Mighty Oaks Dog Training

Mighty Oaks Dog Training Functional Training, Beyond Obedience.

Now offering custom board & train programs, private in-home sessions for local residents, virtual coaching calls, and full day workshops within North America.

05/23/2026

Gotta speak the language, and it doesn’t involve positive affirmations or cookies!

If you are still struggling to communicate with your dog, try

➡️ using far less words (notice how these two didn’t say a word to each other 😉)

➡️ using training tools that help mimic your dog’s first language (like a prong collar and/or e-collar)

➡️ ignore the hype and keep it boring - it’s not meant to be so complicated!

04/27/2026

Most reactive dog owners we meet have completely altered their life around the protocols they’ve been given by dog professionals - often with only slight improvement over outrageously long stretches of time.

It’s difficult to know whether this is intentional avoidance of what would actually help dogs and owners, or if it’s genuine ignorance or lack of skill. Either way, charging money for such a service is diabolical.

If you are struggling with reactivity, chances are there is a solution you haven’t been presented with yet, and it’s likely much simpler than what you’ve been doing so far (we’re sorry!)

1. Teach your dog a simple heel command: nothing fancy or performative, don’t care if it looks good in a show ring, it just has to function in the real world. A Herm Sprenger prong collar and simple 4 foot leash is your best bet.

2. Use ONE WORD commands: “heel” for the position beside/slightly behind you AND neutral mindset, “no” (with physical follow through) for getting out of position and/or looking at a trigger with concern or intent.

3. Say it ONCE and follow through physically within seconds. Do not wait, do not negotiate, do not over explain or affirm with words or affection.

4. Copy and paste to increasingly challenging scenarios. Do not lower your standards as the challenge increases. The expectation remains the same no matter how the environment changes. If it’s too overwhelming for you or your dog, take a few steps back.

5. Breathe. Slow down. This is co-regulating. Moving fast and shallow breathing = fight or flight, and that’s the message your dog receives even if you’re simultaneously saying “it’s okayyyy!!!”

You’ve got this, I promise!

Hyping up the release word and all that comes with it:• free roaming• greeting friends• eating a meal• going through a d...
04/15/2026

Hyping up the release word and all that comes with it:

• free roaming
• greeting friends
• eating a meal
• going through a doorway

we create 🫨 o b s e s s i o n 🫠 with these things

rather than 😌 balance ✨ and ability to regulate and smoothly transition through normal daily life events.

Stop the buildup of anticipation:

“WWWWAAAIIITTTTT….”

And the explosion of built up energy:

“OKAYYYY!!!!!!”

Instead speak all of your commands and release words in a normal tone, without emphasizing fun on breaks and dread in commands. It’s all normal. It’s all life. Act natural about it so your dog can too.

04/14/2026

Keep “heel” functional:

• close proximity
• to remove the burden of navigating from our dog
• to instill trust in our leadership capabilities
• without guilt
• just like we would lead a toddler through a busy urban space

🐕‍🦺 service dog energy
03/29/2026

🐕‍🦺 service dog energy

🐕‍🦺 Service dogs do well in public because they have a neutral association to people, dogs, and basically every other va...
03/29/2026

🐕‍🦺 Service dogs do well in public because they have a neutral association to people, dogs, and basically every other variable that may come their way.

That neutral state is achieved by:
1️⃣ Holding the dog accountable to staying on task, and
2️⃣ Protecting the dog’s personal space by not allowing anyone to engage with them and vice versa

It is not achieved by
🤪 Squealing affirmations to your dog while they feast their senses on their trigger
🍪 Rapid firing cookies to your dog’s face while squealing while they load up on adrenaline from every angle

🧑‍🏫 This is a skill pretty much any pet dog can and should learn. It’s not something special that only service dogs can grasp.

🚀 The specialty skills beyond this basic impulse control are the things service animals are selectively bred and trained for. But we don’t need those skills in the average pet home. We just need Buddy to be cool on his morning walks.

