Dog Partners

08/19/2024

Link in bio. If you’ve got a dog aged 6 months to 2 years, join our Terrific Teens group class in Fernie!!

Thursdays at 6:30 pm. Only 3 spots left!

08/16/2024

Link in bio to register. If you’ve got a friendly young dog aged 5 months to 2 years, we’ve got a class for you! Our Terrific Teens class has been created to help dogs and their owners with this challenging stage of maturity.

Socializing, focus, obedience, leash skills, manners and expert tips. Join us!

08/12/2024

Congratulations to our newest Terrific Teens grads: Lola, Chloe, Bodhi, Eddie and Lizzy! Well done everyone!! Look at all those happy faces!🙌🎉🐶

Next sets start Wednesday, Sept. 11 and Saturday, Sept. 21.

08/10/2024

Link in bio. Classes start Sept. 5 and Sept. 11! Register to secure your spot.

Group classes for friendly young dogs aged 6 months to 2 years. A collaboration between and.

08/10/2024

Classes start Sept. 5 and Sept. 11! Register to secure your spot.
https://fernie.dogpartners.ca/group_training

Group classes for friendly young dogs aged 6 months to 2 years. A collaboration between and.

08/09/2024

We had a recent visit from my nephew and niece and their 2 toddlers. Our dog, Jack, did not grow up around children, so visits are a busy time for me. For all of us to thoroughly enjoy our visit, management between the kids and Jack is top priority.

He’s a friendly dog, but children are a different challenge for him as is the case for many dogs. Just because he’s friendly doesn’t mean he will be equally so with young children who are running around, shouting, crying, slamming doors, looking at him, trying to reach for him, playing with his toys, etc.

The most important thing is to set up management before any children enter the house. Do not wait and see what happens first. It doesn’t matter how big your house is, distance will likely become an issue at some point. If management is in place, there is no need to test the boundaries of your dog’s comfort.

Jack is most comfortable in the living room with access to his couch. He’s older, sometimes a bit sore and enjoys sleeping for many hours in the middle of the day – so it’s a perfect spot for him. It’s summer, so we don’t need to be in that area of the house.

We gated off Jack’s area as securely as we could and declared it off limits to the children. Adults frequently visited to cuddle, keep him company or give him his treasured treat ball.

More importantly, an adult was always present when the kids were inside the house, and we did organized area swaps to give Jack some yard time, too. Left unattended, kids could be reaching over or climbing on the fence or the couch or trying to open the gates.

The kids learned to keep their distance, and that running and shouting in the house was upsetting to Jack.

They had fun hiking with Jack on the trails because he was off leash and free to find the distance he needed. There was always an adult in front and also one in behind to keep an eye on everyone.

My advice to my nephew and niece? Be proactive, teach your children some simple guidelines, supervise what the children are doing and always remember to keep an eye on the dog to see how they feel about things, too.

It was a great visit 😊

07/31/2024

Welcome to our newest puppies: Zazzi, Rooster, Latte and Summer! A bunch of cuties!!😁🐶

Next set of puppy classes starts September 11th. Come and join the fun!

07/23/2024

Link to article in bio. There are many reasons why learning to walk on leash is a critical skill for dogs and what “walking on a leash” means from a training perspective.

Without proper positive training, dogs can be very uncomfortable on leash - feeling trapped or threatened when approached by another dog or person with a dog.

Walking past another dog, coming away from an accidental encounter, and learning that whatever is happening over there doesn’t involve you are all skills to be learned during leash training. We recommend saving greetings and play for off leash time.

For the humans, an important reminder to keep their dogs on leash in leash-only areas, please. We hear stories every week about dogs and their people who are harassed, chased, attacked or traumatized by off-leash dogs in on leash areas. If you don’t agree with the bylaws, then lobby to change them, but in the meantime, please respect them - a lot of us rely on them.

07/22/2024

Some scenes from Sunday’s early morning puppy class 😊

Critical skills: being on a leash and coming when called. Puppies learning to amble on a long line, observing things, keeping a loose leash, greeting and coming away from new friends.

We followed all that with some very low key play. Sizes are a bit mismatched so monitoring and management is important. Everyone did so well!

07/22/2024

If you have children, here are some good tips to help you raise a friendly family dog and keep everyone safe: Monitor interactions between your dog and kids...

