1000+ dogs (and their people) helped
Dave did a great job helping train us how to train Rex right and gave plenty of useful tips and tricks that have done wonders!
I would highly recommend BabyDog Canada for anyone's puppy training and socialization needs. Aviva and her team of trainers and helpers, are knowledgeable and supportive. I grew up with dogs and have learned more in these classes now, than all those earlier experiences with my previous dogs. "Had I known then, what I know now"... Thank you Aviva and team!
Hands down. The BabyDog Team are the best Victoria resource to help socialize and train your puppy. If you have a puppy, you need to take it to BabyDog! It will shape your dogs life and yours forever. They have lot's of options for group classes, pack walks, and private lessons. The team of puppy whisperers are fantastic. Very professional and knowledgeable of all breeds and canine psychology. We took our puppy Oscar for a pack walk, group sessions, and a private lesson and we're constantly being complimented on his socialization skills and general behavior. Any time we meet someone with a new puppy we always recommend looking into BabyDog. It's not easy learning to be a dog parent and understanding what your puppy needs. BabyDog can help. Check them out today!
Our puppy has had some challenges with socialization and the trainers at Baby Dog have been terrific with us and with our puppy. Highly recommend them!
Dave was exceptional with my beagle, Ryder. His patience and knowledge is exemplary. He gave me lots of great tips and helped Ryder become a more confident dog and thus, me a more confident owner.
We attended Puppy Training with our 5 month old Shih Tzu/Maltess puppy, Drake Danika was our trainer & we are absolutely thrilled with the training she provided for us & our puppy. It was a delight working with Danika and we look forward to future training sessions with her once our puppy has mastered what we learned in 'Puppy School'. Danika was professional, knowledgeable, courteous, patient & was gentle with our puppy. We are pleased we used her services. Thank you so much.
Engaging. I found BabyDog Aviva and Ruth to be very Engaging. Their approach in classes to both puppy and puppy owner was very attractive and pleasing in a way that holds your attention. Their stories, smiles and positive reinforcement worked for me and worked even better with my puppy. I loved how BabyDog shared their knowledge of canine behaviour, demonstrated patience in the learning process, and especially how they shared their love and joy in helping every BabyDog client become a wonderful puppy parent. Aviva and Ruth worked with my family and my puppy Cookie for over a year, and we have a dog that we are proud to take anywhere.
No one else does puppy socialization like Baby Dog. What does this mean? It means more staff on hand to curate the socializations, astute groupings of the dogs according to temperament (e.g. shy, boisterous), and ongoing commentary from staff describing dog behaviour in action (!). This last point is especially helpful to listen to, as you will begin to recognize the many signals/cues your puppies demonstrate for fear, aggression, modes of play, etc. Can't recommend Baby Dog highly enough. When we invite another puppy into our lives, we will return to Baby Dog. Note: to this day, when our dog sees Ruth and Aviva, she is so excited. They are some of her 'top' humans, as far as those she considers her 'pack'.
I've had my rescue dog now for about five weeks...and have found the drop-in group obedience classes, and outdoor group socialization walks invaluable in learning to communicate with my loving pooch. Aviva (and her other trainers) highlight the need to reinforce positive behaviours in the training process. This is a far cry from the "NO!" and "Bad DOG!" comments that you hear from owners who are not aware of the positive behaviour modification skills that you learn through Baby Dog training. I invited a friend of mine and her dog to join Samson and I on one of the pet socialization walks. She was amazed how much you could learn on just one walk, and how it opened her eyes to the training that can yield so many positive results. Thank you Aviva and Baby Dog..!
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)
I wish I could give more stars!!! Meg is the absolute best. Hands down one of the most incredible experiences we have ever had with a dog trainer. Our puppy Rosie absolutely loves her and actually listens! Meg not only taught our dog many useful things but she gave us so much knowledge that we never would have known before. You can tell she actually is passionate about what she does, genuinely cares and wants to see you and your dog thrive together! Meg, thank you for everything. Best dog trainer in Victoria hands down!!!!!
Our dog Dewey is a rescue from Mexico and came to us with some behavioural issues. Aviva the owner of Baby Dog training is the best trainer we’ve encountered. She uses the principles of psychology including desensitization and positive reinforcement. Aviva is kind and patient and has a sense of humour. Dewey has improved and we will definitely recommend Baby Dog training!!!!!
Me and River loved our meeting with Emma today. River is napping...as she does, but this nap looks extra good. We both learned lots and some things I didn't expect. I feel so reassured in developing a healthy relationship of River bitting her toys and all the alternatives Emma showed us and some I have already been doing like redirecting. In many ways I feel like I got more out of the training to support a healthy positive relationship with my puppy. I feel grateful to have started. And....everything is YES.... Emma trained me well!!!
We have thoroughly enjoyed both the puppy socialization classes and the obedience classes. The trainers are excellent with dogs AND people - always on time, professional, and knowledgeable.
Dave is a great trainer. My Staffordshire Terrier - Blue loves seeing Dave and does everything Dave asks of him. Dave is easy to talk to and understands what I would like to work towards being able to do with Blue. Blue and I will continue training with Dave. I highly recommend him.
Danika is very professional, and encouraging in ensuring you get the value for the training. She was able to address behavioral issues with my puppy and was able to provide effective solutions. More importantly, she provided tips on how to train humans and little humans on proper dog handling.