Family K9 Dog Training

Family K9 Dog Training Montreal & Vaudreuil’s dog trainer for 30 years! Family K9 Dog Training offers private in home training @ your home or board and train services as well.

Training guaranteed for the life of your dog! Celebrating over 25 years of helping owners and their K9 companions. Serving all of Montreal and surrounding areas. Custom training programs available for all your needs.

From a client with particularly challenging case - this means so much to me - and as she has expressed so many time in o...
06/20/2026

From a client with particularly challenging case - this means so much to me - and as she has expressed so many time in our lessons to her and her family!

"The tears of pure joy and gratitude poured down my face yesterday.
For the last year, l've been fighting for this boy.
Last June, Sage became critically ill. After countless tests, the vets determined it was meningitis. We still don't know how or why it happened. I was told steroids were our best chance to save his life, so I said yes.
They saved him.
The playful, goofy, food-loving puppy I knew started to come back. But then came the steroid side effects. The anxiety. The fear. The dog I once knew disappeared before my eyes.
Sage went from loving people, adventures, car rides, long walks, and the water... to being terrified of the world around him. He couldn't even step off the front porch without shaking, crying, and desperately trying to get back inside.

We tried medications. We tried training. We tried behavioral therapy. We spent thousands of dollars searching for answers.
There were moments I felt completely defeated.
Then came a turning point.
After a frightening incident during training, I found who approached behavior differently.
Through understanding, leadership, structure, and psychology.

In just a few sessions, I started seeing the dog I knew was still in there.
Yesterday, Sage walked confidently. He rode in the car. He explored. He swam in the lake.
He was happy.
And for the first time in a very long time, I felt hope.
We're not at the finish line yet, but we're finally moving in the right direction.
This journey has taught me more about patience, resilience, unconditional love, and perseverance than I ever imagined.
If you're struggling right now, don't give up. Sometimes one breakthrough, one person, or one intervention can change everything.
Thank you, Sage, for never giving up."

(From Me - explaining the video you are seeing)
What you're seeing here is a dog standing in the water at a local park.
On the surface, it doesn't look remarkable.
What you don't see is the year that came before it.
Sage had reached a point where leaving home was a struggle. A few feet from the porch and he'd try to scramble back inside. He had also developed serious behavioural issues that made everyday life increasingly difficult for both him and his owner.
By the time we met, they had already invested an enormous amount of time, effort, emotion, and money searching for answers.
Yesterday was lesson four of a six-lesson program.
We walked to the park. Sage spent time in the water. We walked home.
No drama. No conflict. No big moment.
Just a dog calmly existing in the world again.
People often look for breakthroughs in dramatic transformations. More often, they show up as ordinary moments that once seemed impossible.
There's still work ahead, but this is meaningful progress, and both Sage and his owner have earned it.

I did a consult this morning with a young dog carrying a long history of reactivity, anxiety, and medication management....
06/17/2026

I did a consult this morning with a young dog carrying a long history of reactivity, anxiety, and medication management. By the time people reach out to me, it's rarely their first attempt. They've often worked with other trainers, tried different approaches, and spent months or years living with the stress that problematic behaviour creates.

During the consult, I took the leash and spent some time with the dog while talking with his owners. Nothing remarkable happened—and that's exactly what was remarkable.

He settled.

He observed.

He explored.

He took small risks.

He showed signs that he could adapt to a new person and a new situation without everything falling apart.

Not because he was "fixed" or because some magic technique was applied. Simply because he was given clear information, a little structure, and the opportunity to make different decisions.

At the end of the consult, one of the owners asked what I thought was the smartest question of the entire morning:

"What would success look like for him?"

It's a question more people should ask.

When you're living with a reactive, anxious, aggressive, or otherwise difficult dog, it's easy to become focused on stopping behaviours. No barking. No lunging. No growling. No reacting.

But training isn't just about what disappears.

It's about what replaces it.

Success for a dog like this is rarely perfection.

Success might mean he can see a trigger, process it, and recover.

Success might mean his world becomes bigger instead of smaller.

Success might mean his owners can take him places without constantly scanning the environment in panic.

Success might mean he learns how to navigate stress without falling apart.

Success might mean predictable, honest behaviour—even when things aren't perfect.

The reality is that difficult dogs often improve dramatically when expectations become realistic and the process becomes clear.

The goal isn't to create a different dog.

The goal is to help the dog become the most stable, accountable version of the dog that's actually standing in front of us.

That's a conversation worth having before any training plan begins.









06/13/2026

One of us spent the day working outside in the heat and humidity.

The other spent the day stretched out on the couch in air-conditioned comfort.

Yet somehow, only one of us is snoring.

06/12/2026

Artemis is 5 months old and nearing the end of her basic on- and off-leash obedience foundation.
From about 40 feet away, she hears a quiet "place" cue and commits fully.
What I enjoy about this clip is that it clearly shows the difference between understanding and physical maturity.
The understanding is already there. The body is still organizing itself around it.
Her brain is engaged and clear. Her body's still working out the kinks.
The understanding and cooperation are already established. The coordination will continue to develop with time, repetition, and maturity.
For a 5-month-old puppy, that’s exactly where I expect her to be.

