Trystan Stark, CTC is a certified professional dog trainer operating in Prince George, BC.
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We specialize in puppy training and offer a variety of training options for you and your puppy!
Hey Clients!
Just a heads up that I am fully booked for boarding in July and August and am booking into October (some availability in Sept). If you have upcoming travel and need boarding, please reach out sooner rather than later to ensure you are slotted in!
Pic of my current boarding pup, Zukko!
Calling all puppy parents!
While it's been quiet on here, theres been lots going on behind the scenes, and I'm excited to start sharing with you more again!
First up, I've been busy hosting more boarding dogs recently, and am excited to have some more puppy specific offerings coming up.
Hello!
I am currently taking new bookings for 2024 for in (my)-home boarding in Prince George.
As they live with me, my family, and my dogs, they MUST be dog social. I am unfortunately not currently taking on any behaviour cases but am happy to refer you to a trusted colleague.
All dogs must to UTD on shots or titre testing.
Board & Train Add On's are also available for puppies and pro-social adult dogs looking to work on some manners.
STARK Dog Training offers select in home boarding aimed at enriching your dogs life while minimising the stress of being away from home. Servicing south and mid Vancouver Island, B.C. Board and Train options also available.
Thank you for your patience while we moved and got settled in!
I am now opening up my books again for clients to book in, and am accepting new virtual and in-person (Prince George) clients.
I primarily work with behaviour cases for pet and sport dogs including fear, reactivity, and aggression, but also offer puppy and obedience private sessions for all ages.
For those of you looking to start hunting with your dogs, I am also excited to be offering Gundog/retriever foundations for all retrievers, spaniels, and other sporting dogs used for upland and migratory bird hunting.
(Advanced skills will be available in the future.)
Link to my website and email in my bio or feel free to DM me to book in.
I have very limited availability, so book now to get in soon!
Www.starkdogtraining.ca
[email protected]
Important Announcement!
Our journey here in Prince Rupert is ending and we are relocating to Prince George as of the end of March.
Prince Rupert clients, I have to say thank you and that I am very grateful for all the support and friendships I have made in this town. I have loved working with each and every one of you and am so proud of the progress and journeys each of you and your pups have made. Thank you for trusting me with your dogs!
While I will no longer be in town physically, I am still available for virtual sessions which work well for both obedience and reactivity, so don’t fret! I’m still here to support you and your training journey.
Prince George, I will be taking some time to get settled but have some very exciting new programs I will be launching soon, including a gundog/ retriever foundations program!
Stay tuned for updates!
Thank you again and I am very excited for the next part of our adventure.
Thank you to the Academy for this shout out!
I’m Trystan Stark and I offer dog training and behaviour consulting to pet and sport guardians in Prince George, British Columbia. I love working with high drive, goofy dogs and their people as well as using dogs for practical applications such as hunting and detection.
Instagram:
Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/starkdogtraining
I would love to shout out Kelsey Patterson of Authentic Canine in Victoria, BC. Without her mentorship and guidance I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Dog Training Tip: Veterinary care doesn’t need to be scary! If your dog is worried about going to the vet or any other care, a Fear Free vet and/ or trainer can help! Cooperative care can teach your dog to not only tolerate husbandry procedures, but to be active willing, participants.
It's so important when hiring a dog trainer to ask questions. Make sure that both you and your dog will be treated with kindness in a learning environment free of fear, pain & intimidation.
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A great article on building resiliency in dogs. While such an important skill for all dogs, it’s soemthing I work on a lot with my reactive dog clients and with dogs with big feelings!
An IAABC Foundation Publication
I recently spent the day with this adoptable guy, Olaf! He is a 16 week old Shepherd mix with a kind temperament and wonderful dog skills. He currently goes to work with his foster mama (who is a dog groomer) and even lives with goats!
He is currently located in Duncan, BC through North Amity Dog Rescue Society
I am happy to partner with North Amity Dog Rescue and offer 15% off of Initial Consultations for adopters.
Please DM or Email me if you have any questions at all about Olaf or my services!
It is with deep sadness that I share the tragic passing of a wonderful colleague and friend, Rachel.
My thoughts are with her family and friends as well as all of her wonderful clients who she cared very deeply about. Feel free to reach out as we all take time to heal from this loss. ❤️
No breed needs a heavy hand.
Reward-based dog training offers the most advantages and least harm to the learner’s welfare, according to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, which says there is no evidence that aversive practices are necessary for dog training or behavior modification.
New Puppy? There’s a couple spots left in puppy class held at Elk Lake Veterinary Hospital!
Register for Puppy Preschool starting January 8th at Elk Lake Veterinary Hospital in Victoria BC.
