CommuniCanine

11/09/2026

Bodhi (formerly Oswald) is now a pro at using the nebulizer. I count his breaths out loud so that he knows when to expect the treat - always after 7.

Counting is a great way to build duration and to help your dog understand what to expect and when.

As of posting this video, we have now transitioned to only using the nebulizer when needed, which I’m grateful to say hasn’t been for a couple of weeks!

11/08/2026

Not every journey ends with the destination you’d intended, and that’s definitely been the case raising Oswald, the Service Dog Puppy in Training.

Due to an ongoing health issue, Woofability Service Dog Training made the difficult decision to pull him from the service dog program. Above everything else, his health and well being comes first and they didn’t feel it was fair or appropriate to expect him to handle the rigours of service dog work right now.

When I found this out, I was really sad that my journey as his puppy raiser had come to an end so quickly, and it took me a few days to move through that. I was loving the work we got to do together and we had so many more trips to Costco still to do! 😄

But as the saying goes, the journey IS the destination, and Oswald’s and mine has simply taken a different form.

As his puppy raiser, I was given the opportunity to adopt him. So of course I said yes!

I told you at the beginning that I would ugly cry when I had to say goodbye to him. And while there won’t be a goodbye for a very, very long time now, I did in fact ugly cry when I found out he would be mine.

So, he is now officially a member of my family and my forever sidekick.

And his new name is Bodhi. 💛💛

It’s taken no time at all for him to become my heart and soul and I can’t wait to see where the journey takes us now.

Thanks for being a part of it with us.

11/08/2026

Why watch TV when you can teach your dog something new and have a lot of fun while you’re doing it? What did you and your dogs get up to this evening?

11/07/2026

Every year we donate a set of classes to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital & Healthcare Foundation's online auction. This year, the auction will be supporting their new Growing the Next Generation of Healthcare campaign, helping create educational opportunities for future healthcare professionals.

Take a look and make a bid! There are tonnes of amazing items and experiences up for grabs. The auction runs until November 14th.

Bid on exclusive money can't buy items & experiences with Saanich Peninsula Hospital Healthcare Foundation. Enter into one of our charity auctions, pr

11/05/2026

Looking for a useful new skill to teach your dog? Stopping on cue, even when they’re moving! 🐾

Teaching your dog to sit or lie down at a distance, and even while they’re in motion, is about more than just showing off some impressive obedience skills.

Imagine being able to stop your dog in their tracks when they’re running towards you, heading towards an open gate, approaching another dog, or getting a little too far ahead on a walk. It’s a great way to build communication, impulse control and an extra layer of safety.

In this video, I’m practicing both distance sits and downs with my dog, including asking him to stop mid-run when coming to me after a recall. The goal is for them to respond immediately, wherever they are and whatever they’re doing!

It’s a skill that takes practice to build, but it’s definitely worth adding to your training toolbox!

11/05/2026

🐾 We need your help! 🐾

It’s that time of year again! Community Votes Victoria is asking the community to vote for their favourite local businesses, and we’d love to have your support in the Best Dog Trainer category! 🐶

Since 2021, CommuniCanine has been voted one of the Top 3 dog trainers in Greater Victoria every single year, including TWO years at #1! And honestly? That’s something we’re incredibly proud of, but even more than that, we’re incredibly grateful for.

Because behind every vote is someone who trusted us with their dog, attended a class, recommended us to a friend, shared a post, or cheered us on along the way. ❤️

We get to do what we love every day, helping dogs and their people build better relationships, and it’s our amazing clients and community who make that possible.

So, if we’ve helped you and your dog, if you’ve enjoyed one of our classes, if you’ve picked up a few training tips or been inspired by our social media posts, or if you simply enjoy following along with what we do, we’d be so grateful if you took a minute to cast a vote for CommuniCanine!

👇 Click the link below, find Dog Trainer, and give us your vote!

https://victoria.communityvotes.com/2026/07/pet-and-pet-care/pet-training

Thank you for helping us continue making a difference in the lives of dogs and their people throughout Greater Victoria. Your support means the world to us! ❤️🐾

Let’s see if we can make it five years in the Top 3! 😉

10/19/2026

Oswald developed a sensitivity to having his ears touched after having them cleaned (two separate occasions, done by two different people more than a month apart).

Sensitivities can happen that easily and quickly. It doesn’t have to be something traumatic, just something the dog finds unpleasant enough that they get upset if they’re faced with experiencing it again and try to avoid it.

What you see in the first part of the video was the result of those two experiences. He refused to even let me pet his head near his ears, even if I had no intention of cleaning or looking inside them. He said “Absolutely the eff not, lady. Hands off my ears.”

I’ve gradually been working on desensitization and building comfort back up with him since I first noticed the sensitivity. I started by quickly touching only his ear flaps immediately followed by throwing food for him to chase and have gradually built up to what you see here - asking for a chin rest while I touch and examine his ears, even putting my fingers inside and feeling around and then using the empty syringe.

You’ll see from the video that he gets to opt out at any time. If he lifts his head up, I stop. Once he lowers his head back down, we start again.

I keep our practice sessions quite short and only work on this when I think of it, which isn’t every day. But as you can see, we’re still making progress. Stay tuned for more updates!

10/13/2026

Oswald has had issues with a chronic cough, so the vet put him on an inhaler. We are using a nebulizer to get him to breathe in the medication. He has to use it twice a day and take 7 breaths each time.

I wasn’t able to take my time getting him comfortable with it, so I taught it on the fly, as you sometimes have to when it comes to medical issues.

This is our very first training session, start to finish, no edits, of how I introduced it to him. He already knew a chin rest and a sustained nose touch (where he holds his nose still against my hand for 5 seconds), so we utilized those skills here. Because he’s a young puppy, he wanted to play with it, so I worked him through that as well as taught him to hold his nose in it for gradually increasing lengths of time.

If you’ve ever thought that teaching your dogs tricks was silly or demeaning to them in some way, this is a great example of how some of them can be incredibly useful in day to day life.