I have had a passion for animals my whole life. I spent years focusing on riding and showing horses which led me all over the world.

I have always had a special place in my heart for dogs. Growing up in a household that bred and showed rough coat collies I was no stranger to the diverse and wonderful world of dogs. Approximately 11 years ago I started offering rehabilitation work to different rescue groups. This included breed specific rescue groups, private rescue groups and the OSPCA. I worked with dogs that came from puppy mills, hoarders, abuse/neglect cases, or unwanted owner surrenders needing a place to learn new skills before being adopted into a forever home. A lot of these dogs lacked basic social and life skills, once they were taught these skills they were much happier and healthier dogs ready for a new home. Behaviour issues such as reactivity, human aggression, food aggression, possession aggression, fear aggression and dog aggression are all overwhelming problems for both the owner and the dog, but there are ways to change these behaviours so the dog makes better and safer choices. Through fostering and working with different animal welfare groups you see many different levels of rehab needed. The most extreme cases being puppy mill dogs who lived years of their lives in cages/dark barns being used strictly and solely for breeding and never seeing any of the things that most dogs take for granted everyday.

These dogs are stuffed in cages with many others, stacked on top of each other. They compete for whatever necessities are given to them. No clean drinking water, proper nutrition or medical care. Socialization wise they have never walked on a leash, stepped onto hardwood floor, seen/heard cars, done stairs, played with toys or been offered ANY positive human contact. The list goes on and on. They are fearful of everything and anything. Once these dogs have been rescued the real work begins rehabilitating and retraining their brains to new stimuli, building confidence and trust, and teaching them to be dogs again. Good dogs - stable, balanced, happy dogs. Not continuing to live in fear of the wonderful world they have missed out on for so long. The reason I am explaining and painting such a detailed picture is that if dogs that come from a background or situation such as this can be rehabilitated and placed into a home looking for a stable companion than almost ANY dog can be taught new and changed behaviour.

Dogs should not have to live with behavioural issues that cause them to have anxiety, fear, aggression, and destructive behaviours when there are many skills and tools to help your dog become balanced and happy. To date I have fostered approximately 40 dogs for different rescue groups and animal welfare organizations. These dogs have come into my home, stayed, decompressed, learned new skills and moved onto their forever families. Sometimes they stay as little as a few days, some have been with me for as long as a year. Dogs in my opinion need consistency through structure, leadership, guidance, and a yes and no approach . Being able to properly execute these skills will result in a wonderfully balanced and happy life long companion. To be part of a community and part of the process that allows so many unwanted dogs to find new homes is very rewarding to say the least.

I wanted to take my love of rehabilitating, fostering and training to the next level and enrolled in an Animal Welfare program through Thompson Rivers University in 2009.

After completing my schooling I was hired with the OSPCA. First I was a vet tech with their high volume spay/neuter clinic and a year later I became head of animal care for the Barrie branch. The responsibility of being their Animal Care Coordinator was an experience I would never trade in or forget.

I’ve worked with many different dogs and trainers. I’ve handled hundreds of dogs with different temperaments, behaviour issues and energy levels. Assessing dogs to be placed into either adoption, rehab or rescue was a skill that allowed me to help many dogs.

My passion lies in being able to help a good dog become a better dog. In my opinion all dogs are born “good” - sometimes they have been dealt a bad hand or missed out on important life lessons - but any dog can make changes and improvement.

After leaving the SPCA I was hired by Sunnidale Boarding Kennels located outside of Angus, Ontario. They are a large boarding and training facility where I was head trainer for 3 years and had the wonderful opportunity of training many different breeds, ages, sizes and temperament of dog with a wide variety of challenges. From puppies learning basic obedience to dogs that are struggling with human aggression, leash reactivity, food/possession aggression, anxiety, fear issues and everything in between. I developed a wide variety of training programs including their most popular off leash obedience and behaviour modification e-collar program.

I‘ve been around dogs my entire life. I began training my first dog, a Pomeranian, when I was 10 years old. I remember our vet telling my mother “that is the most social and friendly Pomeranian I have ever met”. I taught him all his obedience commands and he came everywhere with me. He grew up on our family farm and was treated like a dog regardless of how small and cute he was. As I got older I also participated in Agility with different dogs that we had throughout the years.

In 2009 I completed an Animal Welfare Degree through Thompson Rivers University.

I became a vet tech/assistant with the Ontario Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals high volume spay/neuter clinic. I stayed in this role for a year and then became head of animal care for the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Barrie branch. During this time I handled and assessed hundreds of dogs over a 4 year period. Learning how to safely handle and assess dogs that were scared, abused and aggressive was a daily part of my job. Whether the dogs went to the adoption floor, transferred to rescue or were euthanized, it was my responsibility to make sure that we were doing the best thing for every dog. Not only was the behavioural aspect something I assessed and made decisions on I also dealt with medical decisions alongside a vet’s recommendation. When you work in an animal shelter you truly see it all.

Over a 10 year period I was rehabbing and rehoming dogs for private rescue groups. Some of these dogs needed basic training and some needed complete rehabilitation or they would never be able to live in a family home. A lot of these dogs struggled with reactivity, aggression to humans and other dogs, severe anxiety and lacked the skills to live harmoniously with humans. I have had approximately 40 dogs go through my home. Some stayed for a week and some stayed for as long as a year.