✋ Tell your neighbour no to greeting your dog on leash, in their first language.
🫵 Tell your dog no to meeting your neighbour on leash, in their first language.
🥱 It’s truly that simple.

Stop pulling the trigger 🖐🏼
01/05/2026

Stop pulling the trigger 🖐🏼

01/04/2026

Starting off 2026 with a real one! 😬

In just a few days we’ve moved from zero trust and pretty serious intent to eliminate me…

To trust slowly building and willingness to come toward me, and even take items from my hand!

// as opposed to taking my hand off entirely 😅 //

These are small steps in the right direction, with the end goal of Ember being able to trust the world enough to truly let her guard down and enjoy the important things

👉🏼 like sticks and air scents 🪵

We did not get here with pressure via treats, forced affection, or baby talk. 🙅🏼‍♀️

Ember learned that I’m a safe person because I did the exact opposite of that. I remained quiet, grounded in my boundaries, and indifferent to her drama. 🥱

I didn’t pressure her to have a “positive association” with me whatsoever, nor did I take her advances on me personally.

By simply allowing her to exist and observe me without pressure to like me, she learned that my nature is predictable and steady. She never has to guess what our interactions will feel like, or where my boundaries are. She knows what I will and won’t accept, and that my mood is unaffected by hers.

This degree of consistency, predictability, and competence during chaos, completely eliminates her need to overthink or overreact.

No treats. No kissy noises. No Prozac. No pressure.

Our dogs are desperate for this kind of leadership. ❤️

If you separate training sessions f r o m real life, you will not have a trained dog IN real life. The hour you set asid...
01/04/2026

If you separate training sessions f r o m real life, you will not have a trained dog IN real life.

The hour you set aside to train tricks and commands teaches dogs virtually nothing about what to do in the remaining 23 hours of the day.

Instead, use every interaction you have with your dog as an opportunity to teach them how to behave around you and within your relationship.

This is how every relationship dynamic works.

Parent to child
Friend to friend
Partner to partner

We emphasize things we enjoy about the relationship, and communicate things we disagree with, in the moment as it happens.

The only difference with our dogs is the language we use, which is not verbal, but physical first.

The best thing we can do to improve our relationship with our dogs, is to honour who they truly are and not project our ...
01/02/2026

The best thing we can do to improve our relationship with our dogs, is to honour who they truly are and not project our own human experiences and preferences onto them.

Think of how incredible it feels to be truly seen and honoured by someone for who you are at your core, and to relate at that deep level of mutual understanding.

Now think of how awful it feels to be overlooked or pedestalized as something you’re not, and don’t aspire to be.

If you feel like you’re doing everything to connect with your dog: the toy baskets, the cushy beds, the dog parks, the rain jackets, the treat cupboard, the couch privileges, the baby talk, the play dates, the pet store outings…

And you feel less connected than ever.

Then consider how misunderstood and overwhelmed they might feel, and try to relate to them as the beautiful animal they are.

Honour the species. Move slower. Speak less. Remove the clutter. Make room for actual connection. Let dogs actually be dogs.

✨ PRIMAL to PORCH DOG ✨A Mighty Oaks e-course created to EMPOWER struggling dog owners just like you!In this 4 week onli...
12/21/2025

✨ PRIMAL to PORCH DOG ✨

A Mighty Oaks e-course created to EMPOWER struggling dog owners just like you!

In this 4 week online journey, I will walk you through how to communicate your expectations and boundaries effectively and humanely so you can find harmony in your home and relationship again - or maybe for the first time since getting your dog!

This is for you if you dream of:

🐕 taking your dog anywhere without being dragged or humiliated!

👯‍♀️ having guests over without your dog making a scene!

🏡 being able to move around your house without being anxiously followed!

🧘‍♀️ having more harmony in your home and your relationship with your dog!

Get your dream dog for Christmas and start your new year on your terms 🎆

Message for details!

dogdad christmaspuppy trainyourdog

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Victoria, BC
V0S, V8N-V8Z, V9A-V9E

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Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 9pm

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