podcast-network.simplecast.com/episodes/0623-jill-nicolini-interviews-dr-souha-ezzedeen-founder-and-head-coach-at-way-of-life-dog-training
Two more episodes to go - stay tuned to find out more about the Way of Life perspective on reactivity and other behaviour issues that have so many of us struggling with our dogs.
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08/19/2025

We’ve been quiet as of late, taking a little time off (or trying to), preparing for a new school year in a few weeks, and busy with our newest foster dog!
Everyone, join us in welcoming Beren to the Way of Life family, a handsome 2.5 year old German Shepherd dog, rescued by the amazing team at Belgian shepherds rescue of Canada / Secours Bergers Belges du Canada.
Beren was pulled out of the shelter hours before he was scheduled to be discarded. I use this word instead of “euthanasia” because euthanasia is defined as a “good death” - a merciful act meant to relieve suffering. But that is not the case in many shelters across Canada these days, where perfectly adoptable dogs like Beren are being put down.
This is another topic for another day but for now, we can all celebrate the fact that this life was saved. I am grateful to BSRC, the shelter volunteers who took care of this boy, and the transport team who drove him to Ontario from Quebec. Beren has been with us a month and already showing all the reasons why he will make someone very happy one day.
This boy is smart, playful, and non-reactive to people, dogs, or wildlife. He is a medium-energy and moderate-drive dog, though I am seeing his motivation for food and play, ball playing in particular, increase as he continues to decompress and feel better each day. He is thriving on a raw diet and regular exercise. He loves his walks and hikes, followed by a good snooze with a human not too far. He has been great in his crate and outdoor kennel, travels well, and settles nicely indoors and outdoors. One thing to keep in mind about Beren is his size and strength. We’ve not had him weighed yet but he is a big, rambunctious boy who is not always aware of his power and gets easily excited. We are continuing to work on his self-control and capacity to think!
Stay tuned for when this stud will be ready for adoption. We would be so honoured to adopt him out to someone in our Way of Life community and continue the work of helping him become all that he is and deserves to be.
Your donations to BSRC to help support dogs like Beren and others being fostered by this rescue’s amazing network of volunteers is deeply appreciated!
To donate, click on this link:
https://belgianshepherdsrescuecanada.com/donation
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08/18/2025

This Monday morning, we share in the sadness and sense of loss experienced by many in the rescue community for the passing of Ruff Start New Beginnings founder, Kelly Beatty, after a valiant fight against cancer.
Kelly and her husband Chris's rescue work saved and placed more than 1,900 dogs. I am humbled and honoured to have partnered with Ruff Start New Beginnings to assist the adopters of Daisy (now, Maisy), one of the very last dogs that they rescued. Maisy is now slowly but surely recovering from a difficult past, in the love and care of her forever home.
Rescue work is not for the faint of heart and can often feel more challenging than rewarding. People and organizations run against so much in responding to this calling but ultimately, the animals know the difference that people like Kelly and her team of supporters, adopters, and volunteers have made.
Heaven is rejoicing that another angel has found her way home. The dogs over at the Rainbow Bridge are celebrating being reunited with their saviour, advocate, and friend. For those of us here on earth, we grieve, we remember, and we carry on the mission.
Kelly Beatty: Rest in Peace. Rest in Power.
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08/11/2025

Happy Monday, Way of Lifers!
Check out Souha's second exclusive interview with host Jill Nicolini on the Global Podcast Network, where she describes the unique logic behind the Way of Life Method — in other words, how the Method thinks about behaviour issues and how a dog's way of life, and not merely training or conditioning, is the conduit to a happier relationship. Souha describes the 3 powerful stages of rearing and relationship development and explains what "way of life" means and the 4 pillars of a dog's way of life.
In the third episode, Souha will dispel myths about shelter dogs and how the Method is the road to their recovery. Listen to Episode 2 here, along with Global Podcast's 1.5 million followers!
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08/09/2025

Happy Saturday, everyone! 🌞
Our YouTube channel continues to grow and I am pleased to share with you the welcome video that we just posted a couple of days ago.
In this channel trailer, I describe the path that led me here, a 5-year journey with my heart dog, Maya, as I searched for answers to her challenging behaviours and painful unhappiness.
Not finding solutions in mainstream training, I realized I had to go deeper than what we were advised to do, and redesign Maya's way of life in accordance with her canine nature, to raise her for character rather than attempt to train her for skills, and acknowledge the part that our relationship played in her troubles.
The joy this brought us both inspired me to share our Way of Life Method with the world. I founded Way of Life Dog Training in 2019 and almost exactly four years later, my book, The Way of Life Method: How to Heal Your Relationship with Your Dog and Raise a Sound, Strong, and Spirited Companion (At Any Age), was published.
I invite you to check out this new welcome video and view the other ones on the channel. They include talks on the Method, exercise demos, and testimonials from our amazing clients.
Be sure to subscribe, share, comment, hit the notification bell, and help us grow our channel to reach those who, just like me once, are struggling, not finding answers, and know that there must be more to dogs and their issues than what we are being told.
Enjoy and thank you!
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Welcome to the Way of Life Dog Training channel where you’ll find training videos that will radically change how you think about dogs, canine behaviour, and ...

08/08/2025

Gandhi once said that the greatness of a nation can be judged by how its animals are treated.

I once thought that I lived in a great country by that definition. However, and especially in the recent years, we have been witness to actions by government, organizations, and individuals that have led me to question this belief.

The evidence of medieval torture inflicted on laboratory animals, recently uncovered by Animal Justice takes this questioning to the next level.

In a secret animal lab at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, ON, and in the name of "science," researchers are inducing heart attacks in young dogs, with their terrible suffering lasting up to 3 hours, crying and whimpering in pain and fear. Those who survive endure a painful recovery process and repeated tests, only to be killed and dumped rather than having the chance to be adopted out to loving homes. It is utterly immoral that in this modern age, animals including dogs, pigs, and rodents, should be forced to endure barbaric and unnecessary research.

The whistleblowers who leaked the story to Animal Justice could not bear to watch these dogs who had names and gentle personalities be so cruelly used and then discarded.

Please add your voice to the petition and let us bombard St. Joseph's Hospital with demands to end these horrific practices immediately:
https://action.animaljustice.ca/page/174562/action/1?ea.tracking.id=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=st_jos&utm_content=cta_1

Check out the Reel from Animal Justice:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1427027035065789

And attend the vigil if you can:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CaBAaVveY/

08/05/2025

Attending Way of Life Dog Training group classes is an excellent opportunity to expose your dog to several challenges including dealing with the presence of people and dogs, learning to focus on their handler despite distractions, and sometimes working in close proximity to other canine students. Handlers need to be aware of their dog and the activity around them, and practice exercises with increasing levels of difficulty.
This past weekend, we had a terrific day doing group walks in the room, recall games, a territorial line challenge, and a group tie-out exercise.
Group classes are held monthly in Newmarket and several times a year in Cobourg. If you are interested in joining us, reach out to book a private session to get us started.
Click here to find out more about group classes and the fun and challenging exercises that we do:
https://wayoflifedogtraining.com/group-coaching-training-sessions/