A Guide to Dog ‘Shelters’ and Dog Rescue Groups In Ottawa, the Ottawa Area, Ottawa Valley, Gatineau , Ontario and Canada

I am providing this guide/listing for the following reasons...

One - So people in the region have access to a comprehensive, categorized list of services.

Not all ‘shelters’ are the same – in the absence of knowledge you may end-up dropping YOUR dog off at a kill or high-kill shelter.

Two - To ensure that people that TRULY have no choice but to surrender their dog have access to a simple list providing them with multiple contact options.  

Three - to Educate People 

• Just because you call a rescue does not mean that they can take your dog…
• Most rescues are run by volunteers who foster dogs out of their personal residence.
• If  all the fosters are currently looking after a dog, that rescue cannot take your dog until a foster becomes available;
• Second most rescues will not take a dog that has bitten a human, but there are  a few rescues who will;
• Third, if you take a dog who has bitten a human and drop it off at most municipally/provincially funded shelters (Humane Society, SPCA, etc) your dog will not be put up for adoption – it will instead be killed – unless you have managed to make your way to one of the very few no-kill HS or SPCA shelters (see list below).
• If you surrender a dog to a municipally/provincially funded shelter in Ontario or Quebec YOUR dog can end up being used as a research animal (‘scientific’ invasive, lethal testing) in which case the dog will die after being USED as a research animal. 
• This practice of using shelter dogs is called Pound Seizure – it is not only legal in Ontario it is also the law. Pound seizure is also legal and practiced in Quebec.  
• Your dog can also end-up in a kill shelter that uses Gas Chambers and/or;
•  Heart Sticking to 'euthanize ' your dog .Intracardial injections, commonly referred to as "heartsticks," are considered inhumane and cruel when performed on animals that aren't anesthetized or comatose. I personally consider the practice cruel and inhumane regardless of whether the animal is anesthetized, comtose or not! Using the "heartstick" method is painful as the needle containing sodium phenobarbital (a schedule II controlled substance used to euthanize animals) passes through the chest wall and several layers of muscle before puncturing the heart. If the euthanasia substance isn't carefully and accurately administered, an animal's lungs could be punctured, causing them to fill with fluid. Which is an even more cruel and painful way to die.Often the sticking does not enter in the right place, so the technician will just keep sticking the dog, creating one wound after another until they get the 'right' location...while the dog continues to suffer. Often the dogs are not anesthetized at all, or not sufficiently

Four - For those dear people who love their dog selflessly – just as a dog loves…

• People who find themselves in a circumstance beyond their control – although they truly (and I mean truly) love their dogs but have themselves, become ill, have cancer, are dying and as such cannot keep their beloved dog, and do not have a family member of friend who will take the dog – regardless of the temperament of the dog;
• And in finding themselves in this terrible position will not just list their dog on Kijjij, Used Ottawa, Craig’s List etc. either for profit (money) or for free.
• While some of the dogs summarily listed on these type of sites do make it to very loving homes I know because people who have obtained their dog from one of these listings engage me to work with them and the dog;
• Many of the dogs listed on these sites end up absued; used in (illegal) dog fighting rings – either as fight dogs or bait dogs. Yes there are illegal dog fighting rings in Ontario and the Ottawa Region as well as elsewhere in Canada.  The dogs who are used in fighting rings suffer much pain , abuse and then death.

Five - for those people who say they love their dog BUT…want to dump their dog on me!  

‘Shelters’ and Rescue Groups - a Comprehensive List

First, it is of the utmost importance to understand that if your dog has a history of biting people – it does not mean your dog is bad, but it does mean your dog is misunderstood and has lacked the opportunity to have proper leadership in its life. Dogs are not by nature indiscriminately aggressive – people inadvertently create aggression in dogs. And yes, some people intentionally create aggression.

