Little Brown Dog Training Co.

08/23/2025

I don't always post a lot of photos of clients we have on the go, but look at this pup!

He is a fab mix of rotti and lab in a small package. We are working on the basics like loose leash walking and recall, to help him grow up to be a great kid.

Do you remember what it's like to have a puppy? It can be a LOT! Once we have an adult dog, we tend to forget how much they can just go go go, all the time.
My favorite tips for maintaining sanity during this time are:

• Maintain a good schedule & routine, predictability helps your pup learn and helps you have markers for when they start to do better - for example, with potty training
• Utilize other dogs to help ease the load! Invite friends over with sociable dogs, send your puppy to daycare for a day or two per week, take your pup to playdates! (Dog parks are not advised as they are not an appropriate place for a young puppy to learn social skills)
• Work on short intervals of everything - training, play, nap times, and crate training
• Give yourself a break if you need - hire a dog walker a day or two per week, use your puppy's crate while you need a rest!
• And don't forget, food based enrichment toys! These are hands down my biggest life saver to prevent yourself from becoming the chew toy, and for keeping puppies busy.

Happy training ❤️

08/23/2025

Are you ready for September? Life Skills Class is back!

Life Skills Class

Starts Monday September 15th at 6:30pm

This is our most popular class! The perfect course for adolescents, adult dogs, and new rescues. This course helps you and your dog learn the basics such as position cues, loose leash walking, place cue, recall, leave it, leash reactivity prevention, how to work with distractions and more! Come learn from an experienced instructor in this fun and inclusive class environment.
Classes are held at Paws Next Door at 4116 Macleod Trail SE, conveniently located just 5 minutes north of Chinook Mall.

6 weeks (1 hour per class)

$235 (GST incl.)

This course is suitable for dogs and puppies over 4 months of age who are comfortable around people and other dogs.

Discounts available to dogs adopted from our rescue partners!

Register or find out more at www.littlebrowndogtraining.com/groupclasses

08/13/2025

Coming up in September!

Life Skills - Reactivity

Did you know that the most common behaviour concern that we get called in for is leash reactivity? Well guess what, we now have a class for that!
This 6-week long class consists of 1 virtual session and 5 in person group class sessions to give you all of the tools you will need to understand your dog's reactivity, manage it and modify it in your daily lives. These reactivity-specific classes are set up in a very controlled format to allow for gradual exposure to triggers in order to build coping skills - note that this is not your regular group style obedience class - you are set up for sucess!

Monday September 8th at 7:45pm
6 weeks (1 hour per class)
$325 (GST incl.)

To register check out www.littlebrowndogtraining.com/groupclasses

Send us a message with any questions about the class, or your dog's training!

This group class covers the basics from attention & focus, loose leash walking, recall, place, leash reactivity  prevention, polite greetings and more. Learn how to motivate your dog using reward based training!

08/05/2025

We are here and we are back - September class schedule is up!

Life Skills Class
Monday September 15th at 6:30pm

This is our most popular class! The perfect course for adolescents, adult dogs, and new rescues. This course helps you and your dog learn the basics such as position cues, loose leash walking, place cue, recall, leave it, leash reactivity prevention, how to work with distractions and more! Come learn from an experienced instructor in this fun and inclusive class environment.
Classes are held at Paws Next Door at 4116 Macleod Trail SE, conveniently located just 5 minutes north of Chinook Mall.

6 weeks (1 hour per class)
$235 (GST incl.)

This course is suitable for dogs and puppies over 4 months of age who are comfortable around people and other dogs.

Life Skills - Reactivity
Monday September 8th @ 7:45pm

This 6-week long class consists of 1 virtual session and 5 in person group class sessions to give you all of the tools you will need to understand your dog's reactivity, manage it and modify it in your daily lives. These reactivity-specific classes are set up in a very controlled format to allow for gradual exposure to triggers in order to build coping skills - note that this is not your regular group style obedience class - you are set up for sucess!

6 weeks (1 hour per class)
$325 (GST incl.)

This course is suitable for dogs who show behaviours such as pulling, barking and lunging at objects, prey animals or other dogs. If your dog is reactive towards people or has a damaging bite history please contact us prior to registering to discuss options.