07/20/2024

Congratulations to our latest Positive Puppy grads: Sunny, Obie and Chester!!🎉🙌🐶
Great job everyone!

07/20/2024

07/17/2024

https://www.ferniefix.com/article/community/power-enrichment
Enrichment is a frequent topic in many trainers’ posts and blogs for good reason. It has so many benefits for all animal in captivity which includes our dogs. We discuss enrichment with every client we have regardless of the behaviour concern because it’s just that important.

Enrichment improves the quality of an animal’s life. What is enriching will be up to each individual, so it may take some testing and experimenting with different activities to find the best ones for your pets.

The best place to start is to provide ways for your pets to do things they naturally or instinctively enjoy doing. For dogs it might be chasing, running, scavenging, digging or burying things, sniffing and finding things. For cats it may be hiding (what cat doesn’t love a cardboard box?), chasing, stalking, pouncing and finding treats.

What does your dog like to do on walks or in your yard? How can you design activities that mimic those fun moments for them? When you use your imagination and watch your dog, the options are vast.

What’s your dog’s favourite enrichment activity? Drop a comment below and give us some new ideas!

07/16/2024

Congratulations to our newest group of Terrific Teens - Mo, Maisie, Benny and Reggie! Well done everyone!!🎉🙌

Our next set of Terrific Teens starts Wednesday evenings, Sept. 11 and Saturday mornings, Sept. 21.

Adolescence can be a challenging time for dogs and their families - we can help! Register now.

07/15/2024

We’ve taken many courses from Chirag and seen him speak many times over the years. His latest offering does not disappoint!

A great learning experience, lots of valuable information and lengthy discussions from an inspiring coach and animal behaviourist.

He’s incredibly generous with his time and his resources not to mention the addition of some amazing guest lecturers.

It doesn’t matter what you think you know, there’s always more to learn from Chirag. Many great moments – highly recommend!

07/08/2024

Yikes! It’s hot on the feet and hard to get and stay cool!

Keep you and your pets safe inside in the middle of the day.

07/04/2024

Did you know that Dog Training is an unregulated profession?

There is no public oversight, eduation requirements or standards of practice.

Applying for and meeting the rigorous standards of the BC SPCA AnimalKind program is a voluntary decision by those training companies who choose to do so.

We’re very supportive of the BC SPCA and their efforts in creating and monitoring a program that raises the standards in dog training.

They provide the pet owning public with a way to access quality, humane dog training.

06/29/2024

A couple spots opened in our next Terrific Teens class - grab yours now! Link in bio to sign up.

Terrific Teens is for friendly dogs aged 5 months to 2 years old. Wednesday evenings at 7:45pm in North Vancouver.

06/18/2024

Link in bio for full article. Some tips and simple game suggestions for children to do with dogs - with adult supervision of course!

The activities keep sharp puppy teeth at a distance and also help children learn to interact appropriately with dogs.

These kind of games can help puppies learn tolerance for handling, practice some basic recall training and give puppies the all-important choice to walk away if they want to.

Learning that puppies and dogs should have the choice to participate or not in these activities can be a good first lesson in communication and dog body language for children.

06/15/2024

It’s big-ish and very cute puppy day! Huck, Maizie, Jo and Ren joined each other in class - renewing old acquaintances and meeting new friends.
😁🐶

Puppy training is first about learning your puppy’s body language and starting to build a system of communication. We work hard on socialization - helping our clients raise friendly puppies who feel confident in the environments and contexts they encounter every day.

When it comes to play, we focus on learning to have fun and change your play to accommodate your partner.

Self regulation is also an important lesson - getting excited and then learning to calm down and relax in the presence of your friends :)

06/12/2024

Link in bio to our article prepared for the BC SPCA AnimalKind, Kind Corner training advice section on “Safely Introducing your New Puppy to Children”.

A very important part of raising a new puppy is learning to read their body language and learning to communicate effectively. This is particularly important in families with young children.

Puppies need to feel safe and listened to, so they don’t feel the need to escalate their behaviour from growling to nipping and biting. Parents need to create some safe boundaries for play and interaction between puppy and child. Like all beings, puppies need to be able to say “yes” and “no” with their wishes respected.

Check out the article for some tips and suggestions to keep everyone safe and happy.

06/07/2024

Another great group of Terrific Teens graduated in Fernie 😁🙌. Great job Lily, Jello, Rufus, Dolly and Flint!!