 

Most SPCA, ‘Humane’ Society ‘shelters’ in this area ARE KILL shelters – they will not put your dog-up for adoption, YOUR dog WILL be killed;Most Rescue Organizations in this area will not take a dog that has a history of biting people, a history of killing other dogs, cats etc.However there ARE a few rescue organizations in this area which WILL take such dogs, as noted further below…

 

Rescue Groups Who Will Take Dogs
 

That Have NOT Bitten People, or killed other dogs, cats etc.

 

Arbed Rescue - Quebec

BARK - Bytown Association For Rescued Kanines – Ottawa Ontario

Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services – Oxford Station Ontario

Blue Moon Catahoula and Big Dog Rescue – Finch Ontario

Catahoula Rescue(Ontario) – various fosters on location in Ontario

Friendly Giants Dog Rescue – Ottawa, Ontario

Friends of Abandoned Pets (FOAP) – Ottawa

Genesis Dog Rescue – Ottawa, Ontario

K-911 Rescue – Manotick, Ontario

Hopeful Hearts - Dog Rescue  - Ottawa, Ontario

The Canine Rescue Team of Ottawa – Ottawa, Ontario

Trinity of Hope Dog Rescue - Manotick, Ontario

Additional Rescues in Ottawa, Ontario and Across Canada

No-Kill Rescue Groups and Humane Society Shelters  

 

That WILL Take Dogs That HAVE Bitten People,
and may also take dogs who have killed other dogs, cats etc.

 

Good Dog Rescue – Manotick, Ontario

NARC - Navan Animal Rescue Corp – Navan, Ontario

*Arnprior and District Humane Society – Arnprior, Ontario

*Gananoque & District Humane Society - Gananoque, ON

 

*if you do not reside in the area in which this DHS has jurisdiction they will not take your dog.

High-Kill Humane Society Shelters
 

Understand that if you bring your aggressive-reactive dog to these facilities Your dog will not be put up for adoption - your dog is at a very high risk of being KILLED If your dog has a history of biting People YOUR dog WILL be killed! YOUR dog will be killed at the 'shelter' via gas chamber, lethal injection or heartsticking as detailed below.

Ottawa Humane Society – Ottawa, Ontario

If you surrender your dog who bites or is aggro-reactive in any way to people and in many cases to other animals, your dog has a 99.9% chance of being sentenced to death and subsequently killed (‘euthanized’) in this ‘shelter’. Death is by lethal injection given 'humanely' - usually via an injection on one of the dog's front legs..

Renfrew County Branch - Ontario SPCA – Pembroke, Ontario

If your dog strays and ends up at this SPCA or if you surrender your dog to this SPCA and it is not adopted in 72 hours regardlessof the dog’s behavioural tendencies (beautifully behaved, well trained dogs included!) your dog will be killed either by lethal injection, gas chamber (takes 20 to 60 minutes to die, sometimes requires second gassing – another 20 to 60 minutes, cruel, traumatic, painful, frightening, slow torturous way to die) or may use heart sticking (painful, traumatic, cruel).

SPCA de l'Ouest du Québec / SPCA of Western Quebec – Gatineau, Aylmer Sector, Quebec

If your dog ends up here, or you surrender your dog here and they (the SPCA) decides your dog is not adoptable - your dog WILL be KILLED in the facilities gas chamber (takes 20 to 60 minutes to die, sometimes requires second gassing – another 20 to 60 minutes, cruel, traumatic, painful, frightening, slow torturous way to die).

If Your Are Not Familiar With The Use Of Gas Chambers to Kill Dogs (and cats)
 

You can and SHOULD take a quick read here….

• Gas Chambers Are The Heartless End for Many Cats and Dogs

A Little Background Information on The Gatineau SPCA’s Use of Gas Chambers  

• http://www.montrealdogblog.com/5657/decision-made-quebec-continue-gas-chambers/
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/454/301/488/stop-the-gas-chambers-in-the-gatineau-spca-/
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/animal-advocates-demand-the-closure-of-a-kill-pound-using-the-gas-chamber/

Want to Do Something to Stop The Use of Gas Chambers on Dogs and Cats in Canada?

• Join Take-Action-2-Ban-Animal-Gas-Chambers-In-Canada
• Sign petitions on Care 2, Change.Org, Force Change, etc. - I do!

