Professional, positive dog training on Vancouver Island

I was so impressed and happy with the work Danika did with my dog Higgins and I. Higgins is two and had a bad habit of jumping on people when he was excited - not aggressively, but given he is 80 lbs, he could hurt someone badly. Danika provided 4 private lessons and stayed very focused on the problem of jumping. She was knowlegeable, professional but also very fun to work with. Higs never never wanted her to leave! Most importantly, I now know what approach to take to make sure he stays under control.

I emailed Baby Dog as a desperate new puppy parent. The private training gave me confidence and tools to connect with and train my dog. Aviva is so personable and patient, really taking the time to help you understand why each step she teaches is important. My pup was troublesome at Puppy Socializations but it was invaluable in teaching him the right and wrong way to behave around other puppies. We also joined a small group for a 6 week intermediate training course. Dog trainers don't magically fix everything, the biggest piece of the puzzle is the owner. I am SO grateful for the tools given to us by Baby Dog and it's trainers.

Aviva has done amazing work helping my fear reactive dog come out of his shell. I have also worked in the past with BabyDog in puppy obedience classes, which were amazing. Highly recommend!

Fabulous trainer and really understands how dogs think, learn and need to be trained on all levels, thank you Dave from Dean and Nikita

Two months ago I adopted an 8 week old puppy, Ormandy, from Yellowknife with no idea what I was doing. I had never had a pet before and was overwhelmed and nervous. I started going to BabyDog Socialization classes immediately and have felt so supported and well educated by Ruth and Aviva. We have attended socialization classes regularly and I have seen a huge change in Ormandy's behaviour and an even bigger change in my understanding and behaviour. Me and Ormandy are starting a basic obedience class with BabyDog this weekend and I can't wait to see how much more we learn!! I recommend BabyDog to everyone I meet that has a pup, they've helped us both so much.

We are so glad we ended up doing formal dog training, and Danika was superb in giving us all the tools we needed to succeed with our pup. 90% of dog training is training the owners, and she was incredibly patient with all of us as well as our kids. Truly would not have our dog at the level he is right now without her. Especially love the focus on positive reinforcement and patience, which other places may not emphasize as clearly. Thanks for all your help Danika, we look forward to intermediate!

One of our dogs has been anxious and reactive around other dogs. Even though he is a sweet little guy, walking him was something none of us could look forward to anymore. I was fortunate to meet Danika in another setting, and she mentioned she specializes in working with reactive dogs. We arranged some sessions and found that not only is she a super skilful and compassionate trainer, she's an all around fun and generous human being. In the first session, we learned tools and principles that began to help immediately. By the second session, our dog was comfortable being in fairly close proximity to hers. After a few more sessions we were able to enjoy our walks again, even actively seeking out dogs as conditioning opportunities. We're so happy and impressed!!

It only took one lesson to see improvement in my dog. She has completely turned around in 4 lessons, and now we have the tools to keep growing on our own. The other dog owners in our neighborhood are constantly complimenting Beans on how far she’s come!