Wise Canine Training & Behavior
170 Titanium Way Whitehorse, YT, Canada

When I had my first dog And truthfully, when I began my career, studying under my first mentor I believed dog training was about control. ... I wanted to control my dog’s behavior. I wanted to control our walks. I wanted to feel in control. And I very clearly remember the day when that changed. I was sitting in a large yard with my dog. He was running around Sniffing and peeing on things And I was waiting for him to remember I existed. And you know what? He didn’t. I mean, I could have called him - he would have come in an instant And I could have gotten up and walked out of the yard At which point he’d probably follow. But I wanted to see what he’d choose if I didn’t intervene or coax. I sat for what felt like an eternity. Hoping he’d at least check in. And he never came over to see what I was doing. In fact, he didn’t even think to. Because our entire relationship was about me giving him instructions Our entire relationship was about me telling him what to doand telling him what not to do. And when I didn’t do that When I gave him his choice back He didn’t choose me. I mean, why would he? And that was a painful, but necessary realization for me. Because regardless of how you choose to train your dog Dog training is about cooperation It’s not about control And if you focus your energy on control On being in, and feeling in control If you constantly tell your dog what to do, and what not to do You’re dog will be dependent on you to make good choices for them And they won’t know how to do it on their own.

Look what I found at Canadian Tire! This is a great, sturdy harness with a front anti-pull attach. I love that there's more availability for humane anti-pull options in town.

We wrapped up Nosework Level 2 and Nosework: Ignoring Distractions last night. These were both super fun classes with some very talented teams.

Winter training requires innovation! One of my favourite teams came up with this prototype for skiing. It's a squeeze tube, filled with cheesewiz, taped to her ski poles. She's using it to reinforce recalls and focus while skiing. Sooo smart!

Sully is learning 'go outs' in Precision Obedience Class. He has a pretty awesome trainer, and he has a lot of skills!

Has it been a while since your dog has seen a Cross Country Skier or Fat Biker? Our outdoor environment has changed. Be proactive. Timber is on a long line on the Chadburn trails so I can prevent her from practicing inappropriate behaviours around skiers. We frequently practice recalls, moving off the trail so others can pass, and focus when skiers appear.... The result? Skiers appreciate us, Timber thinks skiers are pretty ok, and we're gaining more control and confidence around a new distraction that we haven't seen since last winter.