In case you are wondering... 

YES, I am an active and dedicated dog and animal advocate (you can go to my Twitter, Facebook Account, and/or read more on this blog site to understand how dedicated I am). I donate a lot of my time to making up for humans that treat dogs (and other animals) as disposable items. I live it, work it, breath it. Perhaps you see your dog as just a ‘dog’ but I know that a dog is so much more. Dogs have much to teach people about being better beings.
 

Working with, helping and protecting dogs is not just my job, it is my passion. Why? Because 'I don't have a life' No. Becasue...

• I do all that I can to be a truly responsible being;
• I have a strong sense of ethics and morals and the conviction to keep those senses;
• I can can see all of the expressions on a dogs face that you can see on a humans face. Dogs do smile.  
• I know that dogs have all of the emotions that humans have – with the exception of cruelty…an emotion that belongs to humans and some primates. 
• For the same reason that my methods when working with dogs are more effective than those people that use only treats or force-dominance to work with a dog...
• My attitude IS NOT - me human, you dog and therefore you must listen to me.
  I acknowledge that humans are NOT the most intelligent species on earth.
  I acknowledge that humans are the most destructive and arrogant species on earth. 
• I understand the a human cannot own another being or it's life, a human can however be that other beings guardian;
• I know that I do not know everything;I understand that non-human animals such as a dog have so much that they can and always do try to teach humans about being better beings...it is just that most humans do not know how to listen...I do listen, and that is why I am a Dog Whisperer and not a 'trainer'.
• The relationship between man and dog should be mutually beneficial, not singularly beneficial (to the human only);
• Dogs are not disposable items to be used however the human sees fit and then discarded in the manner most convenient to the human.

STOP GASSING DOGS TO DEATH

IN MY OPINION, I FEEL, I KNOW THAT...DOGS ARE PERSONS, THEY ARE JUST NON-HUMAN PERSONS.

Why do I think this?

Because I have seen, felt, sensed, experienced that dogs are capable of and do deployimmense intelligence - intelligence that can match and better the capability of many a human.

Because I see the facial expressions of dogs...smiling, happy, depressed, fearful.

Because I have seen and experienced my dogs when they are dreaming and when they are having nightmares…just a gentle word from me - their human mom - and the nightmare stops.

Because I have seen and experienced that they could, can and do teach me things about myself and about others that no human ever took the time to teach me.

Because I have seen and experienced that they do grieve, they do care, they do each have their own unique personalities. They do know right from wrong, they are not cruel, they are always ready to do better, they do not hold grudges.

Because I have seen and experienced that they help others without the motivation of monetary reward or any other reward other than wanting to please and just be themselves.

BECAUSE I ASSIGN AS MUCH WORTH TO A DOG AS I DO TO A HUMAN...and sometimes more...depends on the human!

Because when a human takes a dog’s life away through neglect, abuse - cruelty, it is no different to me than taking a human’s life away.

All dogs have so much that they are willing to share with humanity. 

If we are willing to open our minds to see, we can learn so much from them about ourselves. They can help us be more aware of our own behaviour and give us a second chance to grow into better, wiser and happier individuals. When you help a dog it is not just the dog that gets a second lease on life and a new opportunity...it is also the human.

For all these reasons it is wrong to gas dogs to death. Why do some people think there is nothing wrong with this practice? They could not be more wrong. It is illegal to do this to humans and so it should be for dogs as well. Dogs feel as much pain, confusion, stress and terror as we do. Anyone who thinks differently is just deluding themselves so they do not have to take responsibility for the great injustice that they do.

When a dog ends up in a shelter it is because humanity has let the dog down.

Dogs don't get to choose who they live with and what is done to them. Their welfare and their lives are at the mercy of human beings - will they end up with someone who truly respects and loves them or with someone who uses and abuses them - then discards their life as if it is trash. This means that we need be very serious about protecting them.

A shelter should not kill dogs, they should give provide a temporary place of safety, until a dog can be adopted. Dogs are mans best friend - to treat them as you are doing is a terrible betrayal of trust and abuse of a precious gift to mankind.

