Sooke and Metchosin
Force-free dog training for Sooke, Metchosin, and the West Shore.
From everyday obedience to complex behavioural challenges, our certified trainers bring proven, force-free methods to dog owners across Sooke, Metchosin, and the surrounding West Shore communities. We work with dogs of all breeds, ages, and temperaments using positive reinforcement techniques that strengthen the bond between you and your dog.
Training and programs available in this area
Puppy Social Classes
With the guidance and support of our trainer, your pup will be supervised while interacting with other suitable puppies.
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Basic Obedience
A blend of basic training techniques and dog psychology to teach well-mannered behaviour
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Trainers in this region
Adam White
Adam brings a calm, compassionate presence to every dog he works with. Rooted in empathy and science, Adam’s training philosophy focuses on relationships, clear communication, and supporting both dogs and their people.
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Certified in evidence-based, force-free positive reinforcement training and a graduate of Good Dog Academy, he blends solid education with extensive hands-on experience. His years of living with and rehabilitating multiple rescue animals have shaped his deep understanding of canine body language, motivation, trust-building, and the wide range of behavioural challenges dogs can face.
He has successfully applied positive reinforcement across different species, reinforcing how effective and adaptable this method is. Adam isn’t just a qualified trainer—he’s a thoughtful, grounded human dedicated to helping dogs and their families thrive.
Karin Waugh
Karin, born and raised in Victoria, has always been destined to live a life surrounded by dogs. At age 14, she worked and saved her own money to purchase her first Bernese Mountain Dog. From there, the passion for all things “dog” had begun.
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With her own personal dogs, she enjoys doing competitive dog sports such as Obedience, Rally, and Conformation as well as the Canine Good Neighbour test, and most recently earning her first Novice Trick Dog title. She loves to help clients really engage with their dogs and experience that joy that comes with truly having FUN with your dog!
Karin is a wife and mother to a daughter who loves dogs, just like her mom! She currently has a spunky young Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She is a huge advocate for responsible, ethical breeding practices.
With over 15 years of experience training thousands of dogs (and their humans!) in group obedience and private training, she has helped countless dog owners have a successful life with their dogs. On the side, she also operates a successful small business doing dog walking and dog boarding.
Karin facilitates our socialization and obedience classes in the Westshore and Sooke.
The best investment I could possibly make for me and my puppy, thanks Emma!
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.
Danika is an amazing instructor. She takes the time to engage with each dog and owner and is very professional and knowledgeable. My puppy walked into the first class, shy and never normally approaching strangers, and ran up to Danika and stayed by her side, like she had known her for years! That is her magic! Danika makes everyone feel like they are heard and the star student of the class! I highly recommend Babydog lessons. We are so grateful and we have learned so much. We will be back for more lessons. Thank you so much Danika, From Heather Ann and Lucy Belle
Our training sessions have really helped us learn how to work with our high anxiety dog. The one on one sessions were really well catered to his and our specific needs. It is training with care and compassion and it has worked to change our dogs behaviour. They are so generous with their knowledge which makes the sessions really high value - definitely worth the investment, and worth the wait if they are busy.
We feel really fortunate that BabyDog was recommended to us when we got our dog Bear. We took a Basics Class with Danika, an Intermediate Class with Ruth, and two sets of private classes with Danika. Bear is a really big puppy with lots of energy and lots of love to give. Through all of the training we have been able to channel his energy into positive interactions with him and we are so impressed with his growth. The private sessions with Danika were well worth the investment as it gave us the one on one help we needed to work with Bear. Her love of dogs and ability to teach us what we needed to know was amazing. I feel much more confident as an owner and really enjoyed these sessions and the classes with her and Ruth. Both trainers have a wealth of knowledge and very effective training techniques that have really helped us to develop an amazing relationship with the newest member of our family.
Maisy & I really enjoyed & learned a lot from our puppy classes. Definitely recommend!!
We just completed the intermediate training with Ruth and couldn't be more happy with the results. Ruth's passion, expertise and patience shines in her training. Our puppy is easily distracted and has a hard time settling after a distraction event. After the first class there was a significant improvement which only continued as the classes progressed. I am very happy with the results and would recommend this class to those who want to learn the skills for a happy dog life!
We moved to the island in December with our 2-year-old Italian Mastiff, Reese. Due to the stress of the move Reese became reactive around all dogs and some people. Given that he’s a big boy (110 lbs of muscle), walking Reese around the dense spaces in the city of Victoria filled us (and Reese) with anxiety. Walks with Reese became a stressful chore rather than a fun, bonding activity with our pup. Thankfully we found Ruth at BabyDog! Ruth was so kind, patient and knowledgeable that by the end of our first session Reese was going belly up to get Ruth to scratch him. With Ruth’s excellent guidance, we practiced our new skills at home, parks, trails, and wherever we could go to learn and get better at managing Reese’s anxiety. The hard work paid off and Reese is now a very happy boy who’s a pleasure to walk around the city or wherever we choose to go. He’s by no means perfect, but after having worked with Ruth we know we have the tools and the skills to help Reese live his best island life. Thanks for everything Ruth! Marc and Chris (& Reese)