Adolescence can be a challenging time for dogs and their owners and can last for several years. Dogs continue to develop mentally, emotionally and socially beyond puppy-hood and continuing their socialization and training is important.

We’ll have more Fernie Terrific Teens starting in September!

06/03/2024

Congratulations to our latest Positive Puppy grads: Ace, Mike, Becca and Abba!! 🙌🎉🐶
Great job everyone!

A well-run puppy class with experienced trainers using positive methods is a great way to set your puppy up for success!

Attending a class like this is also a great way to find a valuable support system as your puppy matures and continues their life with your family. Training isn’t finished yet and find a great team to work with can make things so much easier!

05/29/2024

Welcome to our latest group of North Vancouver Terrific Teens! Meet Honey, Reggie, Ace, Mo and Benny ❤️🙌😊

Adolescence can be a challenging time for dogs and their guardians.

Building your relationship and continuing your training in a positive and fun way is an important part of your dog’s training journey!

05/24/2024

Do you have a dog who loves to destroy his toys? Link in bio to article.

Learn how I taught my dog to quit wrecking his stuffed toys!

Jack loves his stuffies and, as a young adolescent, that quickly turned to destruction and consumption. I took on the training challenge of teaching him play nicely with his beloved toys and it worked!

05/22/2024

Some puppy cuteness with Flora and Ren!

Doing some people watching (aka socializing) at the aquatic centre 😁.

Also working on some leash skills and settling around a new friend - a hard skill to master for dogs! Ren the golden is a great mentor to Flora - !

05/11/2024

Are you planning a family or already have a new baby on the way? Link in bio to this new blog post.

Just because your dog is friendly, doesn’t mean they will joyfully welcome your new baby.

We work with a lot of people who bring home a new baby and discover their dog is very unhappy with the new addition.

From the dog’s perspective, this new addition brings very little benefit to them. There’s often a change in exercise habits, less regular attention, more visitors to the house, and a greater level of confinement.

For some dogs, these changes may be permanent, and changes to their routine will continue as children mature. That’s a very big adjustment for the family dog.

However, with some thought and planning there is a lot you can before baby arrives to prepare your dog and help make your new baby feel like a welcome addition to their life.

05/10/2024

Some excellent advice and information.

There are a lot of great 'red flag' resources out there, but we wanted to create something short, simple and shareable.

Four easy ways to avoid broker rescues:

1. Do not sign adoption papers or pay adoption fees if you have not met the animal.

2. Do not sign adoption papers or pay fees for an animal that comes directly off a transport vehicle.

3. Do not sign adoption papers or pay fees for an animal unless you can speak to someone (foster home, kennel attendant, etc.) who has personally cared for this animal.

4. Do not sign papers or pay fees for an animal unless the rescue has a clear “Plan B” if this adoption doesn’t work out.

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ℹ️ Meet the animal first and get first hand information. This should not be controversial or counter-intuitive advice. You would never commit to a life partner, adopt a child, or even get a roommate without doing this.

A reputable rescue cares whether you are a match for the animal in their care. They will not pressure you to commit to an animal based on a bio or photo or sad story. You are making a 10-15 year commitment to a living being with unique needs and personality traits. You both deserve some time and information to make sure this is a good fit.

🅱️Have a Plan B. You may want to help an animal and feel ready to adopt. You may be sure you can make things work, but adoptions can fall through for many reasons. Online bios aren’t always accurate and the dog described as “good with kids/dogs” may not be. It may be noisy, or not housetrained, and cause problems with strata or landlords. It may have crippling separation anxiety and you have a job out of the house. Your life situation may change.

A reputable rescue will have a foster program, a foster-to-adopt process, or a matching system with multiple steps: to set everyone up for success, and be a resource if it’s not a fit.

If you are adopting from an overseas rescue without a local representative, trainer, and network of foster homes lined up, this is a red flag.

🚑But the urgency!! Unethical rescues will use a sad story or a sense of emergency to pressure you into ignoring your instincts or skipping the steps above. Urgency and need is all around you – the best way to help is to donate, volunteer, or foster for a reputable rescue, NOT to rush into a long-term commitment to a new family member.

Use your head AND your heart to support ethical rescues. If everyone followed the simple steps above, rescue brokers and puppy mill re-sellers would go out of business.

🚩 Please link your favourite "red flag" resources below!

05/10/2024

Only a few days left and a few tickets left. Don’t miss out!