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Reviews
I am so happy we chose Zen Dog Training with Shannon!! We did the puppy classes, grade one, grade two and now we are moving to skills and drills! It’s so exciting to see where my pup started and where we are now. Shannon is very knowledgeable and she does not only teach commands and obedience, but also how to bond with your dog. Not only I really enjoy the classes, but I feel supported as a first time dog owner. Thank you Shannon!
I have been taking my feisty young terrier mix dog to Shannon's Saturday morning Skills & Drills Power Hour for the past few months and it has been a game changer for us. He went from being unable to be close to the other dogs and having to do the exercises 20 feet away from the group, to being able to walk past dogs, in between dogs, towards dogs, all a couple of feet away from him with no issues. This class was exactly what we needed for him to feel more comfortable around other dogs and I am so grateful for Shannon's knowledge and encouragement. Shannon has years and years of dog training experience and it shows!! Sylvie Fefer
Our Jack Russell Sandy has been having some territorial reactivity and struggles with impulse control. After a few sessions with Shannon we have already seen improvement. She has given us the tools to understand and help our dog through these challenges in a fun and positive way!
Shannon is an amazing trainer and I highly recommend her classes. She is extremely knowledgeable and detailed in her descriptions, and helps support every student in reaching their training goals. Once I started working with Shannon, I saw a marked increase in my puppies confidence and decision making skills, and our connection is so strong now. Highly recommend Shannon and Zen dog training.
Absolutely cannot say enough great things about Shannon! She’ll work magic with your dog and teach you how to do the same.Her Rally-O classes are a nice addition to regular obedience training. My dog absolutely loves the fun brain game aspect of it, not to mention it’s social and fun for the humans too! 10/10 recommend and will be returning for more Rally-O
Shannon is the best trainer there is! Just finished the second series of classes and it’s truly amazing! Also have done some private training sessions at home with her as well. She uses positive reinforcement snd it’s so astounding what you can get your puppy to do with her showing you what to do! What a difference an amazing trainer makes!!!
Game Changer
Shannon is amazing and has been KEY in the behavioural success of my rescue dog Freya (GSD/Rottie/Presa mix). With the help of her growl program and numerous behavioural consultations, Freya’s reactivity levels have become completely manageable. I am now more than confident handling anything my teenage tyrant pup throws my way. Thank you Shannon!!!
Zen dog classes are amazing! They really challenged our dog and taught him practical and fun skills to take out into the world. Would highly recommend the classes, especially if you have an active dog!
Wonderful Training Experience with ZenDog
I adopted Benny, a rescue Husky-Border Collie mix, when he was about a year old, and as my first big dog, I knew I needed support. Working with Shannon and Isabelle at ZenDog has been such a gift. They are incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and kind, offering thoughtful guidance not only for dogs but also for people learning how to support them. They’ve helped me learn how to communicate clearly with Benny, set healthy boundaries, and reinforce positive behaviours in ways that really work for both of us. I’ve gained so much confidence as a dog guardian thanks to their guidance. Right now, we’re taking their Rally-O classes, which are so much fun, not just for Benny but for me too. I highly recommend ZenDog to anyone who wants to build a stronger, more connected relationship with their dog.
We had a great experience training our nearly 1.5 year old golden retriever with Shannon. She was super informative and we saw immediate progress using the tips she shared, right from our very first session.
Shannon and Zen Dog training are now training our third dog, indicating how satisfied we are with Shannon’s training over the past 15 years! Our previous two dogs started in puppy class and progressed through all the different classes up to the skills and drills classes, ensuring our enthusiastic poodles (and us!) were well trained and socialized. We really enjoy the group classes that Shannon holds outdoors, and value both the instruction she provides in class, as well as the class previews and supplemental on-line information. With her extensive experience and expertise, Shannon uses positive reinforcement techniques to help us train our new 5-month-old puppy. Our new puppy is quite reactive and anxious, something new to us - we are so glad that Shannon has been there to support and advise us, to help us navigate his path through adolescence. In summary, I highly recommend Shannon and Zen Dog training if you are looking to train, socialize and work with your dog in Vancouver and the lower mainland.
I was really impressed by the depth and breadth of knowledge by Shannon and her assistant Isabelle. They really covered all the bases and were awesome in keeping calm in the class (hard with so many puppies around!) and Mugi (@pekoe_and_mugi) really benefited from every class. We took the Puppy Kindergarten, and we're definitely going to take Grade One! (and likely Grade Two, and further). Built an excellent foundation for him to become a better pup. My only qualm is the size of class (with all the humans too!) in the size of the where the course takes place, but the pet store (Simply Natural Raw Pet Foods) have experts in dog nutrition and it was awesome to get their feedback about food from them throughout the course. So a pro and a con for this, and it's up to the handlers to decide if that'll impact their experience. Made for keeping our pup under control but it's also good training for him.
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https://www.zendogtraining.com/training/the-3-to-5-rule-a-simple-formula-for-effective-dog-training/
Does your dog need some Life Skills? Our next Level One Obedience class is starting up June 30th. One spot is available. Come join us for some summer training fun!Life Skills is our recommended level one obedience course, incorporating both game-based and obedience-oriented exercises into the skills you will teach your dog, all using positive reinforcement.This five week course consists of five instructional group lessons held outdoors with access to a sheltered space on rainy days so we have plenty of room to work on big picture stuff. It is how dogs learn best and where they need to use those life skills most.In Life Skills we cover management and its importance in dog behaviour; leadership practices so the human steers the ship; reinforcement strategies using markers for clarity and precision; toy play for relationship building; engagement games for distractions; settling exercises for both inside and out; responsible leash walking concepts; and recall games.Whew! Be prepared to learn, work hard and have a blast!www.zendogtraining.com
Calling all puppies!!Join us on July 8th for our summer Zen Puppy Kindergarten course.The course features six one-hour lessons, and covers the basics of early puppy socialization, handling, skills building, body awareness, nutrition and wellness. We discuss toy play, enrichment, grooming, impulse control and early obedience exercises, all designed to start puppies off in the best way possible in a positive and supportive environment. In the first lesson we meet over zoom with foundation exercises to support the in-person lessons, and a discussion on puppy biting, crate and potty training, as well as management strategies to prevent unwanted behaviours from flourishing.The five remaining lessons are held at Simply Natural Raw Pet Foods in Kerrisdale with an interactive mix of skills building, puppy agility/body awareness, social play, and fun contests to win prizes! We set up a mini agility/obstacle course for the last class – one of the highlights, celebrating six weeks of hard work!The course includes a puppy pack of training goodies and supplies to assist puppy-human teams on their learning journey. Class size is kept to six puppies between 9 and 14 weeks of age at the start date of the class. All puppies must have age-appropriate vaccines to join.We promise this to be one of the most well-rounded and informative puppy classes in Vancouver.Reach out to us at zendogtraining.com for more details or call Simply Natural Raw Pet Food at 604.266.1125 to register.
https://www.zendogtraining.com/training/first-things-to-teach-your-puppy/
