Smart Dogs Canine Training

Smart Dogs Canine Training Dog Training in Milton - Private and Group Lessons
Behaviour, Obedience, Virtual Sessions Dog Training in Milton Ontario, Halton Region and surrounding areas.

Private lessons, group lessons, virtual sessions, online courses and problem solving available. Puppy training, basic dog obedience, advanced dog obedience, rally-o, bootcamp training.

Dogs are predators, no matter the size, no matter the cuteness level. This is something that gets lost in the treatment ...
12/05/2025

Dogs are predators, no matter the size, no matter the cuteness level. This is something that gets lost in the treatment of dogs like little people. They are not. They are hunters, they are advantageous, they are cunning in ways we can’t imagine and they are killers. We should love dogs because they are dogs, not because we can make them into little pseudo humans. We should respect dogs for what they actually are, not what we wish them to be. We should be in awe of dogs and what their dog selves are capable of while living in our weird human world. If more people did this there would be less issues with dogs in general. A dog is amazing because she’s a dog, not because we’ve tried to mold her into a quasi-human for our own selfish benefit.

Be unapologetically you. There is no other way to be. It is the best thing to be and the most interesting thing to be. B...
12/03/2025

Be unapologetically you. There is no other way to be. It is the best thing to be and the most interesting thing to be. Be weird, be wild, be fun, be free, be you. Don’t let anyone change who you actually are.

My dogs are endlessly tolerant of things that we put them through and of all my son’s ridiculous antics. My dogs aren’t ...
12/01/2025

My dogs are endlessly tolerant of things that we put them through and of all my son’s ridiculous antics. My dogs aren’t breeds that are known for being endlessly tolerant (minus Uncle Steve). In fact, when you hear the word terrier the image of “bite first, ask questions later” comes to mind. But they are not that. This did not come through solely positive measures, though positive reinforcement handling exercises play a big part. The tolerance comes through learning resilience to stress. It’s something that I purposefully and inadvertently teach all my puppies. Puppies who aren’t introduced to stresses at early ages have a hard time handling them when they’re older and become intolerant dogs. My dogs are taught to “deal with it” because some things in life you just have to deal with. They learn to accept these things but they also learn that I have their back and I won’t put them into scenarios that they cannot handle or that would cause harm. Sometimes “suck it up and deal with it” is needed for everyone. Not in a mean way, but in a way to teach a dog/person that they can handle and do things that they thought not possible without help. Through this comes confidence and an openness to trying new things. There is nothing wrong with building a tolerant dog through introduction to stressors when they’re young. It builds dogs who accept what we throw at them without shutting down, it builds dogs who can handle being at the vets and groomers without biting, it creates a reliable and safe dog that can be in public environments without issue. Don’t avoid stress, stress enables growth and learning.

This is a fit dog. It truly doesn’t take much. I don’t like my small dogs super skinny, they get cold too quickly, but I...
11/28/2025

This is a fit dog. It truly doesn’t take much. I don’t like my small dogs super skinny, they get cold too quickly, but I need them in shape, and I need them to have decent muscle tone. It doesn’t take much. The recipe to a fit dog is actually quite easy.
✅ Don’t over feed, in fact, for your dogs health, it would be much better to slightly under feed than over feed.
✅Calories in need to be burned. If you have a low energy dog, less food is more.
✅Exercise, one good walk a day at a brisk pace keeps my dogs in good shape. Sprinkle in a game of tug for muscle tone, game of fetch or a bike ride occasionally for some extra energy burning.
✅Mind work burns calories too, training, find it games, exploring new places all gets the body working.
✅ Make sure if your dog gets treats that you don’t feed them a full meal. Treats count as calories in.
Dogs aren’t “big boned” or supposed to be heavy. Yes some breeds are wider and will look thicker (think bullies) but they should still have good muscle tone, a tucked up belly and not be carrying extra weight. Extra weight on your dog has detriments effects on their health from diabetes to heart and joint issues. It’s not hard to keep them in shape. It’s doesn’t take hours of work daily and doesn’t have to be a second career. It is in your dogs best interest to keep the weight off and muscles working in order to live a longer, healthier life with less vet visits.

If you are happy and your dog is happy, there is no reason to change. Happiness is an irreplaceable measure on how your ...
11/26/2025

If you are happy and your dog is happy, there is no reason to change. Happiness is an irreplaceable measure on how your life is turning out. Even if your dog isn’t “perfect” and even if they are naughty at times, if you are happy with them, and they happy with you, why change? It is in unhappiness that we have to look inside and decipher what needs to be changed. Nothing outside of you can truly make you happy. It is an inside job, and if you can solve the puzzle of unhappiness it affects everyone around you, including your dogs. Unhappiness means something has to change in you in order to change the world around you. Change is hard, but not for dogs. Change is a difficult task for humans. Change can only happen if you are willing, and that’s the test. If you are unwilling, no one or no thing can make you change. It’s an inside job. Change is important if you are unhappy. If you are unhappy with your dog, you need to change things, if you are unhappy with your kids, you need to change things. If you are unhappy with life or your relationships you need to change things. No one can change them for you. Unhappiness affects everything around you, stunts growth and inhibits relationships. No amount of training will fix your dog if you are unhappy with them but unwilling to change. There are two sides to every story and two ends to every leash. Trying to change only one end will result in failure. Looking equally at both ends and both sides will result in growth. Being open and willing to admit that your unhappiness and unwillingness to change might be part of the problem is key. Perspective and what you focus on can have a massive impact. Choose happy, choose willingness to look inside and change what needs to be changed in order to gain happiness. Choosing the brighter perspective and choosing to focus on what you are grateful will enhance everything around you, including your dogs.
Are you happy?