I started training dogs for Sunnidale Boarding Kennels in 2016. I was their head trainer, developing board and train, private session, and e-collar programs while helping hundreds of dogs and owners with everything from basic obedience to severe behaviour modification before starting The Structured Canine in 2019.

I believe in the importance of constant learning. Dogs keep you humble; just when you think you’ve figured it out, they throw a curve ball and you need to come up with something different or something new. One of the best ways to acquire these new methods and concepts is by working with and observing other trainers.

Here is a list of trainers I have recently worked with:

• 2017 Attended Jeff Gellman of Solid K9 Training Remote Collar seminar in Providence, Rhode Island

• 2017 Attended Jeff Gellman of Solid K9 Training RV Dog Training Seminar , Illinois

• 2017 Attended Gary Wilkes “Real Clicker Training” Seminar, Elkhart Indiana

• 2018 Jeff Gellman’s RV Dog Training Seminar , Fergus Ontario

• 2018 Week long Shadow program with David Tirpak of Heights Canine, Cleveland Ohio

• 2018 Blake Rodriguez of Dream Come True K9 seminar in Blue Mountain, Ontario

All of these seminars were presented by the best balanced dog trainers on the continent and they focused on real world obedience training, state of mind training, remote collar training, behaviour modification, aggression rehabilitation, canine behaviour and how to effectively stop unwanted behaviour.

To rehabilitate dogs that have social issues with other dogs, you need a balanced pack and I am so blessed to have that. I would like to introduce my clan because if your dog comes in for training they will become a part of our pack.

Brie and Austin

Brie and Austin were my rehab rocks. They were Welsh Corgi siblings who I had for 12 years. Brie and Austin helped me teach my fosters to be calm, confident and collected. I wouldn’t have been able to help as many dogs as I have without them. I lost them both in the past 3 years; 8 months apart to a genetic spinal cancer.

Brie and Austin taught me that it takes a team of not only the human kind, but the dog kind as well; to give dogs a chance at being their best. Brie and Austin were a huge component in rehabilitating the dogs I have now and without them Hannah, Nora and Calvin would not be helping me help as many dogs as I do.

Calvin

Calvin; a Teddy Rosevelt terrier who is turning 6 this year was rescued from a hoarder of approximately 40 dogs in Ohio. A local rescue and I fund-raised money to bring over 15 of the dogs to rehab and re-home in Canada. He was TERRIFIED and REACTIVE to everything - with a heavily scarred face and missing most of his ears from dog fighting he was a project to say the least, but he’s a part of my family now. I have taught him it’s okay to be afraid but you don’t need react aggressively to tell me you’re scared. He has taught me to be grateful for the simple things, to persevere when things seem impossible, and that no matter how bad things seem, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. He is now patient with other dogs, loves to off leash hike and work on his advanced obedience. I can take him out into the real world without any reactivity and anyone who knows him knows how special his journey has been.

Nora

Nora came from a puppy mill, pregnant, aggressive - almost in a feral state. She is some kind of Maltese/poodle mix and is turning 7 this year. She was unable to be handled due to her aggression. She had never seen anything outside of her cage in the mill. Her response was fight over flight. She has been with me for five years and is one of the best dogs I have ever owned. She does obedience, agility, hikes, swims and helps me with dog aggression assessments. You would never know Nora came from a puppy mill and lived through years of horror before starting her rehab journey. Having Nora has taught me the true meaning of “a diamond in the rough” - to never overlook what the "underdog" can achieve! I did not get these results by loving her and feeling sorry for her because of her past. I taught her to be confident, obedient, calm and she has flourished into an amazing family companion.

Robbie

Robbie is a 3 year old Rat Terrier who was originally fostered by me through Rat Terrier Rescue but I foster failed and he ended up finding his forever home with us. Robbie is extremely quirky but is a very sweet boy. He came to me around 8 months old and it was obvious he lacked basic social skills around people and had no idea what living in a house was all about. He showed signs of stranger danger, possession aggression and was fearful of everything. He is a constant project but has come a long way. He reminds me that you need to look at the dog you have in front of you and work with that. I appreciate him for who he is and I strive to constantly make him a better dog!

Hannah

Hannah is my little Diva. Hannah is a Toy Fox Terrier and she came to me at 6 months old; she had already had 4 homes - struggling with severe separation anxiety in all of them. Now turning 7 years old she’s confident, sassy and very opinionated. She’s the boss and makes sure everyone knows it! Hannah has taught me to show your presence and demand to be seen and heard! She is so sweet with everyone she meets, especially kids. Hannah loves being taken anywhere: stores, festivals, and especially the beach. She is the sweetest girl and everyone notices how balanced she is when we are out and about.

Kira

Finally, I would like to introduce Kira. Kira is a 9 year old German Shepherd who completed a board and train with me at Sunnidale Boarding Kennels 2 years ago. She came in for human aggression, anxiety and confidence building. Kira now lives with us and has turned into one of the most solid dogs I know. You can walk her off leash anywhere; hiking, stores or downtown. Her off leash obedience is flawless. Her state of mind and decision making skills are just as solid now too. Kira is no longer reactive and is constantly looking to her handler as to what she should do. She has built a ton of confidence in herself which has made her much more relaxed. Kira is a fantastic helper dog when working with rambunctious, nervous or aggressive dogs and knows when and when not to put the pressure on.