You don't have to do it alone.
Feeling overwhelmed with a new puppy in the house?
Or have an older dog that could use a training transformation?
I offer custom-tailored, private training sessions for you and your dog. Whether you want help raising your puppy positively or need assistance fixing your dogs behaviour & obedience issues- let me help!
Private edmonton dog training
contact me
No matter how much you love your dog, it can be incredibly frustrating when they just don't seem to understand what you want.
You don't have to do it alone.
Let me help you train your dog with kind & EFFECTIVE methods!!
real talk:
Why should you work with me?
I do not believe in or support force or intimidation based training. We will train your dog with positive reinforcement and verbal cues that will develop rather than destroy your bond as you train.
compassion
I don't just train your dog; I teach YOU how to be the trainer.
I want to help you build a trusting relationship with your dog that will last a lifetime.
clarity
Training isn't just what, it's also when!
Timing and consistency are so important to get the best results. Sometimes it only takes the smallest change to have a huge impact.
consistency
90 minute 1:1 session (in your home)
I will create a fully customized training plan for you and your dog! You will learn the skills you need to train YOUR dog and have time to practice with my guidance.
Afterwards, I'll send you notes for what we covered so that you can continue progressing those skills!
Initial consultation:
60 minute 1:1 sessions (in your home)
Rather than committing to a set package of sessions, how about the ability to schedule a follow-up as you need??
Whether you want more help with the initial issue or you're ready to learn something new: You let me know when YOU want another session!
Follow-ups (on demand)
I want you and your dog to be successful!
If you have questions between our sessions I'm available by phone & email to offer support.
Ongoing Support:
For the best results, I like to start where your dog is most comfortable: In your home!
- Vanessa
Steph is patient and kind (my dog loves her!)
Her training is fun, easy to follow, and most importantly it works!
I've learned so much within a short period of time through these personalized training sessions at home.
All her tips and tricks are helping improve our dog's quality of life. Great experience all around and I highly recommend booking an assessment and training with Steph.
Praise
Steph has a great approach to training my four year old Yorkie who is quite a reactive doggy.
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- Elizabeth & Rolf
We have learned calm ways to interact with Milly, who thrives on the positive reinforcement techniques. Basic commands have progressed well indoors, and we have moved on to
outdoor loose-leash training for the walks that Milly craves. Stephanie's background knowledge and training are a real benefit!
Praise
For the past few weeks, Stephanie has been working with us to train our energetic 1-year-old border collie, and the improvement we have seen from day one is amazing.
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- Kayla & Andrew
Our puppy is very nervous with new people and refuses to walk on leash with them. Once she is comfortable with you she pulls like crazy however! She’s 70 lbs and was getting hard to control.
We previously worked with a trainer who suggested a slip lead to get our pup walking nicely, but we did not find this helpful and our puppy would just sit and refuse to move on walks. Stephanie very patiently spent our first 4-5 sessions building trust with our puppy and then was able to walk her and see how bad her pulling was.
After another few sessions our puppy was walking much better and no longer yanking off our arms!
Stephanie taught us how to progress and keep working on loose leash walking without her which has been going very well. She also worked with our pup on “focus” which has been helpful for centering her and calming her down on walks when something scary passes by.
Praise
Stephanie worked with our 10 month old rescue puppy on loose leash walking and was wonderful!
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-Tiffany & Myles
Her recall was not great, and we didn't really trust her off leash.
It has been great working with Steph because she really got to the root of what made it so hard to train Lily's recall. Steph was able to explain to us why Lily behaves the way she does because of her breed, and provided us with daily play and training we should be doing to work on her impulse control.
With that in mind, it helped us train Lily's recall and loose leash walking (that was a bonus!).
Thanks for all your help Steph!!
Lily was just over a year old when we started working with Steph.
Praise
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- Rebecca
Stephanie was so great with both us and our new pup.
She helped us better understand the way our puppy communicates with us and discover her needs based on her breed and personality.
She helped give us a tons of encouragement and really useful and effective techniques for training.
She was non judgmental, really kind and super knowledgeable.
We will continue to keep Stephanie in our back pocket for future follow up sessions through out our pups life I am sure!
Praise
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- Gwen
Stephanie is the one to help you and your fur babies with gaining confidence with helping them conquer their fears.....
Very down to the point, no reading between the lines, and always up front with you...
Praise
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- Laura
We wanted a dog from Mexico and because a home visit was not possible, we knew there might be some challenges integrating him into our family. Stephanie gave us the strategies and understanding we needed to communicate with our newest addition and bring peace to our home. She made our dream of rescuing a Mexican street dog a reality.
Praise
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Certifications:
In my 20's I rescued a senior dog I later named Burrito. The shelter was going to put him down due to age, behaviour and health problems.
I met him and we had an instant connection. I knew I wanted to give him a good last few years of life.
Burrito came to me with a whole set of problems:
Dog aggression, extreme resource guarding, pulling on the leash, separation anxiety and messing in the house.
Burrito is important to mention because he gave me so much insight and understanding into what I imagine are the same emotions and struggles you'll go through training your own dog.
Burrito challenged me more than any dog I've ever had.
i can help because i've been there
BUT NOW I KNOW HOW TO HELP.
Why is Positive Dog Training Better?
Why do I use positive training methods?
I believe training should improve your relationship with your dog, not destroy it.
blog post
Outdated training methods focus on alpha theory & punishment based training.
Unfortunately, a lot of trainers still continue to use these methods. They focus on intimidation or force based training despite research proving there's better ways.
At best these methods make your dog obey you out of either fear or avoidance of pain. They can also make your problems much worse!
Your dog deserves better than that.
Therefore, I do not support the use of:
- Prong/choke/shock collars
- Force or intimidation based training
When there's better options that do not emotionally or physically harm your dog, why WOULDN'T you choose them?
Lily was just over a year old when we started working with Steph. Her recall was not great, and we didn't really trust her off leash.
It has been great working with Steph because she really got to the root of what made it so hard to train Lily's recall. Steph was able to explain to us why Lily behaves the way she does because of her breed, and provided us with daily play and training we should be doing to work on her impulse control.
With that in mind, it helped us train Lily's recall and loose leash walking (that was a bonus!).
Thanks for all your help Steph!!
info@happyhoundsdogtraining.ca