Happy Dawgs Obedience Training

10/18/2025

When I'm working with a reactive dog, one of my top priorities is to build the handler's confidence first, because their energy drives the dog's behaviour. Tension in the body creates tension on the leash; in turn, the dog (understandably) interprets that tension as a need to be on alert. The result is a dog who is in a state of constant tension and hyper-vigilance that makes them perceive everything around them as unsafe. The lack of confidence in the handler exacerbates that, and voila, you have a vicious cycle that feels impossible to get out of.

To help build handler confidence, the videos I share of our sessions are purposely designed to show their successes - those "I did it!" moments in which they handled a trigger situation calmly and confidently, and their dog responded by following them. I do this, because my clients do struggle with confidence (which is understandable, in light of what they've been dealing with), they do watch these videos, and they *need* to see themselves succeeding. When they see visual proof, that gives them greater confidence - which, in turn, builds trust and confidence in their dog.

Have a great day and a great weekend, and remember to stay calm and lead on.

10/13/2025

Hi everyone. Just popping in to wish my fellow Canadians a happy Turkey Day, and to thank the people who have subscribed to me over on YouTube. Much appreciation to you! Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on. :)

09/25/2025

Board and train programs have become a red flag for many dog owners - and considering how many horror stories have been in the news about b&t situations gone wrong, of course you're going to be worried and fearful. It's completely understandable.

Which is why I have a very strict protocol in place for when I take a dog in for a Board and Train program:

1. A total of 3 meet & greet sessions take place. In the first two, I bring my dog to you to start the process of familiarizing your dog with a friendly face. In the third visit, you bring your dog to me (your dog remains on leash during the visit to prevent trouble and/or potential marking), and you and your dog meet the rest of my family. You'll see the sleeping, feeding, and play areas your dog will be experiencing, and your dog begins learning right away how to handle meeting strangers.

2. During the time your dog is with me and my family, you are expected to come to me at least once a week for training. Ideally, however, arranging to come three to four days a week is better, as it gives you more practice time with your dog, while at the same time, ensuring your dog is receiving the love, care, and training you've been promised.

3. You are provided with regular updates - photos and/or videos whenever possible - on my website as well as my page. Setbacks as well as progress are posted; training is messy, and you need to know about the setbacks as much as the progress.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Leave a comment or give me a call at 587-582-2272. Have a great evening, and remember to stay calm and lead on.

09/21/2025

I saw a meme today that said, "If your website says "call for price" I'd rather just never visit your site again." For dog trainers like me who own and operate a small training company, this is like a kiss of death.

When a consult request comes in, 98% of the time, the information I've asked for is not included. When I call you to arrange a day and time for our consultation, I ask those questions - and I ask many other relevant questions, too. The more information I have about what's going on with your dog, the better able I am to not only determine what program would be best for you, but also, whether you even need to have a consultation. There have been many times when even a consultation wasn't necessary.

Memes like the one above can create negative perceptions about a company, which can harm the company's ability to stay afloat. If it's shared out long enough and by enough people, this type of meme can break a small company.

I get that it's probably meant to be humorous. But for very small companies like mine, it's not. We rely on those phone calls as much as we rely on word of mouth from our clients.

Send a message to learn more

09/19/2025

Absolutely fantastic session with Vincent and Tia Steele MacMillan yesterday. Vincent made excellent choices! He chose his handler over triggers!

Sept. 18, 2025 - Vincent made great choices while working around his triggers. Instead of reacting, he chose to observe, and then he chose his handler. AWESO...

09/15/2025

🎉 Today marks my 10th year helping dogs and their owners learn how to create and maintain lasting, lifelong bonds of trust, love, and respect with each other. 🐾 Whether you’ve trained with me, referred a friend, or just cheered me on, THANK YOU for choosing me to be part of your journey. 💙

👇 Drop a note in the comments if I've helped you and your pup, and tag people you know who you believe need me. :) Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on. ♥

09/15/2025

Just so there's no question or confusion, this page is dedicated to dog training. That is all. If there's still questions, enjoy this photo of sweet boy Roko, who spent close to a month with me to learn how to be a calmer, happier, much more polite boy.

09/12/2025

30 Days of Happiness Challenge - Day 5

Peach, 2021. Leonberger, 7 months old. Sassy but sweet, with a whole lot of stubbornness to round her out. 😁

09/10/2025

Dogs don't mark the passing of their years like we humans do. Birthdays are entirely a human construct. None the less, Happy 13th Birthday to my beautiful angel-girl, Glimmer! She is my rock, my teacher, my best friend, my assistant... She is my world.

For almost 10 years, Glimmer has helped countless dogs and their humans with her gentleness, her patience, her calm, steady energy, and her tremendous capacity for compassion. She gives her all, but asks only for some play and work time in return (work and play are two of her most favorite things); she knows when and how to push a dog, and when and how to back off; she teaches the owners how to check in with themselves, she shows them when they're tensing up... and, she shows them how to relax. She reflects their energy back to them so perfectly and with such incredible precision that it's impossible for them to not see themselves.

Glimmer came into our lives at a very high personal cost to me... and while that price was life-changing and deeply painful, I know that if I had it to do over, I would pay it again. Glimmer is my heart and soul dog; she is a once-in-a-lifetime dog so unique that if I believed in angels, I would swear she is one.

Happy 13th birthday, my beautiful angel-girl. I love you so much...

09/09/2025

30 Days of Happiness Challenge - Day 2

Photo: Sprocket offering me affection for the first time by laying at my feet

09/09/2025

How to mark rewards **properly**.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DORPJsnCCKy/

09/08/2025

I was nominated by Bone-A-Fide K9 to do this challenge, so here we go.
Photo: near Radium, BC, Sept. 2024

30 Days of Happiness.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
How it works - Post 1 photo a day for 30 days of anything that brings you happiness. Your photo can have an explanation or not. Tag 1 Page every day with your post so they can carry the torch and start their own 30 Days of Happiness.