The Dog Man Barrie (2024)

14/12/2024

A big winter adventure for Smores today. Between meeting other dogs and exploring the woods and fields, I’d say she has earned her sleep!

06/12/2024

A big day for Smores (and Alicia) coming on her first day of walks with some of my other dogs! For a trial run for the future she knocked it out of the park with her behaviour, really settling in to being around other dogs without constantly needing to play.
All of my other pups got to show off too, really impressing me in some cases of remaining calm and focused.
Giving space and letting dogs take their time when being introduced can reduce the overwhelming nature of it all, so I was very lucky to have Alicia sacrifice her day off to get wet and cold with me!
More growing and training to be done before Smores can handle a full day of walks with all my dogs, but for now at least I get a quiet night while she sleeps!

01/12/2024

Absolutely killer day today, as Smores went to Rescue 1 At a Time‘s Santa photo event at Rona+! She was reunited with her sister Blissful (also known as Poppy) who unbelievably is still up for adoption!
She made waves with all the dogs and was all around a super star. Blueberry and Abracadabra (both also adoptable) were fast friends with her as well. Be sure to check out all the adoptables on their page or website, they are all such sweet dogs who could really use a home!
To unwind, Smores went for a playdate with my parent’s dog Blue. She is loving the snow and making all the friends she can!

29/11/2024

Smores had an exciting morning adventure at Sunnidale Park! Getting braver and braver every day

17/11/2024

Smores has been with us for three whole weeks already. Time really flies! She has been such a wonderful addition to our lives, but it’s been quite a rollercoaster! Let’s check in.

The Good:
•Gotten a great start on obedience training
•Is a master of Hand Target
•Knows sit, down, roll over, spin, twirl, both paws, high five, peekaboo (between legs)
•Has started a great foundation for recall, fetch, waits and stays
•Loves going to the vet and meeting new dogs and people
•Is sleeping 8 hours through the night in her crate no problem
•Is taking on the world of walks with her 15ft lead

The Not-so-good:
•Is scared of the dark and loses a ton of confidence once the sun does down
•Fear reactive to the sound of dogs barking
•Hasn’t figured out how to say hello without her paws and teeth being involved
•Hasn’t figured out it isn’t time to play while on lead
•Still falls for Gremlin’s instigation and chases the cats around the house
•Impulse control in general is a challenge

These things are natural bumps in the road with training a puppy, and we are making progress and working every day to help her overcome these things! The challenge comes with:

The Ugly:
•A reoccurring eye infection that has lasted 2 weeks
•A UTI that has made potty training a lot more difficult
•The discomfort from all the infections making her nervous, uncomfortable, and a lot less willing to be handled without nipping
•Her vaccines being delayed due to the infections meaning a lot of exploring and social training grinds to a halt to ensure her health

When adopting a dog of any age, keep in mind the process will never go completely smooth. Training is a non-linear process because there are so many variables that can sometimes be out of your control! My motto is always progress never perfection. Being patient and breaking down training into what your dog is capable of and willing to do rather than forcing for the “perfect” will always result in a much smoother process and a better outcome in the end!
Smores and I are going to keep plucking away while we wait for her immune system to catch up to us!

13/11/2024

Smores is unstoppable

09/11/2024

Smores’ first big adventure done and dusted!
Long leads are a must for exploring trails. Your pup will have all the room to zoom and explore without pulling, and you can still have all of the security you need.
Smores loved exploring the trail, but she is still so young she ran out of steam fast! Thankfully we timed it well and we didn’t have to carry her to the car. Getting in the house afterwards is a different story though.

05/11/2024

Got to see my girls Myszka and Znayda after over a month of them being away!

30/10/2024

Another visit to the vet today, this time to meet the vet and get a quick check up. Already almost 17lbs at just under 10 weeks, she will definitely be big! We are very lucky to live within a short walking distance of our vet, so we can bring her in super frequently for desensitizing happy visits.
You should always be sure to bring your dog to places like the vet for more than just their appointments. The main culprit of dogs not liking the vet is only going when they have to have something unpleasant done. Weekly happy visits go a long way to make both your dog’s and your vet’s lives easier! And a fun bonus is that it can help decrease your future vet bills, as you shouldn’t need to worry about paying to sedate your dog for things they should be able to handle without fear.