What a dog wants most is to have the opportunity to live the life it deserves to live - to be loved and to give love like only a dog can. Not only are you not doing everything you can to see that the dog is not let down again by humanity, you are also killing them. You worst of all, the final betrayal - you are killing them in a truly cruel manner.

Shame on you. In doing this you exemplify the worst of the human species - lack of empathy and cruelty.

Please learn from past errors and stop this practice. No more gassing dog to death.

And if you don't like my 'attitude' or views - well too bad.

Information For People Who Want To Surrender Their Dog to Me ( to keep, rehabilitate, etc.)

Option One – I Would Be Pleased to Work With You to Correct Your Dogs Behaviour

If you are, for example in one of the following situations…

• A mother who is pregnant or just had a baby and is worried about the dog-baby relationship;
• A family with children, a couple or a single person:
• Who has had their dog since puppy-hood the dog is now an adult dog with behavioural problems i.e. bites its people;
• Who has a hyper, anxious, obsessive or aggressive dog and has been told by a trainer, behaviourist, and/or veterinarian that the dog cannot be rehabilitatedand must be put on drugs and/or ‘put down’
• A family with several dogs and the dogs are fighting with each other,
• Who has a dog with severe separation anxiety and cannot afford to repair the house, or on-going vet bills if the situation is not fixed’
• A dog that is aggressive-reactive to other dogs or to strangers;
• And so on.

Many people who are experiencing the same issues as you are contact me. In the course of a typical week I get many such inquiries as I specialize in working with dogs in medium to extreme states of behaviour.  Many of these people:

• Have, before finding me – been to multiple trainers and behavourists;
• Spent $1000’s of dollars and their dog’s behaviour has only become worse;
• They understand that it is not the dog’s fault, instead realizing that they have, themselves not led by the right example;
• They realize that the dog is in its current state a) because they inadvertently created the behaviour in the dog and b) that the methods used by the trainers or behavourists were inappropriate;
• They love their dog and are not willing to pass the dog off to someone else as they realize that this will only make the dog worse and place it in danger of being ‘put-to-sleep’;

So they engage me to work with them to turn the behaviour around -  this same service is available to you just as it is to other people in the same situation as you are in.

Option Two – Taking and Keeping Your Dog

On a daily and weekly basis people also contact me to ask If I will take their dog.

I have my own packof 10 dogs (8 rescues, including dogs that were on death-row) – 10 dogs to whom I am sole guardian. I look after them by myself, I pay for their upkeep by  myself. I also work full-time as a Dog Whisperer working work with clients and their dogs, writing educational material, donating my time on a daily basis to helping dogs in need, here and around the world, I am a single mother, I look after a home and 5.5 acres on my own – I carry more responsibility on my shoulders than most people. So no, I cannot take your dog.

If you do not want to do a session with me to turn the situation around so you can keep YOUR dog who you say you love, then you can consult this comprehensive list of shelters and rescues and choose one or more to contact to see if they will take YOUR dog.

If you need to surrender your dog to a shelter or rescue due to the fact that you have cancer or another debilitating, life threatening illness or are dying and you have no family members or friends who will take your dog – then I understand your situation and encourage you to look at this list of rescues/shelters and find one that will take your dog.

Your Child and Your Puppy – Creating a Respectful Bond via Touch and Play, at the Right Time in the Right Way

In this article...

1) Key Issues and Awareness;

2) How to Create a Healthy, Mutually Respectful  Relationship

 When working with clients, their children and their puppy this is a topic that I always make sure I address thoroughly. 

When a family engages me - within in the first few weeks of acquiring a puppy, I can make sure that the relationship between puppy and child starts out the right way – thus ensuring that problem situations and behaviours do not develop.

In other cases, I get called in after the puppy has been in the family for months, the puppy and child not having been taught at the outset how to respect each other are now in crisis mode. The puppy has taken over, is jumping, biting, hyper and out-of-control. What happened?  