Spade came to me with a bite history and an owner who had already spent a long time searching for answers. multiple fai...
06/10/2026

Spade came to me with a bite history and an owner who had already spent a long time searching for answers. multiple failed training attempts. Tricks, gimmicks, drugs and harsh methods all were suggested - nothing worked.
Like many serious behavior cases, the problem wasn't a lack of effort. His owner cared deeply about him and wanted to do right by him. They were simply missing a clear path forward.
Our goal wasn't to create a different dog.
Our goal was to help Spade better understand what was expected of him, teach him practical alternatives to unwanted behavior, and give his owner the skills to maintain those expectations consistently.
One line from his owner's review stood out to me:
"The goal wasn't to magically change him overnight but to give him better options and structure."
That's exactly it.
Good training isn't about promises, shortcuts, or pretending genetics and history don't matter. It's about creating clarity, building understanding, and holding everyone accountable to a consistent standard.
Spade still has work ahead of him, as all dogs do.
But today his owner can ask him to disengage from things that once sent him into a reaction, and Spade is capable of making a different choice.
That's meaningful progress.
And that's something everyone involved should be proud of.

Serious behavior cases rarely need more emotion. They need more clarity.

06/06/2026

Ten years apart. Same family and same location. Same process.

The first clips are Artemis in her first week of training. The second are Angel, the family's previous Shiloh Shepherd, whom I trained a decade ago in the exact same location.

Different dogs. Different personalities. Different ways of processing information.

What hasn't changed is the foundation.

Dogs learn best when communication is clear, expectations are understandable, and accountability is consistent. The principles remain the same from dog to dog. What changes are the nuances—the details that help each individual dog understand and succeed.

Just as important, though, is the relationship. Good training shouldn't suppress engagement, affection, or joy. It should create more of it. When a dog clearly understands what's expected, uncertainty disappears and genuine connection has room to grow.

The goal has never been a dog that simply follows commands. The goal is a dog that is engaged, confident, responsive, and happy to work alongside their person.

Ten years apart, two different Shiloh Shepherds, and the same result: a dog that understands the conversation and enjoys being part of it.

People often ask what progress looks like with a dog that has a history of serious aggression.It usually doesn't look dr...
06/04/2026

People often ask what progress looks like with a dog that has a history of serious aggression.
It usually doesn't look dramatic.

This photo represents more than a dog's progress.
It represents an owner's progress too.
When this client first contacted me, I wasn't sure I was going to take the case. She was overwhelmed, frustrated, and understandably desperate for change. Her expectations didn't yet match the reality of what this kind of rehabilitation requires.
After our first lesson, I told her that if she felt the process wasn't what she expected, I would gladly refund her and part ways.
Instead, she stayed.
More importantly, she got to work.
She listened. She adjusted. She became more consistent. She learned to see the dog in front of her instead of the dog she wished she had.
Today, was a milestone. Instead of trying to resist going out for a walk, instead of trying to scurry back home and instead of reacting to dogs and bikes and pretty much everything - he walked calmly to a park he couldn’t get to in over a year and lay quietly at her feet.
His owner got emotional.
Not because the work is finished.
But because for the first time in a long time, she could see a path forward.
The dog deserves credit for the progress he's making.
His owner deserves credit too.
Neither of them got here by accident.

Today this dog and his owner got a glimpse of what is possible.

06/01/2026

First lesson with this 5-month-old Shiloh Shepherd puppy Artemis.

No impressive training footage.
Just getting to know each other.
Play, engagement, guidance, and plenty of downtime.
She's goofy, immature, and still figuring out the world.
That's exactly what a 5-month-old puppy should be.

05/30/2026

People often misunderstand what early learning looks like in difficult dogs.
This dog exploded at my entrance to the home. Minutes later, he was walking with a stranger and genuinely trying to work through new information.
Not shut down. Not defeated. Thinking.
That distinction matters.
A dog that has lived in chronic reactivity will often look very different when the noise starts coming down and clarity starts coming up.
Watch the progression carefully.
The eyes soften first. Then the movement. Then the dog begins to carry himself differently.

I had a lesson today - lesson #3 with a owner and dog who are making really nice progress. The dog has been kicked out...
05/27/2026

I had a lesson today - lesson #3 with a owner and dog who are making really nice progress. The dog has been kicked out of another training school for attacking a dog. Two weeks ago this dog came after me simply for standing about 10 feet away from him.

His owner hadn’t been able to walk him. He would either try to flee back home and hide, or become reactive to whatever was around him. He had already been removed from an obedience class for attacking another dog.

We worked in the neighbourhood while people moved around us and UPS trucks delivered packages nearby. Dogs walked by and yelling teenagers were around as well. The dog stayed present, thoughtful, and accountable. His owner talked about finally being able to walk him past people and dogs again without everything turning into chaos.
That alone was a good day.
But what stayed with me happened afterward.
As I was getting into my truck, an older gentleman from across the street came over and introduced himself. He told me he was visiting from west of Toronto and had spent the last 25 years volunteering in animal shelters. He said he had overheard much of the lesson and enjoyed listening to the way I explained things. Then he said something I won’t forget:
“You’re a master of your craft.”
What meant the most wasn’t even the compliment itself.
It was the moment.
Two strangers standing beside a truck after a training session, talking honestly about dogs, behaviour, people, and communication. No performance. No marketing. Just genuine human connection over meaningful work.
He also told me he’d ride a unicycle while taking some of the dogs out from the shelter. On the back of his shirt it read “Adopt this dog!”

After 32 years of doing this, those moments still matter.

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Saint-Lazare, QC

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Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

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+15149905959

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