29/10/2024

Another busy day with Smores! Crate training was the focus today in preparation for her first few days alone. Is your dog crate trained?

28/10/2024

Smores has been here 3 days, which going by the rule of 3s means she should be starting to settle in. Let’s talk about that:

The rule of 3s when bringing a new dog home is 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months. It’s a rule of thumb to follow for your dog’s adjustment to their new home. The first 3 days are tough as your pup will be scared and disoriented. Maybe they will be quicker to frighten over little things, or maybe they even completely shut down and don’t want to do anything at all. That’s okay! Patience is always key and as long as you are taking things slowly and offering lots of positive and rewarding experiences throughout without overwhelming them, you’ll start to see them open up. We are seeing Smores begin to open up a lot more to the world we have her in, but remember that the rule of 3s isn’t concrete! Your dog may take longer to settle in depending on a multitude of factors.

After 3 weeks is when the real trouble begins. 3 weeks and they’re starting to truly settle in, open up, and get comfortable with things. Maybe too comfortable. This is often the period I have most people reaching out to me for help with. Your sweet quiet puppy who has barely made a peep in the past few weeks may suddenly realize they are comfortable using their voice. Maybe they decide to start chewing on things. Your things. Because now they’re our things, your puppy may think. This is why starting training right away, before the problem behaviours begin, is so heavily recommended. It’s much easier to redirect and solve problems when you already have a solid basis of communication started. It takes much longer and results in a lot more stress if you have to try to start teaching them things while not being able to necessarily stop the problem behaviours. We will talk more about the 3 weeks stage when Smores and I get there!

3 months is the goal post. Your pup has settled in, learned the routine, and you can start the rest of your life and training journey with them. It isn’t the end by far though!

Keep an eye for updates on Smores’ progress, as I’ll be sharing our training journey on here as much as possible.

26/10/2024

The newest member of the dog fam is here! Smores is our new rescue pup who will be filling my life and emptying my treat pouch!
She is an 8 week old party mix puppy! From what we know currently she has Collie, Mastiff, Shepherd, and Retriever in her, but who knows what else could be in the pot. She is already over 10lbs so we imagine she will be a decent size at least!
She is the first puppy I have had for my own since becoming a dog trainer, so it’s going to be a great new experience to see if I can really put my money where my mouth is!
Our first 24 hours is down, and not without it’s hiccups, so it’s time to see where the rest of our lives take us.

21/10/2024

Went out to ‘s fundraiser event yesterday and ended up spending half the day there showing love to all the wonderful pups! Tons of beautiful dogs in need of forever homes, and lots of wonderfully behaved friends just passing through to say hello and show support! Thank you to all those at Rescue 1 at a Time for your hard work!

27/09/2024

Today Rufus went ahead across the rainbow bridge.
After battling against an aggressive form of lymphoma this past month, he let us know it was his time. He put up an amazing fight, of course he would, he was as stubborn as they come and wasn’t going to let anything stop him until he said so.
For the past nearly 9 years Rufus has been my rock. He was the best friend I could possibly ask for, pushing me through some of the most challenging parts of my life. I wouldn’t be the Dog Man, doing a job that I love and meeting and helping hundreds of other great pups if it wasn’t for him.
I’ll carve all the memories into me, and take him with me, because he is never truly gone. I’ll be sure to keep growing, learning, and working hard to ensure that one day, when I see him again, he can be proud.
I love you Rufus. You’ll always be my bubba, my bugaboo, my boofus, my doof, my bugbear, my bubby boy, my best friend.

03/09/2024

Last week was my last week walking Marlow and Niska before their move! They’re off to the east coast to enjoy an early retirement on a few acres of land. Gonna miss these guys, but I think they’ve given me enough fur stuck to my clothes to remember them by

12/08/2024

Louisx doing his best impression if a cloud

01/08/2024

Could be big smiles, could be them melting in the heat, all we can say for certain is they are good looking pups!

30/07/2024

Myscka and Znaida beating the heat this week with a dunk in the pond

The Dog Man Barrie