1000+ dogs (and their people) helped
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!
We attended Babydog’s puppy socialization classes and they were awesome. Aviva and her team really know their stuff. I highly recommend!
Our trainer was intelligent, skilled, and kind. Helped us understand our own dog’s behaviour better and provided us tips and tricks to help us care for her safely in all settings. While we’ve had other dogs in the past, we’ve never had a bully breed so appreciated her generalized as well as her personalized insights. Always felt supported. Worth every penny.
I highly recommend Dave and Tomey K9 Services! I knew my 6 y.o. Yorkiepoo Benny wanted to please, but I didn't know where to begin to help him rein in all of his energy around people and reactivity around other dogs. Dave taught me how to use redirection and positive reinforcement to help Benny become more obedient and calm. Benny now looks to me to see how he should react when another dog or distraction is coming our way, and I know how to help him through what used to be anxiety provoking situations. I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Thanks Dave!
I highly recommend BabyDog's puppy socialization classes and weekly group classes. Our Golden Retriever is 9 months old now and we use the tips and tricks learnt in our classes on a daily basis. (Our dog is sitting next to me as I type this review and she wholeheartedly agrees that the time invested at BabyDog was well worth it.)
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.
Aviva was an excellent trainer. My dogs are walking better and becoming less reactive to other dogs. I have noticed a real difference
We took Finley to both the socialization and obedience classes. What a great time we had! We both learned so much from Aviva! It it so important for new puppy parents to get your dog socialized!
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)
While I have owned dogs most of my life so far, I have never had a young puppy. Wanting to do right by her, I researched training and socialization classes. Baby Dog was the one that was recommended over and over again without hesitation. We've now been going to weekly sessions for three months and my dog while having mastered what they teach loves the class so much that we just keep coming. When I pull up in front of the class she knows what we're there for and her excitement is off the charts. Aviva and her team run amazing classes and they should be the go to for every new puppy owner in Victoria. I studied to be a dog trainer 17 years ago when considering a career change. That said, I have learned a ton from Aviva while having our pup trained and her approach and explanations are much more effective and in line with what dogs need, than what I was originally taught. We are very luck to have Baby Dog as a resource.
A wonderful place for young pups to have safe and supervised playtime. While educating owners about appropriate play.
Took the level one Obedience class with BabyDog and had an amazing experience from start to finish. Great communication and help from the Admin team before and during the classes. Our Instructor Meg couldn't have been better for us / our dog Marcus. It was amazing how quickly he would learn from her and set a platform for us to continue with. Highly recommend to anyone with a new rescue dog looking to learn more!
Babydog group have been fantastic. We joined the socialization group, and a few dog walks. Both were very helpful for both me and Ruby.
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!
These guys are just brilliant, we started the puppy classes with our 13 week old feisty pomsky and it had a hugely beneficial effect on her behavior, the private lessons helped us iron out early problems and now at 1.5 years old we have an amazing lovable behaved dog that s a true joy. Knowledgeable, patient with dogs and humans :) Recommended!
I came to BabyDog in desperation with my rescue dog Pheonix, who had multiple behavioral issues. I was really at my wits end, and thought I would have to rehome her because I didn't have the environment or tools to help her. We only had 4 sessions, thus far, and the impact has been incredible. Aviva (owner) has been absolutely amazing to put it mildly. She's not only incredibly perceptive and adjusts the training to your dogs needs, but she is compassionate, has a plethora of knowledge, and goes above and beyond. She offered so much support and resourcefulness, it literally saved both Pheonix and myself. She helped me understand her postures and behaviours, enabled me to communicate effectively, and most importantly empowered me to give Pheonix what she needs. She connected us to Bosley's on Burnside for their first ever Reactive Dog night which not only helped Pheonix overcome her fear of stores, but we were actually able to return and attempt bathing. I could really go on and on about how grateful I am to Aviva and her team, and so happy that there are people out there dedicated to truly making a difference in not only dogs lives, but their guardians as well. I will definitely be returning for further training and to tap into their many resources. I highly recommend them to anyone anytime. Thank you Aviva and BabyDog team!!! Sincerely, Erin and Pheonix :)