What are your credentials?
I am a graduate of Canada’s own Good Dog Academy. I am also a Professional Member of reputable Dog Trainer organizations, and I am continuously taking more courses and programs that may or may not have credentials to list, but will always benefit my work as a trainer.
You can see more about me (maybe even too much about me) and my credentials in my About Section.
What is your Training Philosophy?
I am a firm believer in cultivating the relationship between dogs and their humans using positive reinforcement and force/fear free, methods. I will never use aversive tools, and will teach you how to help your dog make better choices for themselves.
You can learn more about the science behind these methods in my Resource Section.
What are your prices?
My prices are all listed under the information of each package I offer.
My prices reflect the fact that I specialize in customized training plans, and spend time detailing each goal and solution in every Client Package, as well as travel to the client.
My packages and prices can be found under my Services Section.
Note: All payments must be made in full prior to the first meeting/visit. (This does not include the Pre-Registration Complimentary call.)
What is your cancellation policy?
We are all human and therefore life is unpredictable.
When you commit to (and pay for) a package, you will have up to three months for the package to be completed.
I am happy to work with you if something comes up and we need to reschedule, as there may be times I, too, will need to reschedule.
However, rescheduling may not be possible due to scheduling conflicts.
If there is simply no other time to move our appointment, unfortunately that visit will be a cancellation and will not be refunded.
After two rescheduling requests or attempts, that visit will also be considered cancelled and not refundable.
How long do I have to work with you to get a perfect pet dog?
Hmm… this is tricky.
First: perfect is relative. What I consider to be a perfect dog may not be the same as what you consider to be perfect. Also, nobody is perfect, so how can we expect our dogs to be?
Second: Dogs are sentient beings, no two are alike, and it can depend on how much time and energy you, as their guardian, put into the training.
There are simply too many variables to give a blanket answer to this question, but I do commit to providing you with all of the necessary information to reach your goals for your dog, and to support you as best I can so that you, and your dog, can be successful.
If something is truly beyond my level of comfort to teach you, I will not hesitate to refer you to someone in my network who can assist you.
Do you offer discounts?
I’d consider it… under one of the following scenarios:
- If you have been referred to me by one of my previous clients (and don’t mind me contacting them to confirm).
- If you have adopted from a reputable rescue (and can show me their adoption post).
- If you have adopted a dog from Northern Canada (having two Northern Supermutts myself, I love seeing them be rescued from the north!)
- If you genuinely want what’s best for your dog or puppy, but just can’t afford the full price of a professional trainer (I can work with you virtually to give you specific resources to reach your goals, but you still need to put the work in!)
It would vary a case by case, at my discretion, but you can contact me to discuss.
Why do you have so many free resources in your resource section if you want clients to pay you?
Every dog deserves to live a life filled with love, respect and happiness. I was not able to afford a Professional Trainer when I had my first dog, nor when I had my second dog, my first rescue, Kitchi. I did take a free obedience class with Kitchi… and unfortunately, they gave me advice that made her more fearful and reactive. I wished there was a place where I could learn the best way to help her that I could actually afford. I wish I could give my services away to all dog guardians, but realistically, I need to have compensation for the knowledge I’ve taken time and money to acquire, as well as time that I’m taking away from my own family (including my dogs) to create these customized plans for my clients.
So having a resources section filled with free trainers that I, myself, would use now as a trainer, is the best way I could think of to ensure every dog has a chance to be taught positively and respectfully.
Why don’t you have photos of your clients on your website and Facebook?
To be completely honest, due to the one-on-one attention my clients and their dogs get from me, I generally don’t have time (or even think about) taking photos or videos of our meetings. So I use my own (pretty photogenic) dogs, and a few stock photos from Pexels.com, instead.