Couple spots left in our Wednesday November Basic Class. Last one before the New Year!! Contact us today for info or to ...
11/05/2025

Couple spots left in our Wednesday November Basic Class. Last one before the New Year!! Contact us today for info or to enroll.

Uncle SteveHow do I start this post? I don't even know. I'm at a loss for words, which I'm usually not. On Monday Octobe...
11/03/2025

Uncle Steve

How do I start this post? I don't even know. I'm at a loss for words, which I'm usually not. On Monday October 27th the world lost a great dog. I don't really know what to say, so I will tell you some stories about Uncle Steve instead.

For those of you who are into bulldogges, Steve carried the lines of Rockabullz and Bullforce, two big names 15 years ago in Olde English Bulldogges. Steves grandmother was Bullforce Crunch and his grandfather was Rockabullz Budha. Jose from Rockabullz sent us an amazing puppy, Rockabullz Pepper, a little firecracker of a dog, super athletic, great breather, and very healthy. Pepper was Steve's mom. We bred Steve, so Steve has been with us since day one. There were some complications with the litter and only four pups survived, but they were four wonderful puppies, Steve, Will, Lily and Madison. Steve and Lily stayed and Will and Madison we placed with wonderful, loving people. I am especially thankful and grateful for Will's family.

We almost lost Steve to an infection when he was very young. After multiple vet visits, tests and chiropractic, a last ditch effort to place him on left over antibiotics saved his life. So Steve missed a lot of the critical social experiences that were positive as a puppy due to this. But you'd never know that. This is why I like to speak about genetics. Genetics will trump experiences and training every time. This litters genetic temperaments were impeccable. I attribute this to both parents and the lines, however, Pepper had a fantastic temperament that she nurtured in her puppies. I have used all but Madison to help with dogs who are reactive. They are solidly neutral with little to no training.

Steve was my go to guy to help reactive dogs and participate as a demo dog in classes, albeit a slow motion one. He was always social, patient, and had good dog sense. His health wasn't always the greatest, but his temperament was. Anyone who met Steve loved him. He was quietly dominant, had amazing presence, and was like a trusty boat anchor. Always there. Always steady. When classes ended and I would say "you are free to go" he would take this as his time to go and visit around. He filled a rather large hole after the loss of my Jack Russell years prior for the working roll.

He was not an easy puppy. He ate my couch, and was absolutely terrible to house break, which I attribute to the early infection, and he was a typical bulldog - I'll do it on my terms when I please or else I will completely ignore you. He was easy to obedience train, a dog willing to please ... on his terms. He was cunning too. Bulldogges aren't typically labeled that way, but they are silently smart. I remember when they installed the fabric barrier on the union gas plant. The fence was always open to see through and they decided to cover it with fabric. The first time Steve saw it he paused. I guess it didn't look right to him. Then he ran full tilt head first into the fence from about 20 feet away and bounced off of it. My guess was to test it since it looked different. Once that was done, he was satisfied and moved on. Another time he accidentally hit the carbon monoxide detector alarm button. It didn't startle him. He turned to walk away. Stopped, came back and purposefully pushed it again. To test it I supposed. I witnessed both of these things first hand. He knew more than he let on.

He was a pain in my ass at times, he was a barker (inherited that from his mother), a massive shedder and a drooler (my walls are covered). If he hit the grass, whether working or on a walk, he would just roll. Like he would roll down the street instead of walking. Rolling was one of his joys in life. When he was younger he used to gather mouthfuls of dandelions in the field, then choke on them and hack them up for fun. He had what we called "puppy eye", where he would look at you sideways, then would proceed to have zoomies all over the house, throwing his 65 pound self off my walls. I'm surprised there was no drywall damage.

He peed, purposefully, on EVERY SINGLE new soft bed that I got him. Every. Single. One. Then happily slept on them afterwards. I enjoyed having others try and play tug with him ... he was extremely powerful and it was fun to watch people squirm. He loved playing with his brother Will ... his brother at some point stopped loving to play with him. Got him good on the cheek once but Steve didn't care. He liked it rough. He bit Frankie right on the nuts when I had the litter at my place for some extra dog socialization. Frankie wasn't happy that his balls were violated in that manner. I tried him at a Rally obedience trial once. We made it through about three signs before he grabbed the back of my leg and went to town hu***ng the crap out of me in the ring. I excused myself and decided competition wasn't for him. He used to pull the sled in the snow for my son. Had diarrhea one day, un-benouced to me, and proceed to spray s**t all over the snow and sled behind him. My son jumped off just in time to avoid most of the spray. He was good at pooping.