Well…the dog's people did not fully realize their important role as coach and mentor to the puppy and they also did not understand how to effectively communicate with the puppy.

So What Are Some of the Key Issues To Be Aware Of?

1.0 It Is Important To Understand Your Puppy's Natural Disposition

Most puppies – given the opportunity, will self-regulate to one degree or another. It is the puppy's person who must actively take on the role of encouraging and enabling  normal, healthy natural behaviours - just as you would do with a child.

It is also important to understand that just each human is an individual with their own unique combination of inherited dispositions - consisting of desirable and undesirable tendencies - so it is for the individual puppy.
 
Some puppies are, by natural disposition:

• Calmer, more complacent, less vocal, less pushy;
• While others, for example are more:
• Curious, 
• Persistent, 
• Willful, 
• Determined, etc. 
• Each of these traits - when enabled the right way, can contribute to the formation of a well-adjusted dog, or when enabled the wrong way will led to big behaviour problems.
• More confident and naturally well balanced;
• While others may have a tendency towards insecurity - which can, if enabled develop into anxiety, obsessive or aggressive reactive behaviour

2.0  It is Very Important for a Puppy to get Accustomed to Being Handled:

• Being touched from head to tail, including;
• Having its fur and nails groomed, its teeth and ears examined and cleaned;
• Being picked-up;
• Being turned on its side;
• Not biting if its tail or ears are pulled…

It is equally important to teach the child that he/she must respect the puppy and not constantly invade its space, constantly touch, roughly touch, and insistently rev-up the puppy to play.  





3.0 It Is Important To Support The Puppy in His/Her Natural Daily Rhythm

Dogs are hard-wired to adapt to a routine of work, eat and rest. It is natural for a puppy to want to eat, play and then go off to a quite place to rest. This is a dog’s ‘normal’.  If you think about it, the sequence of work-eat-rest is also a normal and familiar sequence to human behaviour.

When a child is permitted to constantly pester a puppy, the puppy learns an altered state of normal. The puppy is inadvertently taught by the child that being excited all of the time is normal. Couple this with failure to teach structured play to the puppy (yes, puppies as young as 8 weeks old can be taught) and the end result is a ‘hyper’ puppy with little to no social manners.

By that time the puppy has learned:

• To associate humans with high levels of excitement;
• To go over-threshold…no rules, no limits and;
• To never go into a relaxed and calm state.

At this point the puppy’s people are upset with the puppy as it jumps on people, bites without restraint, gets into everything, chews-up shoes, steals gloves, grabs food, runs around like a maniac despite the fact that it may have had sufficient physical exercise.

Who set the puppy up for failure?  The humans inadvertently did.

So First Let’s Talk About ‘When’ To Touch Puppy

Invasion of personal space and lack of consideration in when and how we touch another being (human or canine) is a two-way street. If we desire respect and consideration we must also give respect and consideration.

Dogs are not robots, nor should they be considered slaves to the wants and desires of mankind.  Dogs are intelligent sensitive beings, and like humans – when provided with the opportunity to learn from well-adjusted older members of our respective species - become well adjusted, considerate social beings.

I find the most effective method to help my clients grasp the situation is to show them in real-time relative terms…

You would not like it if your sister, or brother, your friends or child were constantly touching you, getting into your personal space, and they in turn would not appreciate it if you did not respect their space and body. There are times when you require that your personal space be respected.  This is a basic and foundational lesson for a child. In the absence of this learning experience the child can end-up seriously lacking in social grace. This lesson is very important in the journey to becoming a well-balanced, social being.
 

The same lesson is taught to puppies by adult dogs. The lesson is universal – for humans and canines alike.

To teach a child to understand what it feels like for a puppy to have their space constantly invaded, I lean into the child’s personal space and ask them if they feel comfortable. Invariably the answer is ‘NO!’

Then with a little smile on my face and the child, sits with a matching smile on their face - I say to the child ‘and now you know how your puppy feels when you disrespect its personal space’.

