Way of Life Dog Training

11/11/2026

Something a little different from us today.

A few years ago, I discovered Jack Jackson through social media and booked a session for my shepherd girls, Kizzy, Bruna, and Nejra. What Jack gave me that day are images I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Jack is one of Toronto’s most celebrated dog photographers: multi-award-winning, widely featured in the press, and known for portraits that capture not just how a dog looks, but who they are. He works outdoors in some of the city’s most beautiful parks and beaches, sessions run about two hours, and he brings a team whose job is to make sure your dog has a great time.

The holiday season is almost here. Time passes quickly, and a photograph holds what we can’t.

Jack has offered five of our community a complimentary session valued at $360, including an outdoor shoot, a Zoom image review, and a $100 print credit.

Only five spots are available.

Claim yours here: https://www.jackjacksondogphotography.com/win

11/11/2026

The last Way of Life Weekend in Cobourg of the year is coming up on December 12th and 13th, and we’d love to see you there.
🤎🙌

Saturday is a full day of back-to-back private sessions. Whether you’re a new client meeting us for the first time or an existing client looking for some dedicated one-on-one coaching, there are still a few spots available.

Sunday brings a morning and afternoon group class focused on confidence building and handling exercises using the popular KLIMB platforms. A great session for dogs and handlers at any stage of the journey.

As always, the weekend is hosted by our wonderful friends and sponsors at All Creatures Great and Small Cobourg, and we are so grateful for their ongoing support in making these events possible.

If you’re struggling with your dog, don’t miss this one. It’s our last Cobourg weekend of the year and we’re going to make it count.

Reach out to us at the link below and we’ll get you the registration details.
https://wayoflifedogtraining.com/contact/

The last Way of Life Weekend of the year is coming up on December 12th & 13th.
If you are struggling with your dog - don’t miss it!
Hosted by All Creatures Cobourg in collaboration with Way of Life Dog Training.
Register below 👇

https://wayoflifedogtraining.com/contact/

11/11/2026

Today we remember those who served, including the many dogs and other animals who served alongside them.
Lest we forget.

11/05/2026

If you've ever said "I've tried everything with my dog," you're far from the only one. We hear it all the time.

Most people have already watched the videos, followed the advice and worked with more than one trainer, and the same problems keep coming back. That's exhausting, and it usually means the advice focused on stopping the behaviour without looking at what's driving it.

When we work with a dog, we start with everyday life: the daily routine, how the dog is handled and the relationship between dog and owner. Those shape how a dog thinks and reacts long before any training session does, and that's where the Way of Life Method begins.

If you'd like to learn more, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. You'll find the link in the comments.

10/29/2026

If you only knew how much your dog already knows.

Your mission is to create a Way of Life where they can show you.

10/20/2026

⭐ This Week in the Academy ⭐

This week we're celebrating Hope and Rob and their eleven-year-old Rat Terrier, Kazu, known to this community as The Great Kazu, or simply TGK.

When Hope first came to us, she had a very specific and very practical goal: she wanted to be able to board Kazu so that she and Rob, avid travelers both, could get out into the world without worry. The catch was that Kazu had a long history of aggression toward strangers and other dogs, a habit of lunging at anyone who came too close that had been building for years. Boarding felt like a distant dream.

What Hope learned is that the path to that dream runs through something deeper. By changing the way she handles and relates to Kazu, by helping him become a more confident and thoughtful dog, she could get to the root of what was driving that self-protective behaviour and begin to shift it. It hasn't been a quick fix. It has been patient, dedicated, consistent work by a woman who loves her dog deeply and refuses to give up on him.
And the results are showing up in the most wonderful ways.

This week, Hope and Rob took TGK to the big city. We're talking busy sidewalks and strangers brushing past, other dogs appearing around corners and at crosswalks, the rumble of traffic, the clatter of construction, cyclists weaving through, the relentless stimulation of an urban environment doing exactly what urban environments do. For a dog who spent years being hijacked by his own self-protective instincts around people and dogs in close proximity, this was a serious ask. Kazu is already a seasoned traveler, having seen a lot of the world alongside his people, but the city at this level of intensity was new territory. He rose to meet it. All three of them did.

We also want to take a moment to celebrate Hope not just as a handler but as a member of this community, because she is truly one of a kind. She is the first to welcome every new member who walks through our doors. The first to comment, to encourage, to share in someone else's win. She shows up for this community the same way she shows up for Kazu: with warmth, consistency, and a whole lot of heart. This community is better because she's in it.
So this one is for you, Hope and Rob. And for The Great Kazu, who keeps proving that it's never too late. 🤎✨

10/19/2026

Three years ago today, my book, The Way of Life Method, came into the world. And I have to say, the feeling never gets old. ✨

The book was three years in the making: two years to write, one year to edit. I had always planned to write it, but the pandemic is what finally made it possible. When the world went quiet, I hunkered down and wrote.