When we used to train at the gym, Andrea and I were cleaning up, putting things away, and her son and his friend were with Steve. We heard laughing, and came out to see that Steve had one of the boys pinned on the ground and was joyfully hu***ng him while they were both killing themselves laughing. I was not happy. Steve lost his balls not too long after that.

Steve was excellent with puppies. He loved them. Loved playing with them and being with them. It brought him a lot of joy. He loved eating and he loved sleeping. He enjoyed hu***ng when he was younger. He has a couple trick dog titles, though not the most athletic dog, he enjoyed learning them. He enjoyed guests. He enjoyed kids and ladies the most. He wasn't always trustful of men. He'd enjoy them ... but didn't trust them.

He was a good boy who will be greatly and sadly missed. He was a fantastic worker who is impossible to replace. There are no replacements for dogs. There is just another hole. And maybe another dog to fill that hole just a little, but no hole every gets fully filled. My dogs aren't my kids, I have a real child for that. My dogs are my friends, my family and my partners, each one unique in their personalities and abilities. A part of my heart is taken each time I loose one. Loosing them is inevitable, but life without dogs doesn't make sense. Rest easy my big, dense, boat anchor buddy ❤.

If you see me, we won't talk about it. But please enjoy some photos and videos of Uncle Steve below. He'd want you to.

Happy Halloween to all the kiddies out Trick Or Treating tonight! Stay safe and have fun! 🎃 #🎃
10/31/2025

Happy Halloween to all the kiddies out Trick Or Treating tonight! Stay safe and have fun! 🎃

#🎃

There is a trend occurring right now to take your dog everywhere with you. Dogs on patios, dogs in stores, dogs at event...
10/24/2025

There is a trend occurring right now to take your dog everywhere with you. Dogs on patios, dogs in stores, dogs at events where they would never have been included prior, dogs in places they would have never been allow before. For some training and socialization at certain points and in certain places I think it’s great. Beyond that, I’m not a fan. Every now and then maybe, or for those specific dogs who actually enjoy doing these things and ARE well behaved, fine. But that’s not the case for most. A rather large portion of dogs that I see dragged around all over the place are not trained properly to be in these scenarios. And a very large portion of them are not enjoying the experience. Most people miss out on the body language and subtle cues that dogs display that tell you this. Sometimes these cues are not so subtle and yet people either continue to miss them or flat out ignore them. Many of the times dogs would be happier left at home, in the environment that is comfortable to them. It’s keeps them out of trouble, especially if they are not trained or socialized to tolerate these outings. Much of the time dragging your dog along is completely unnecessary. For those who insist on it, make sure that you step back and observe your dog. Are they actually enjoying the experience? Are they calm and relaxed? Are they stressed or nervous? Are they over stimulated and very vocal? Are they trying to hide, tail tucked, heavy panting? Are they outgoing and social or are they anxious? Are they trained to tolerate these situations? Or are they out of control and putting themselves and others in danger? Most dogs would prefer a “dog type” outing over a more human centred outing - hiking, playing in a field, training, a walk with friends, a dog beach, etc. and they would be ecstatic to join you on that. Please do your dog a favour and really seek to find out if they enjoy being dragged around. Please do others a favour and ensure that your dog is trained and well behaved in these situations. A dog would likely take a hike over a pint at the pub any day, so think about that next time you decide to drag your dog out with you.

Training takes time. There is no overnight success with a dog or success without putting in the work. A dog is a living,...
10/22/2025

Training takes time. There is no overnight success with a dog or success without putting in the work. A dog is a living, breathing creature with a mind of their own, we cannot just program them like a robot. Different dogs also learn at different rates, different drives will present different challenges and different temperaments need to be taken into consideration. The other end of the leash must be taken into consideration as well. People take time to learn … and unlearn. Habits can be hard to break. Changing a dog requires some change on your part as well.

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Smart Dogs Canine Training

Is it time to make a change? Are you frustrated with your dogs behaviour? Do you want a better relationship with your canine companion?

We can help! Smart Dogs Canine Training in Milton provides real life, success oriented dog training that is easy to follow, translates well to the whole family and encourages healthy relationships with a balanced approach to training your dog. We offer a thorough understanding of dog behaviour, and are committed to our clients success. From group classes, to private training, puppy training, adult dog training, and behavioural adjustments, we offer something for everyone and encourage practice and exercise for the benefit of both dog and owner.

Smart Dogs Canine Training in Milton, Burlington, and Acton will help you achieve the stable, well balanced canine companion that you've always wanted. Our goal is your success, not to sell you class after class with no results. With families in mind, our priority is to help make your dog easier to live with, more responsive and better behaved.

REMEMBER: training isn't about being perfect. It's about building a better relationship, vocabulary and having fun. Training doesn't have to be boring, or tedious work. A few minutes a day, with reward, play, proper direction and clear communication of YES and NO will make your sessions much more enjoyable. Throw that into real life situations, and you've got yourself a well behaved dog that enjoys learning.