Register or find out more at www.littlebrowndogtraining.com/groupclasses

07/17/2025

Another big congrats to our latest round of Life Skills grads - Luna, Lily, Datu, Oscar, Rio & Miso!
This busy class was full of dogs from all walks of life, from bully breeds to doodles to rescue mixes - all with responsible pet parents looking to get a head start on training. Life Skills Class was created and then formulated to help with the busy adolescent years, working on behaviours such as recall, loose leash walking, leave it & place cue as well as learning to work on focus in busy environments (perhaps the most important and challenging skill of all!).
Big thanks to Melissa from Modern Mutts Training & Behaviour for coaching this crew through six weeks of positive and fun classes and learning.
Although we love summer 😄 we look forward to kicking off classes again in September with the next round of students! Keep an eye on the website for the next round of postings!
Until then, great job and we will see you all out there - happy graduation and have a great summer!

07/16/2025

Big thank you to our instructor Melissa at Modern Mutts Training & Behaviour for coaching this fab group of students through their reactivity class!
Pictured here are Billie, Sophie, Leo & Gordita (including a photo of cheeky Leo up on a chair so he can snag a better view, just to tell everyone exactly what he thinks 😉).
Everyone works through reactivity for different reasons - some of us are just a little over the top excited, some are anxious and it manifests as vocal behaviour and some are nervous and barking at the scary things make them go away. We are here to help you through it, whatever the reason!
These kids all did fantastic - so good in fact that they were almost on "grad class" material just a few weeks in!
We are so incredibly grateful that you all put your trust in us to help you through this reactivity journey and shape a better life for you and your dogs.
Happy graduation, and have a great summer!

(Our next round will be starting up in September, so keep an eye on the site to join!)

07/04/2025

Our second ever Life Skills - Reactivity class graduated at the beginning of June with flying colours!

Big congrats to Raven, Winter and Max! We made huge strides from the first to the final class, with dogs even able to walk right past each other in full view without so much as a peep out of them - showing just how much the work put in has paid off on the other side.

I am so incredibly proud of all these hardworking students! For me to be able to put together an entire class centered around the reason I became a dog trainer in the first place is so wonderful and fulfilling. Reactivity is such a challenge to work through and a long process that it can seem like there is no end in sight, but with the right pieces to the puzzle, it will get better.

Thank you everyone for trusting the process, and trusting us with your dog's learning!

07/03/2025

In June we also waved goodbye to our latest & greatest Life Skills Class!
This class saw a few pups from as well as one of the tiniest (but bravest) classmates we've ever had!
These kids were so fun to have all together, growing bigger and stronger by the week - making learning skills such as loose leash walking, recall, polite greetings and "leave it" so much more important!
Adolescence can be tough as those teen years hit you (ask my parents, ha ha) so stick it out, and in a few years you will look back and miss the puppy years (almost..maybe not though..).
Thank you for giving us your time and letting us help with this fabulous crew of furry friends - Minnow, Hazel and Remi! (not pictured but who also graduated - Amigo and Nemo).

Happy graduation day, see you out there!!

05/21/2025

Hey and just checking in! Reminder that we do not run group classes (Life Skills & Reactivity) during July and the majority of August! This is to allow time off (for everyone) during the busy summer months! Please check our website for future updates on when our next rounds of classes will be posted - generally these are run in either the last week of August or the first week of September.

What we will have available:
🌟Private Consultations
These are still available! Book at your own pace, or with a friend for a semi-private lesson. These are a great way to start with foundational skills, leash reactivity training, or move the skills you already have to real-world environments such as the outdoors.
Check out the private consultations tab on our website for more info.

🎓Life Skills Reactivity - Level 2 Drop Ins
These will be available first to previous students and clients, and then if spots do not fill, we will open them to those who have completed a leash reactivity course. These are held outdoors in real-life scenarios as a way to bridge the gap between the structure of a classroom and the challenges of the oudoors! These are scheduled in June and August to September. Please email to be added to the mailing list for when these are open for registration.

Thank you SO MUCH for everyone who has put their trust in us so far this year - our last 4 classes of Life Skills and Reactivity were completely full with a waiting list. We are so happy and incredibly grateful to have many new and returning clients! We are looking forward to the summer but also to having you back in classes again soon!

