Off on the Right Paw

10/31/2026

Happy Birthday Ms. Olive 🎂 🥳 🎋 🎊. Big girlie did an awesome job learning to self-regulate her "big love" feelings for her buddy Gilligan (who served as decoy-distractor). We worked on using the Superbowl Pattern Game, decompression via grounding (walking the ladder and cavalettis to engage proprioception), settle on the mat and sniff breaks, in the presence of her friend. A really beautiful offered engage/disengage with relaxed but happy body language is captured in this video, while the two buddies did some parallel and anti-parallel walking together. And then they enjoyed the yummy peanut butter/beef tallow Birthday cake Olive's family brought to celebrate her big 1.0. Way to go!!! And thank you Gilligan and Momma for all your decoying charm.

10/31/2026

Ms. Luna did very well in her very first Life Skills & Manners class

10/31/2026

The skies have parted!!! Perfect timing for Manners and then a dog-dog interaction/play assessment. Glad to have a break from all that rain. Oh yes, and nice for all the Halloweeners too!!! Happy 🎃!!!

10/30/2026

Happy & Dog Safe Friday Everyone!!! It's our first time on the Island for Halloween and we've been hearing that it's a big fireworks celebration. This doesn't apply to our doggies!!! It can be very scary for some (even those that you think will be fine).

Some precautions and tips for you for tonight and tomorrow:

☯️ White noise. Play music, the TV (before the fireworks start and throughout). It won't fully mask the noise, smell, and vibrations our doggies can perceive, but it'll help
☯️ Keep your bestie(s) secure. Not in yard or with access to opening doors. They can suddenly bolt. If you're extra concerned, try the tether-to-me method (on-leash and tethered to your waist). Note: dogs can break away from collars and harnesses.
☯️ Do your walk well before the start of any celebrations, not during.
☯️ Evening potty time. Cai will be on leash with me even in a fenced yard.
☯️ Treat parties. Set up enrichment for your bestie. Puzzle toys, lickables (kongs, TOPPLs, lick mats), snuffle mat, chewables. Sniffing/foraging, licking and chewing are all natural ways for dogs to decompress. Some may be too stressed for this. Hear a bang yourself or think your dog might have, let that be the environmental cue for treat scatters and your happy body language.
☯️ There are calming aides - thundershirts, sprays that can help. If you know your dog will be distressed, speak to your vet about prescription meds.
☯️ As much as you would like to include your dog in celebrations or answering the door to trick and treaters...don't. Be sure they are securely behind a gate or in another room (with white noise and enrichment)
☯️ Toy-motivated dogs might be encouraged to play tug or indoor fetch games with you. If they don't show interest or display stress signals, try food/enrichment.
☯️ Cuddle/massage. Fear is an emotion -they need help so don't ignore them. You cannot reinforce fear, so go ahead and cuddle, massage to reassure them. You are their secure attachment figure, so they will look to you for deep safety and reassurance. Please give that to them.
☯️ There are more insulated places to the home you can take them to to be with you. Bathrooms, basements. Provide what they need.
☯️ Stay calm but happy. Your relaxed, content self. They pick up on our emotions.
☯️ You can teach a dog some things to help them self-regulate - to shake off or take a deep breath (these things take practice). But if you do see a shake-off, a yawn, or a deep breath through their nose, mark/reward that. Hey, sometimes if you do it first, they will. :)

Cai and I wish you a safe and secure Halloween 💘

10/29/2026

Are you ready for a well-mannered and well-adjusted doggie?

The Off on the Right Paw Life Skills & Manners Course kick-off is this Sat morning!!!

This flexible course has rolling admission, running every Saturday morning (10:30 to 11:30 am), allowing teams to start anytime after receiving Orientation material. Classes can be attended in any order too!

Far more than just manners, we focus on your dog's comfort and emotional regulation in the environment first so they are ready to learn!!!

Using methods such as capturing, free-shaping and shaping with targeting, we tackle the basics: Attention/Connection, Sit, Down, Settle on a Mat, Impulse Control, Recall, Loose-Leash Walking, and Wait at a Boundary.

