Ethical Canine Training and Behaviour Modification

03/06/2025

Does your dog dart away when you try to catch them? Do they run and hide at the park when it's leash time? It is possible to train your dog to be easily captured without relying on tricks and traps.

02/23/2025

Did you know that I can help you with your sports dogs? While I don't actively compete with my current pups, I have a background in several dog sports, and I love working on behaviour challenges with sports dogs and their people. Whether it's reactivity at trials, distractibility during classes, or waiting quietly, I can be a helpful member of your team!

02/18/2025

Time for a Canadian Dog Business shoutout!

We love Chilly Dogs coats, made in Ontario. They make coats of all different warmth levels and specialize in fitting those dogs with unusual shapes. Pictured here is my old dog Marlo wearing his Trail Blazer coat. You can see how it covers his bum and his harness fit well over top. It also didn't interfere with his peeing 😆.

They also now sell some toys and treats and even the Perfect Fit harness! And I've had great experiences with their customer service.

If you're looking for a dog coat, check them out and shop Canadian:)

02/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day!

02/08/2025

I love that there's such a movement for enriching pet dogs' lives these days! And food based enrichment is a big part of this, since most dogs love food. Here are a few bits of information about using food based enrichment that were inspired by comments or questions I've seen.

02/05/2025

If you have an adult dog with reactivity and/or aggression and you want a new family member, it might be possible! A major consideration is getting through the early socialization periods while minimizing your puppy's exposure to your older dog's reactivity.

When I brought baby Joni home with my previous dog Marlo, it was a huge amount of work: not only the work of raising a puppy, but also introducing her to him safely AND spending separate time with each of them so she could get socialization. Granted, Joni has vastly different genetics and early litter experiences, so the chances of her behaving aggressively to other dogs was much lower, but not worth the risk.

If you're considering bringing home a puppy with a reactive older dog, send me a message and we can make a plan!

01/31/2025

01/29/2025

I'm here in the office trying not to nap all day! See you all in February 🙃

01/25/2025

Classes coming up in the spring...exact dates TBA!

I'm also actively looking for class locations in Sooke, so if you have any ideas on appropriate spaces available evenings and weekends, let me know!

01/22/2025

If you're like me, you find it a challenge to integrate training into daily dog life (it's much easier for me to choose to go for a walk than to do a training session).

Here are some suggestions that you might find helpful to fit training into a busy schedule - you might like one or all of them!

Do you have any favourite ways to make training a habit?

01/16/2025

Is your dog....
Outdoorsy? ⛰️🌲🌧🏕
Outsidey? ☀️🏡🌻🪟
Or....
Gavin? 🤷‍♀️😂

01/12/2025

One of the most influential books of my professional life. The author, Karen Pryor, passed away this past week, and my social media has been filled with tributes to her impact on the field of dog training. While I never met her (unlike so many other lucky professionals around my age), this book still holds a place of honour. 20 years ago, in vet tech school, I was lucky enough to have instruction in animal behaviour from a positive reinforcement trainer who assigned this book in our curriculum. I have clear memories of reading it at that time and how it made me think differently about so many aspects of teaching animals (I came from traditional horse training and farm animal handling).

I'll always be thankful for being made to read 😆. I wouldn't be where I am today without this book and the education around it.

Ps this is the same copy from my tech school days complete with highlighter.

01/11/2025

It's 2025, does your training plan need a refresher? I'm doing a sale in January and February for previous clients to help jumpstart your new year 😊. Message me if you're interested!

01/08/2025

Previous and current students, check your emails for links to Jan and Feb drop ins! I'm trying some new things, so I want to know if this is what you all want 😊. The sign up link is in the most recent Mailerlite Newsletter.

01/03/2025

"Building Confidence" - what does it mean? Unfortunately, most of what you might see online is not it. Fortunately, you can build your dog's confidence in many gentle and understanding ways.