Please email with any questions, concerns, or if you are stuck and don't know where to turn - we are always open for questions and here to help!!

04/30/2025

**UPDATE: ALL OF OUR SPRING CLASSES ARE FULL.
There will be no more group classes until August/September.
Please stay tuned to social media and our website for the next class postings! If you are interested in us putting on a workshop (recall, etc) please send us an email!**

I know y'all have heard me say this before but..these are our LAST classes until end of summer!

Life Skills Class
Monday May 5th @ 6:30pm - *FULL*
Wednesday May 21st @ 6:30pm - *FULL*

This is our most popular class! The perfect course for adolescents, adult dogs, and new rescues. This course helps you and your dog learn the basics such as position cues, loose leash walking, place cue, recall, leave it, leash reactivity prevention, how to work with distractions and more! Come learn from a certified and experienced instructor in this fun and inclusive class environment.
Classes are held at Paws Next Door at 4116 Macleod Trail SE, conveniently located just 5 minutes north of Chinook Mall.
6 weeks (1 hour per class)
$235 (GST incl.)

This course is suitable for dogs and puppies over 4 months of age who are comfortable around people and other dogs.

Life Skills - Reactivity
Wednesday May 14th @ 7:45pm - *FULL*

This 6-week long class consists of 1 virtual session and 5 in person group class sessions to give you all of the tools you will need to understand your dog's reactivity, manage it and modify it in your daily lives. These reactivity-specific classes are set up in a very controlled format to allow for gradual exposure to triggers in order to build coping skills - note that this is not your regular group style obedience class - you are set up for sucess!
6 weeks (1 hour per class)
$325 (GST incl.)

Register or find out more at www.littlebrowndogtraining.com/groupclasses !

04/29/2025

Welcome Melissa Farion to the LBD summer training team!!

You may have noticed some of our classes in the past have had Melissa's name next to them - she's taught classes for LBD previously. Now she's back to teach our Wednesday evening Life Skills and Reactivity sessions so we figured it was time for an official introduction!

About Melissa, in her own words:

"Like many of us in the industry, my passion for dogs dates back as far as I can remember. I got my first dog Maya - a Portuguese Water Dog - at 14, and we became soul mates from that moment on.

When the time came to get my first job, I stumbled across a dog walking ad titled “Bring your dog to work”. Spending all day with Maya sounded like a dream come true, so I jumped on it and never looked back. I spent the next 5 years in various roles walking, caring for and training dogs.

In 2017, I brought home my Doberman, Jango. When he was 18 months old he developed some serious and complex behavior concerns. I very quickly learned my years of work in dog care had not prepared me to support his needs properly, and it inspired me to pursue an education in complex behaviors in dogs.

In 2021, I graduated with honors from The Academy for Dog Trainers. This was an intensive, 2-year, industry leading program that covered everything from basic obedience to fear and aggression. At the same time, I began mentoring under some experienced, knowledgeable trainers in the city. In 2021 I also earned my CPDT-KA. I am committed to continuing education and am always enrolling in new courses to expand my knowledge.

I absolutely love working with all dogs, but my passion lies with dogs who struggle with reactivity, fear, aggression and complex behavior problems, like my sweet guy.

I currently share my home with Jango and Tess, a working line border collie. We spend our free time training and competing in dog sports, camping, and adventuring together."

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills with us and welcome to the Little Brown Dog Training community!

04/28/2025

Congrats to our newest grads of our Life Skills Class - April edition!!
Big high fives to Mollie, Obi & Kai (pictured) and Maisie & Zella!

These pups were all so fun, sweet and friendly that we got to do a special grad class play edition on our final class to celebrate! Having two brothers who are almost identical in class is always so funny and relatable (remember the teachers trying to separate you from sitting next to your BFF in class for a reason?? well a similar thing happens with dogs 😄). So needless to say, we definitely had to reward their good behaviour with some rowdy play at the end! These guys all did fantastic and I am always reminded why I love teaching adolescent dogs. Watching their personalities mold and how quick they can learn is truly special. These pups always had me laughing each class. Never a dull moment!
Thank you so much for having us be a part of their journey. We will see you out there soon!