We are excited for the first in our series on managing babies/young children and dogs within the home. Join us, three trainers with young children, as we chat about management, struggles, and successes within our homes and how to set your pups and kiddos up for success over the holidays.
12pm PST/3pm EST we will be going live on Instagram. Be ready with your questions and we will try to answer them in our Q&A.
Happy Graduation Relic!
Relic is graduating from our Puppy HeadStart program. Him and his mum have been working very hard on all sorts of skills such as loose leash walking, sit, down, stay, touch, heel, watch me, focus around distractions and many more! He has also been working on socialization to people, dogs and things as well as resource guarding prevention. Go Relic!
Drop me a DM if you’re interested in working together!
To those of you who don’t know me yet, hi! I’m Trystan and this is one of my pups, Aspen.
There’s some fun new stuff happening in the next few weeks so stay tuned and keep an eye out! 👀
Package graduates: Walter & Elphaba!
These two cuties have just finished their package and both the humans and pups have come so far!
These guys have been working on their door manners, leash walking, greetings, focusing under distraction, recall, and more!
My clients were patient with building up the foundation skills, practiced through their busy schedules, and were fantastic at giving rewards. Wonderful job!
ATTENTION:
Some very important dates coming up for all my current and future clients.
I will be CLOSED for the holidays between December 15-January 4th. This means that there are only 5 weeks left until I am off. Please book accordingly!
I will then be on Vancouver Island for the month of January. This means that I am able to take on in person sessions on the Island and am excited to be able to work with some previous clients during that time!
This also means that I will be UNABLE to take on in-person sessions in Prince Rupert but will still be able to do virtual sessions. These are an excellent option for fear and aggression cases!
If you have any questions at all about what this means for your current packages, please let me know. I will also be reaching out to clients individually to let them know and plan their packages accordingly.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you and your pups soon!
Reminder to fill those Kong’s!
If you’ve been around long enough or EVER been a client, you’ll have heard me talk about enrichment.
I’m just here to say that this took me 7 minutes, and two cans of dog food. I then popped it in the freezer ready to pull out as needed. I find that each can fills about 5 Kong’s (you can use any toys you like- I used here for easy visualization but are another favourite around here).
There are endless fill options for dogs but when I’m needing some quick, easy fills, I opt for canned dog food. At $2.50-$4 (depending on brand and your location) per can- that’s $0.50-$0.80 per Kong/ filled puzzle toy.
I always keep an eye on marketplace and thrift stores for puzzle toys as they often come up quite cheap making bulk fills like this much easier/cheaper! Hot Tip: tell your Mum you’re looking and she’ll load you up with all her thrift store finds 🤣
These are a part of my dogs enrichment rotations but I also heavily use them for when guests come over. As things have opened back up post pandemic (can I say that yet??) we are having more friends over, something my dogs are not used to. I like easy ways to help my dogs settle and relax and this is one of my main go-to’s.
What do you like to put in your puzzle toys?
Prince Rupert Dog Walker!
We have an experienced, insured dog walker who is looking to move into town.
For clients who are looking for a walker, please consider filling out this form to help her gather some info to best fill YOUR needs in the community.
Hello Prince Rupert! I'm an experienced and qualified dog walker from B.C, collecting data regarding the need for professional dog walking services in the Prince Rupert area—this is the second edition of my survey. I'm looking to get more detailed information in order to meet the needs of my futur...
Happy Halloween to everyone except people who tell you not to comfort and reassure your dog during fireworks and scary events!
For people in BC or other places with fireworks, please keep your dogs inside, turn on the white noise, get situational meds from your vet and REASSURE YOUR DOG! ❤️ It will not make them worse, it will not make them more fearful. Fear does not work like that, and you cannot make sound sensitivity worse by helping them through their stress. 🎃
A wonderful article from a colleague which touches on many myths in dog training.
Ten tips on modern dog training and how to care for your dog.
Any clients stuck in Terrace overnight who need help with their dogs, please email or DM me and I'm happy to do potty breaks and feed.
[email protected]
PSA: Just because your dog doesn't growl or bite when your child handles them roughly, it doesn't mean they should have to tolerate it.
The onus is on the parent to teach children age-appropriate ways to interact with dogs.
The responsibility of safety is NOT 100% on the dog.
Teach the kids, not just the dogs.
Clients!
I still have a couple openings available this week. Please book in your appointments as my next availability in person sessions will not be until November 12th!
You can book online, or new clients can shoot me a message or DM.
https://www.starkdogtraining.ca/
Reactive Dogs DESERVE peaceful walks.
This is why I instruct so much on management for my reactive dog clients before we dive into training.
Think, if you're not having a peaceful walk, your dog likely isn't either.
Reactive dogs deserve peaceful walks too. Unapologetically. Deserve.
