Spring time came and hit so fast I feel like I could blink and miss it. My April was incredibly busy; between my daughters year-end dance performance, group classes and one-on-one training sessions my month was jam-packed. I was able to put on two training classes for April and have two more for May. My busy schedule was also due thanks to my husband being home for breakup. This has helped me open my schedule for a lot more dog training.

With spring time always comes “puppy season”. I had a few puppies for 1:1 sessions and those are always a blast. I absolutely love training puppies; so if you acquired yourself a puppy this spring and would like to know how to get the best start on training send me a message!

One puppy came to me for trick training, to help them reach their goal of earning their Novice Trick Dog title through Do More With Your Dog. I absolutely love trick training, and this is a personal goal of mine for my own dog.

Myself and some fellow dog enthusiasts are mulling over the idea of putting together a trick training club. If this is something that sounds up your alley, let me know! The more people we have interested in it, the more likely we will do it.

Registration for my next class has ended, but you can READ HERE more information and to add yourself to the wait list for the next class.

Running group obedience classes was always the goal but one that took me a while to check off my list. It took me a while to have the confidence to run a class, and it only came after my experience with running Pack in the Park.

Last spring I approached the United Church about using the space for group classes. I remember there being group obedience classes there that I took my puppy to when I was about 15. I remember at the time thinking “wow, I want to do this. I want to run a class like this”, so to think back on that and realize that I not only have reached that goal I set so long ago but I’m doing it in the same space where I first set the goal is really quite bittersweet. However, last spring my group class turned into a 1:1 when I only had one person sign up for it. This made me a bit hesitant to put on classes again, but I gave it a shot and was blown away at the response I received. Not only could I put on one but TWO classes with an additional 2 more the following month. I’m not really sure what the difference between last spring and this spring is, but I’ll take it. I’m just happy to see so many people training their dogs!

Group 1 was my “Girlies”. This was a class full of women and their female dogs. It had a great vibe, despite two reactive dogs in the class, and everyone has progressed and learned so much in those 4 weeks. We have our last class tonight and then that is a wrap on Group 1.

Group 2 was a bit more challenging with many dogs and owners at varying levels. We had some owners who just needed the added level of distraction for their dogs to work in and we had others who were puppies just learning with their first-time puppy owners. This made for an interesting dynamic in class. Everyone learned in different ways and rates but everyone kept up with the same curriculum. Group 2 graduated first, as Group 1 had the Easter holiday push their classes back by a week.

As I prepare for Groups 3 and 4 I am using everything I learned from teaching Groups 1 and 2 to make the class even better. I plan to always revise it in this way, ever fine-tuning it to be more efficient and effective.

The most important thing to me is creating and supporting a safe, relaxed environment that is easy to learn in. I will keep offering this class as long as there are people who want to take it.

This month Fort St. James Dog Training, sponsored by the Fort St. James Animal Care Team Society (FSJ ACTS), is bringing the Be A Tree dog bite prevention program to the community’s children. We are starting with our local Girl Guides. Myself along with volunteer April Dimond will be presenting the Be a Tree information, along with some added tweaks to make the program better to understand and remember for children of a variety of ages. This program helps teach children what to do when encountering a strange dog and what types of behavior/body language they can observe and interpret to help them understand whether a dog is safe to pet or not. This information is vital for preventing dog bites in children.

This is a goal I’ve been working towards for a long time. I’m very thankful for FSJ ACTS part in helping me achieve this goal. I’m also incredibly thankful to April, for her insight into teaching children has been absolutely vital, and I’m very grateful for all the hands-on work she’s done to help me bring this program together.

Next Pack in the Park Date: May 7, 2025
Time: 11:00am
Location: Goodwin Park

Pack in the Park is a FREE event for all dog owners of all skill-levels to attend. It is great for reactive dogs to learn to work within their comfort zone (you may need to add more space between your dog and others until you reach that comfort zone). This is an owner-lead event; which means you plan the type of training you would like to do with your dog. This is NOT an obedience class.

Be aware: there are dogs behind fences that bark and sometimes there are loose dogs that wander by this park. If your dog is not ready for that level of distraction then you may want to work in a quieter environment still until your dog is ready.

Rules:
1. All dogs must be on leash (NO retractable leashes)
2. Dogs must NOT meet face-to-face; this is not a play date
3. All owners must pick up after their dogs!
This is a public park and if we wish to continue to bring our dogs to public spaces we must be respectful.