Bravo Dog Training & Behaviour

10/11/2025

Vancouver Island folks…

Upcoming closure notice + more exciting updates👇🏽

❗️We’ll be closed Sunday, Oct.12 & Monday, Oct.13 for Thanksgiving weekend.

✨ BUT...here's the great news! We’re introducing a new after-hours teletriage service for those moments when your pet’s health concern just can’t wait until we're open. You’ll now be able to speak directly with a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) after hours through Animal HealthLink. They’ll ask a few questions (and may even use photos or videos) to assess your pet’s condition and guide you on what to do next.

📞📱 Just call our main clinic number (250) 947-1763 and you’ll be connected if it's after-hours.

We also suggest adding the following numbers into your contacts too 👇🏽

Vancouver Island Emergency Veterinary Hospitals:

CIVEH 250-933-0913
Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital 250 475 2495
WAVES 778 432-4322

P.S. Keep an extra close eye on those turkeys and trimmings....your pets will definitely be eyeing up the feast too! 😸🐶🦃

10/05/2025

I don’t want an obedient dog.

Why not?

Dogs are companions, not servants or disciples to exert our power over.

Prioritize your dog’s mental and physical health and you will see behaviour flourish.

Share if you feel the same way!

10/03/2025

Hi, my name is Renée, and I am the owner of Bravo Dog. It’s been a while since I introduced myself on here.

Some things you should know about me:
* I specialize working with fearful, anxious and newly adopted dogs
* I’ve been working as a behaviour consultant and trainer for 13 years
* It’s been quite the journey, and the people and dogs I’ve met along the way have taught me so much
* Introduce yourself in the comments and tell me a bit about what your dog has taught you…

10/01/2025

Is your dog vocal?

It’s interesting that society as a whole views barking, growling and verbal communication from dogs as a negative. We literally bred dogs selectively to alert to things!

When you think about it, dogs only have a few ways to communicate with us. Their body language, which is often misinterpreted and misread, their actions and their voice!

So, if you have a dog that is a vocal communicator, there is nothing wrong with that.

When is it not healthy? Context matters of course but if your dog is barking or vocalizing a lot and this is new for them, that should be examined. I often have clients keep a log for a certain period of time so we can review what may be unhealthy behaviour. Too much of anything in terms of behaviour is something we should be curious about and look at.

09/28/2025

My books are open to the Comox Valley! If you're struggling with your dogs' reactive behaviour, I'm happy to help :)

09/25/2025

Some of my clients have become so disheartened in the behaviour change process that they say some pretty heartbreaking things about themselves.

“My dog would be better off with someone else.”

“I think I ruined her/him.”

“Why didn’t I just…”

A lot of variables impact dog behaviour and a lot of them have nothing to do with you.

You are doing the best you can, and your dog knows that.

Your dog is loved, don’t doubt that. I’ll be here to remind you.

09/20/2025

Humanizing Dogs
Are we doing them a disservice?

Hear me out, I am first in line to advocate for giving dogs (and all pets) as many comforts and luxuries as we can, however, we must remember that animals have specific needs that we have to consider. If we don’t meet these needs we can see problems.

In my newest article, I’m sharing the specifics in case you need a refresher, reminder or perhaps you just didn’t know!

What do you think?

* * * *

https://www.bravodog.ca/post/is-treating-dogs-like-people

09/17/2025

There is something profoundly humbling in the way a dog loves you. Their devotion is not measured, not weighed, not earned by accomplishments or diminished by failures. It is a current that flows without interruption, regardless of how tired you are, how flawed you feel, or how far from yourself you have wandered. When a dog presses its head against your hand, when it waits at the door with unshakable certainty that you will return, when it leaps with joy at the sound of your voice, you begin to understand that grace is not a lofty thing found in temples or scriptures—it is here, alive and breathing beside you.

A dog’s love requires no translation, no proof, no perfection. It sees through your shadows and rests in the light that remains. They forgive without ever mentioning the wound, and they stay even in the silence of your loneliest nights. In their gaze you are not the sum of your regrets but simply beloved, worthy of warmth and belonging. Their loyalty teaches you that to be loved without condition is the purest form of mercy, and to offer love in return—knowing it will one day break your heart—is the bravest act of all.

When the time comes to let them go, you realize the gift they have given you is not only companionship but a glimpse into the eternal. For love like this does not end; it lingers in the air, in the familiar absence at your feet, in the gentle echo of their memory. To have loved a dog is to carry that grace forward into every corner of your life—to become gentler, more patient, more forgiving, because you have known what it is to be seen by eyes that never judged you.

And so, in the quiet places of the heart, long after their paws have ceased to follow you, you will know: you were touched by something holy. You were taught how to love in the truest, most unselfish way. To have loved a dog is to have held the earth’s greatest blessing, however briefly, and to be changed by it forever.

09/17/2025

Thank you BC SPCA Comox Valley & District

Courtenay dog training, Comox Valley dog training for reactivity and anxiety

09/11/2025

Highly sensitive dogs aren’t broken.

It is important not to overlook whether your dog may have fear or anxiety that needs to be examined and treated. We never want to label a dog Highly Sensitive without digging deeper.

Highly Sensitive Dogs
Easily Overwhelmed
They might get overstimulated in busy environments like crowded parks or loud streets. Too much stimulation can cause them to shut down or become anxious and they prefer quieter environments with fewer people.

Emotional Connections
Highly sensitive dogs tend to react strongly to emotional cues from their owners or other animals. They might mirror your stress or anxiety, or become distressed if there’s tension in the household.

Social Bonds
These dogs often form strong, deep bonds with their humans and can be incredibly intuitive, sensing your moods and reacting to them in a way that feels almost human-like.

Is your dog highly sensitive?

Read more about highly sensitive dogs on our website!

05/05/2025

04/29/2025

“He let me pet him!”

Many dogs will tolerate things humans do to them, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a positive experience for them. Many dogs that don’t want to be touched will give body language signals expressing that … lip licks, whale eye, ears back, freezing, head down….

When that body language is not recognized and the human continues to engage in forced interactions, or allows strangers to do so, we can see snapping, barking and biting as an escalation.
“He used to be fine!”
Fine is one of those words that doesn’t tell me much other than the dog wasn’t reacting. When we ignore body language, the animal has no choice but to escalate their behaviour.

“How do I know a dog wants to be pet?”
Let them come to you.
They often will solicit the interaction, their body language should be loose and wiggly, there shouldn’t be any conflicted behaviour.