  

And for the parents, I always ask, ‘what happens, if you over-stimulate your child – let them get too excited and at the same time allow them to skip their rest time’. The child becomes hyper, agitated and exhausted all at the same time. And so it is for a puppy. If you were to continue to allow the child, on a daily basis to spend the bulk of their time in an over-excited state and be depleted of rest the child would be in a constant altered state of normal. Flooded, anxious, and eventually lose the ability to calm down. And so it is for a puppy.
 

So, should your child constantly pester, touch and invade your dog’s personal space and senses…the answer is NO.

And what is it that humans love so much about dogs? It is the fact that dogs love selflessly.

A puppy can provide the perfect opportunity to teach a child selfless love. To honor the dog, to honor mutual respect, self awareness, self discipline and a reasonable quota of independence, to enable calm and trust, to respect the dog we must also learn to love selflessly.

Both children and adults should share affection with their puppy when the circumstances are mutually beneficial (for dog and human) as discussed in this article.

Your child SHOULD NOT constantly flood your puppy with voice or get in the puppy’s space and pester him/her. Your child SHOULD learn to share mutual warmth and affection in the right way and at the right time. 

How to Touch Puppy

Again let me show you in a way that will be easy for you to relate to. Did you like it when your parents or grandparents ruffled you hair? With one of your hands reach up to your head, place your hand flat against the top of your head and move your hand back and forth quickly on top of your head, Did that feel pleasant? Did it make you feel relaxed? Or was that touch annoying and agitating?

Now instead reach your hand-up to the back of your neck and with a firm pressure behind your finger tips give you neck a slow massage.

Now consider the two types of touch - one touch was annoying and agitating, the other touch was calming and peaceful.  If you don’t want a hyper puppy who associates humans with high states of excitement and agitation then when you touch your puppy enable calm with your touch – not agitation. This is what I teach my clients and their children. I lean over and quickly ruffle a child’s hair, I then ask was that annoying? Children get the concept very quickly. Then it becomes the parent’s job to remind, coach and mentor.

How To Play With Puppy

Your child should learn how to work with puppy at play-time. Teach the puppy to sit, calm, make eye contact and then the child can throw a toy for the puppy to retrieve.  By taking this approach to play time:

The Puppy:

• Has a much needed opportunity to work physically and psychologically.
• Just like humans, dogs need to exercise both their body and their mind in balance.
• The puppy learns that it must connect with its human, ask permission, wait for direction and then take action…this builds a puppy’s confidence the right way.

The Child:

• Also gets to work physically and psychologically;
• Has his/her first opportunity to learn pack leadership;
• The child gains quit, respectful confidence;

Child and Puppy have an opportunity to bond in a mutually beneficial way!

Puppies Have a Natural Need to Chew - Satisfy That Need the Right Way

Puppies, teenage and adult dogs all have a natural need to chew. Read more about that here.

Puppies Require Coaching & Mentoring to Instill Bite Inhibition

Bite inhibition is a behaviour that should be taught and re-inforced (the right way). . I work with a lot of people who did not understand how to teach their dog this important lesson. Not the dogs fault. Sometimes people just don't realize how important it is to impart this lesson when their dog is a cute little puppy. In other cases the people may have tried to address the issue but due to the techniques used may have been unable to translate the need to stop into a lesson that their puppy could understand. Once again:
Offering treats to a puppy or dog that is nipping and biting will not teach bite inhibition;
Using unrestrained physical force and dominating your dog:
May teach a type of bite inhibition to some dogs but in so doing  may create fear in your dog;
May make the dog aggressive;
In either case - as far as I am concerned both of these methods and outcomes are very damaging to the dog. As many of my clients can attest - having used those methods before they worked with me.

It is sometimes difficult for a modern day human to realize that dogs will do exactly as you tell them to do...you can't just give a puppy or dog a direction with your voice. Before you get upset by this statement you need to realize that all animals, whither conscious of the fact or not, use multiple methods to communicate. Its not just your voice that you are communicating with - it is your:

• Facial Expression;
• Body Language;
• How the smaller and larger parts of your body are positioned;
  
• Held in context to your body, and;
  In context to the space that you occupy while still and while in-motion;
• Breathing;
• Scent; and yes, sorry folks;
• Extra sensory perception.