Course is $320 and includes:
🐕 Online Orientation and written manual
🐕 Five On-Site Modular Classes:
Self-Control
Attention & Focus
Public Appearances
Teamwork
Communication
🐕 A field trip finale to practice class skills in real-life
And a life-time worth of learning the skills to teach your dog new things using modern and humane force-free training methods!!!

We kick off with the Self-Control module this Saturday, but any module is a great place to start!!!

Spots are limited to 4 teams each Saturday. Message the page to register and get your doggie Off on the Right Paw!!!

10/27/2026

🐕 NEW SHORT-COURSE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT 🐕

TIPS TUESDAY!!! For this week's TIP TUESDAY, I can't think of a better tip than PREPARATION. Preparation for the outdoor patio, cafe, bistro season with your best furry friend.😁

New Course: POLITE PATIO PUPS
$150

This took a little bit of arranging with a local pub that has a dog friendly patio that is off-season right now (and thus easier to reserve for class). Best time to offer this course since off-season means a controlled environment for everyone's success.

Preparation for patio time will be done during the first session (your choice, Sun Nov 1, or Sat Nov 7 at 1 PM) in my private and training space. That gives you either 1 or 2 weeks to prepare for putting you and your dog's skills to the test on the Pub Patio on Nov 14 at 1 PM. Classes are 90 min to take the pressure off teams and give you and your dog settle and break time.

Since, I need to report numbers to the pub manager so they can prepare, the ultimate registration deadline is Nov 5th (so you can attend the prep session on Nov 7). If you register earlier, you can attend the prep session on Nov 1st, giving you more time to practice. Or if you would feel better with more preparation and coaching, you can attend both prep sessions on Nov 1st and 7th for an extra $45.

Registration comes with Pub Beverage (b**r, w**e or a hot toddy) and Snacks (of your choice - selection is on the poster and they sound yummy!!!).

Message the Off on the Right Paw page to register today! Limited spots available.

This is a Pub Event in a licensed establishment so doggies, remember to only sign up your humans of 19 yrs of age or older 🤪

10/25/2026

Happy Rainy Sunday Folks!!! 🌧 Some start dates have changed since this has been a rather soggy weekend...

Life Skills & Manners with rolling admission is still a go for the 1st on-site module next Saturday (register soon to get the Orientation material on time).

Everything else (weaves Clinic, Rally-O abd LBTLBT) has been shifted down by a week since this weekend's plan was to stay inside, warm and dry :)

Hello Everyone and Happy Tuesday! Some more group class announcements, while I'm working on updating my services menu...

I like to make sure everyone gets a lot of attention, so group classes have limited spots - 4 teams maximum.

For busy folks that appreciate short courses (90 min classes)...

WEAVES CLINIC
3-weeks
(dogs 5 months and up)
Fees: $200

Course is turn-based with safe benching, working team is off-leash.

Whether your dog is just learning or has been introduced to the weave poles of agility sport but learning the weaves isn't quite there yet, this course is for you!

Start dates:
Sat Oct 24 12 PM
Sat Nov 14 12 PM

INTRO RALLY-OBEDIENCE
3-weeks
(dogs 5 months and up)
Fees:$220

Course is on-leash, with learning as a group as well as turn-based with safe benching.

Introduction to the Novice signs used in CARO (Canadian Assoc of Rally-O). All set on a fun course grid with signs or stations to break up continuous heeling with other behaviors or behavior chains used in obedience.

Start dates:
Sun Nov 1, 11 AM
Sun Nov 22, 11 AM

Longer courses, classes that are 1 hr...

LIFE SKILLS & MANNERS
7 weeks
Includes Orientaion online, manual, 5 on-site classes and 1 field trip
(dogs 5 months and up)
Fees : $320

A beginners manners course with rolling admission (attend rotating modules as you can, so make-ups are possible). The 5 rotating modules are themed as Self-Control, Attention & Focus, Public Appearances, Communication, and Teamwork (it doesn't matter where you start as behavior groups over lap). The field trip is done at the completion of each module to practice the skills learned in class.