There were stretches where this book was so aching to be born that I would wake in the middle of the night feeling genuinely compelled to get up. I would make my bed, knowing I wouldn’t be back to sleep. I’d tidy the house, as if nesting, getting myself ready. And then I’d settle in and write through the quiet of the night while the dogs slept, working until around midday before heading out with them and tending to the young and beloved business growing alongside the book. Some writing days were easier than others. But I never experienced a single moment of writer’s block. Not one. That’s how much this work needed to come out.

It can look from the outside like a book belongs entirely to its author. It doesn’t. It takes a small army and a small fortune to bring one into existence, especially when you’re self-publishing. My editors (yes, more than one), my design and production team, my audiobook team, my beta readers, my clients, and everyone behind the scenes at Way of Life Dog Training: this was never just my work. It was ours.

And then there were those who joined in the celebration: the people who came to book signing events, who attended the seminars organized by supporters near and far, who spread the word with a generosity I will never forget. Being an author is a truly one-of-a-kind feeling, and those early days of sharing this book with the world are something I will carry with me always.

Since publication, The Way of Life Method has gone on to receive a Gold Medal at the 2026 Living Now Book Awards, a Gold Medal at the 2025 Global Book Awards, a win at the 2025 International Impact Book Awards, a Finalist placement at the Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards, a Quarter-Finalist placement in the 2024-2025 BookLife Prize Nonfiction Contest, and the honour of being named Connie’s Book Club Pick by Modern Dog Magazine.

It has also received rave reviews across platforms, and yes, the occasional scathing one from those who couldn’t quite understand the intention of the Method or appreciate its difference from more conventional approaches. Those stung at times, I won’t pretend otherwise. But I never forgot something I learned about good books: some people love them, and some people don’t, and that’s exactly as it should be. I never set out to appeal to everyone. I know the effect this book has had on the people who really needed it and truly got it. That’s enough.

Happy three-year anniversary to The Way of Life Method. And another round of deep, heartfelt thanks to everyone who walked with us before, during, and since publication.
🤎🙏 📖

📸 Hilary Spencer Creative Photography

Book Launchers
kn literary arts
La Méthode Forgée : Formation en Création de Marque et Communication
Propel Digital Marketing
All Creatures Great and Small Cobourg
The Local Pet Pantry
Duke's Port Hope
Little Brown Dog
Modern Dog magazine
International Impact Book Awards
Living Now Book Awards
The Independent Author Network
Booklife-community

10/14/2026

Last April I picked up an older Belgian Malinois boy from Vaughan Animal Services. I’d volunteered to foster him because I couldn’t bear the thought of a working dog with only a few good years left languishing in a shelter.

We renamed him Max. And for the months that followed, I poured everything into him: his weight, his health, his psychology, his confidence, his fitness.

I’ve fostered many times and always been able to let go. But the idea of parting with Max pained me in a way I couldn’t quite explain.

Last week, a promising adoption application came in. I didn’t even look at it.

Max is eight years old, an absolute powerhouse, gallant with my girls, and completely ON when we’re out in the world together. The bond that formed through the healing process was simply undeniable. This isn’t a foster fail. This is a foster success.

Please join me in welcoming Max as a permanent member of the Way of Life family.
🤎🖤

10/10/2026

🍁 Happy Thanksgiving from Way of Life 🍁

To our clients, our community, and everyone who has followed along with us on this journey: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

This time of year has a way of making us slow down just enough to notice what matters. And for so many of us, our dogs are right at the heart of that. The walks, the quiet mornings, the way they greet us at the door, the moments out in the world where everything just clicks... these are the things that make daily life feel full.

We are grateful for every person who has trusted us with their dog, who has opened their mind to a different way of thinking, and who has chosen to invest in the relationship at the centre of it all. It is a privilege to do this work, and it is made richer every day by the people and dogs we get to do it with.

Wishing you and yours a warm and wonderful long weekend.
🤎🍁✨

10/06/2026

500 followers may be a small number to some people, but to us, it represents years of work, learning, conversations, walks, challenges, progress, and a community that continues to grow.

We’ve had the privilege of working alongside so many human-dog teams, helping people better understand their dogs, move through behavior challenges, and build stronger relationships along the way.

Thank you to everyone who has followed, learned with us, shared our work, joined a class, attended an event, read the book, or simply stayed curious about a different way of living with dogs.

We’re very grateful you’re here. 🤎✨