The best method to teach a puppy or dog not to bit is by using the method that a well adjusted dog uses...which is the method that I use. 

 

It is also important to understand that if a puppy is behaving in a very physical manner - jumping on you, biting your clothes, your hair etc. and you become equally physical in your response you will only make your puppy's behaviour more intense...for the reasons stated directly above and in the 'note text' located further below. So if your...

 

Puppy Bites A Child

The puppy is not bad, it simply needs to be taught the right way from the get-go not to bite. And it should be noted that just because a puppy breaks skin does not mean that the puppy intended to do harm...sometimes a nail gets caught or a tooth and accidentally opens up a small wound. If you have not learned how to be an effective communicator you will turn an innocent situation into one that promotes unwanted excitement, fear and aggression. To understand more read:

Aggression in Dogs and How to Avoid Creating It
Unprovoked Dog Bites, Really? 

To Introduce Your Child To Your Puppy

To Stop Your Dog/Puppy From Chewing Things it Should Not Chew 

Notes:

Please note - this article is for information purposes and is not a substitute for an in-person Session with me. When working with dogs I use many techniques - it is important to note that this article may touch on one or several techniques but not all. I select the technique that I use for a particular dog based on my observations of the dog and an intuitive, instinctive assessment of that dog's and its human's individual requirements. For example when I am working with a dog that is hyper sensitive and very physically reactive I will not use voice or touch. I use a lot of therapeutic touch on some dogs, others require the use of herding techniques and so on. Each and every technique must be combined with:

• an understanding of the real intelligence, sensitivity and capability of dogs;
• an understanding of how to read a dog's face and a dog's overall body language;
• an understanding of the full spectrum of ways that humans communicate and dogs communicate; 
• understanding and recognition of the individual that is each dog - no two dogs are the same...taking a 'cookie cutter' approach to techniques is not the way to work with a dog;
• a complete recognition and understanding of all the elements that feed a behaviour and create an issue:
•  the vast majority of people can only identify one or two elements...which vastly inhibits the ability to resolve behavior issues;
• behaviours do not exist in isolation - there are always many elements that feed a single behaviour, there all always multiple behaviours that create a behavioral issue;
• self-restraint and discipline on the part of the human who is directing the dog;
• sensitivity, awareness, intuition, instinct and timing on the part of the human who is directing the dog;
• to understand, connect with and adapt quickly and effectively to a dog's learning requirements you must be able to employ the same tools a dog uses - acute sensitivity, awareness, instinct, intuition and timing;
• kindness, endurance, consideration, patience, persistence, perspective, the ability and know how to let the past go, the ability to set realistic expectations at any one point in time;
• the creation of structure, rules, boundaries and limitations for each situation at the macro and micro level;
• understanding of all the elements that make up an instruction and direction to a dog...there are multiple steps involved in an instruction - not just one!
• absolute honesty - if you cannot be honest with yourself you will not be able to communicate clearly with a dog.

These are just some of the techniques that I teach my clients - it is a holistic, all-encompassing approach. If you are missing any one element of the above mentioned your success rate will be affected to one degree or another in implementing the techniques offered in the article presented above.

• Training;
• Behaviour Modification;
• Rehabilitation;
• Nutrition;
• Health

Whether you are experiencing dog behavior problems and would like assistance, or just want to bring your dog up to be a well-balanced canine -  I offer both a local and international service for people with one or multiple dogs. 

I work with all breeds - from small (i.e. Yorkie, Pomeranian, Chihuahua, etc.), medium breeds size (including Pit Bulls) and large breed dogs...

 

 

In-person SessionsDog Training, Puppy Training, Behaviour Modification, Rehabilitation – Ottawa, Ottawa Area, Outaouais, Ottawa Valley

 

International e-Consultation 

Sessions, Advice via email for National and International Clients - Dog Training, Puppy Training, Behaviour Modification, Nutrition, Health 

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