Of course we do everything we can to prevent reactions. Walking in quieter areas, walking during low traffic times, increasing other enrichment opportunities, training, and more.
Still, reactions happen. Still, people stare. Still, reactive dogs deserve peaceful walks.
Manny, you are why I offer VIP Boarding. My promise is to make walks as peaceful and enjoyable as possible for you. You deserve it. Unapologetically. ✊💚❤️
Current clients!
You can now logon to your Client Portal for booking and modifying sessions through my website:
www.starkdogtraining.ca
Just click the “Client Portal” button at the top on your computer or mobile device and you will be directed to login.
New clients can book online (through my website) for obedience style issues or email me with more complex behaviour concerns for a behaviour consultation. Unsure which service is best for you? Send me an email or DM!
[email protected]
STARK Dog Training offers force free, science based dog training in Prince Rupert, B.C. We offer classes, private training and day training. We specialize in puppies but also offer behaviour modification, basic life skills, and fun classes.
Ditch the bowl!
You've heard me talk about it in sessions, but what does this really look like?
Most dogs get fed in a bowl twice a day and no one thinks any more about it. But what if we can use that food that they would already be getting and make it fun, thoughtful, and help them fill some of those scavenging, sniffing needs they have all in one go?
There are so many options for both kibble and raw feeders on how we can do this, so here's just a few ideas:
-Use it to train
-Soak kibble or fill a kong with raw or canned food
-Use a snuffle mat
-Scatter feed in the grass
-Puzzle toys
-Kibble in a bottle with the lid off
-Roll kibble up in a towel
-Licki mat
The options are endless!
As with all times we provide toys to our dogs, dogs should be supervised and some suggestions are not intended for dogs who will ingest non-food items.
Not in Prince Rupert or Port Edward but still want to work with me? No problem!
I'm now accepting virtual clients. Online sessions work great for all types of training including puppies, obedience behaviours, reactivity and fear, trick training, and more!
Want more info?
Send me a DM or email: [email protected]
All sessions will be booked in PST.
Prince George, BC
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Play! Part Two of our series on meeting all of our dogs needs. For Part One on Exercise, please see my previous post. Play time, both with humans and other dogs (depending on your dogs preference) is such an important part of their natural behaviour, keeps them mentally and physically fit, and helps decrease behavioural issues. Puppy play is also an important part of learning bite inhibition. Games such as tug, wrestling, fetch, and chase, are all excellent options and you may find that your dogs have a strong preference of one over another. It is a myth that games like tug create a dominance imbalance, however we do need to make sure that we teach our dogs the “rules of tug” prior to engaging in play. This means teaching the cues for “Give” and “Take” and having them be reliable under high stimulation. For more information: Starkdogtraining.ca [email protected]
Exercise I’ve been talking a lot the past couple weeks both through my platform and with clients about making sure that you’re meeting all of your dogs needs. You can scroll back through those posts to get an overview, but over the next little while I am going to delve deeper into some of them. Today I’m going to touch on Exercise. Exercise requirements for each of our dogs are different. Their requirements vary by age, breed, breed lines (show vs field), fitness, weight etc. Both of my dogs are fit, young, working line breeds (Sig is a field Labrador, and Aspen is a sport dog mix from two working line parents - a border collie and a golden retriever). This means that their requirements for exercise may be higher than your dogs. Based on their age they are able to do longer runs, hikes as well as decompression walks. We do off leash hikes/ walks/ runs 3-4 times a week mixed with leash walks, training, and rest days. Off leash (or long-line if you’re still working on recall or in on-leash areas) walks are very important for our dogs both for exercise as well as decompression (I will do a whole post on decompression walks). Preferably, somewhere our dogs can be safely in nature and go at their own pace. Please talk to your vet about the amount of exercise your dog or puppy is able to get (puppies growth plates don’t close until 18-24ish months old), and always go at your dogs pace. This video shows Sig running along on a bike ride. Sig LIVES to run. It’s his favourite thing to do. He is out front 90% of the time, takes frequent breaks for water, and changes his pace both to match me (because hills are hard) and to suit what he needs in that moment. For more information: Starkdogtraining.ca [email protected]
Updated Service Area I’m very excited to announce that I am Now offering services in Duncan and the Cowichan Valley! This move is very exciting for me as I am from the Cowichan Valley and am finally in a position to give back to our community here! I still teach and train in the Westshore so my current clients don’t need to worry but I will be offering select days in the Cowichan Valley so please get in touch to book your sessions and consults. I am currently booking one week out but am able to accommodate emergency needs on a case-by-case basis. For more information: Starkdogtraining.ca [email protected]
Noel Pepin Canine Behaviour Specialists
Chilako Road