Runs Saturdays 10:30 - 11:30 AM
First class - Self Control is scheduled for Oct 31. Register this week to prepare with Orientation material.

LITTLE BIT OF THIS; LITTLE BIT OF THAT
6-weeks
(suitable for all ages)
Fees: $270

This is a fun and versatile sports sampler course. Introduce your dog to safe benching/taking turns, nose work, tricking, Rally-O, Agility Foundations, and Canine Musical Freestyle (dance with your dog!).

Start dates:
Sun Oct 25, 2 PM
Sat Nov 7, 2:30 PM

All of the above are some of my favorite group classes I ran in Calgary. A blast to teach and a blast to do!!! The most hilarious photo of my Cairo doing her weavies for tax lol

10/23/2026

Our late afternoon Bowen Park sniffari. We're only a block or so away. So many side trails to explore too. Good thing they have maps on posts everywhere. 😆. Video in comments since apparently you can't do multi-media any longer.

10/21/2026

Cai and I met sweetie Jerri today during an on-site Potty & Play. With her guardian present we played the Superbowl Game and did Treat-Retreat - Treat (TRT) for approaching a stranger (me) as well as some TRT for the large crate I had set up inside. She met Cai afterwards who started off in a "puppy palace" (double ex-pen space) so Jerri could decide how she felt on her terms. Here she is off-leash (not worried about me or my phone so I could snag a quick photo), big grins after I let Cai out of the ex-pen area. They both peacefully coexisted at first, then Jerri very politely investigated Cai (butt sniff) and displayed play signals (her "chase me" play signals lol). Great job Jerri!!! :)

10/20/2026

Hello Everyone and Happy Tuesday! Some more group class announcements, while I'm working on updating my services menu...

I like to make sure everyone gets a lot of attention, so group classes have limited spots - 4 teams maximum.

For busy folks that appreciate short courses (90 min classes)...

WEAVES CLINIC
3-weeks
(dogs 5 months and up)
Fees: $200

Course is turn-based with safe benching, working team is off-leash.

Whether your dog is just learning or has been introduced to the weave poles of agility sport but learning the weaves isn't quite there yet, this course is for you!

Start dates:
Sat Oct 24 12 PM
Sat Nov 14 12 PM

INTRO RALLY-OBEDIENCE
3-weeks
(dogs 5 months and up)
Fees:$220

Course is on-leash, with learning as a group as well as turn-based with safe benching.

Introduction to the Novice signs used in CARO (Canadian Assoc of Rally-O). All set on a fun course grid with signs or stations to break up continuous heeling with other behaviors or behavior chains used in obedience.

Start dates:
Sun Nov 1, 11 AM
Sun Nov 22, 11 AM

Longer courses, classes that are 1 hr...

LIFE SKILLS & MANNERS
7 weeks
Includes Orientaion online, manual, 5 on-site classes and 1 field trip
(dogs 5 months and up)
Fees : $320

A beginners manners course with rolling admission (attend rotating modules as you can, so make-ups are possible). The 5 rotating modules are themed as Self-Control, Attention & Focus, Public Appearances, Communication, and Teamwork (it doesn't matter where you start as behavior groups over lap). The field trip is done at the completion of each module to practice the skills learned in class.

Runs Saturdays 10:30 - 11:30 AM
First class - Self Control is scheduled for Oct 31. Register this week to prepare with Orientation material.

LITTLE BIT OF THIS; LITTLE BIT OF THAT
6-weeks
(suitable for all ages)
Fees: $270

This is a fun and versatile sports sampler course. Introduce your dog to safe benching/taking turns, nose work, tricking, Rally-O, Agility Foundations, and Canine Musical Freestyle (dance with your dog!).

Start dates:
Sun Oct 25, 2 PM
Sat Nov 7, 2:30 PM

All of the above are some of my favorite group classes I ran in Calgary. A blast to teach and a blast to do!!! The most hilarious photo of my Cairo doing her weavies for tax lol