Professional, positive dog training on Vancouver Island

Dave was such a huge help in getting our 8 month old Shiba's fear barking under control. Despite doing our best to socialize him when he was young, he for some reason developed a fear of people and would bark uncontrollably if he was surprised by someone. We read several books and watched tons of Youtube videos in an effort to address it, but couldn't get any traction. Dave was able to help us get it under control in just a few sessions. While he doesn't exactly "like" people, he is now a quiet and confident dog around them. What a difference! I'd highly recommend their puppy socialization classes at Bosley's as well.

Love, love, love, how much I learned from taking my pup to BabyDog. The group socialization at Bosley’s allowed my pup to play with other pups of different breeds and temperaments while teaching us humans how to understand ‘dog’ body language. It also made for a relaxing day (big nap after play time)!! The group training with Aviva and Ruth in Brentwood and pack walks on Sundays taught me that every time we are in a different situation it is yet another learning opportunity for both of us! We learned a lot in an enjoyable, positive way. We also did some basic obedience with Dave at Tomey K9 Services which taught us how important it is to be consistent and that repetition (with good treats) helps our pups to understand what we are asking of them. The one thing that I will always remember is that Dave said “Our dogs want to please us” !

Very happy with the work that Dave did with our dog Willow. He helped her with her reactivity, and in a short period of time we have already seen significant improvement.

Babydog group have been fantastic. We joined the socialization group, and a few dog walks. Both were very helpful for both me and Ruby.

Babydog was fantastic! I had no idea what to expect when I walked in with my 8 week old pup. Aviva, Dave and Ruth were great at explaining canine behaviour and helping me understand why something was going on! I became so interested in dog training and behaviour, I became a volunteer. I recommend Babydog to any new dog owner. Also don’t forget their weekly pack walk for dogs of any age!

Fabulous trainer and really understands how dogs think, learn and need to be trained on all levels, thank you Dave from Dean and Nikita

Hands down. The BabyDog Team are the best Victoria resource to help socialize and train your puppy. If you have a puppy, you need to take it to BabyDog! It will shape your dogs life and yours forever. They have lot's of options for group classes, pack walks, and private lessons. The team of puppy whisperers are fantastic. Very professional and knowledgeable of all breeds and canine psychology. We took our puppy Oscar for a pack walk, group sessions, and a private lesson and we're constantly being complimented on his socialization skills and general behavior. Any time we meet someone with a new puppy we always recommend looking into BabyDog. It's not easy learning to be a dog parent and understanding what your puppy needs. BabyDog can help. Check them out today!

We moved to the island in December with our 2-year-old Italian Mastiff, Reese. Due to the stress of the move Reese became reactive around all dogs and some people. Given that he’s a big boy (110 lbs of muscle), walking Reese around the dense spaces in the city of Victoria filled us (and Reese) with anxiety. Walks with Reese became a stressful chore rather than a fun, bonding activity with our pup. Thankfully we found Ruth at BabyDog! Ruth was so kind, patient and knowledgeable that by the end of our first session Reese was going belly up to get Ruth to scratch him. With Ruth’s excellent guidance, we practiced our new skills at home, parks, trails, and wherever we could go to learn and get better at managing Reese’s anxiety. The hard work paid off and Reese is now a very happy boy who’s a pleasure to walk around the city or wherever we choose to go. He’s by no means perfect, but after having worked with Ruth we know we have the tools and the skills to help Reese live his best island life. Thanks for everything Ruth! Marc and Chris (& Reese)