New Year 2026
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!! May all your dreams, wishes and dog training hopes come true. Love the Johnsons.
Uncle Steve
How do I start this post? I don’t even know. I’m at a loss for words, which I’m usually not. On Monday October 27th the world lost a great dog. I don’t really know what to say, so I will tell you some stories about Uncle Steve instead. For those of you who are into…
Dogs Everywhere?
There is a trend occurring right now to take your dog everywhere with you. Dogs on patios, dogs in stores, dogs at events where they would never have been included prior, dogs in places they would have never been allow before. For some training and socialization at certain points and in certain places I think…
Thank You Milton!
A massive thank you to my clients, friends and family for taking the time to vote! I sincerely appreciate your support and kindness, we wouldn’t be here today without you. I have met so many amazing people and dogs over the 15 plus years that Smart Dogs Canine Training has been in business and I…
Dog Training Classes in Milton
Basic Classes starting up again in November!! Mondays or Wednesdays, 7-8pm. Conveniently located in downtown Milton. Small class sizes for optimal individual attention. Prices will be going up in the New Year, so sign up now to beat the price increase. Our most sought after class for puppies and dogs 16 weeks and up. This…
Back To School Activities For Dogs
September has hit us quickly this year. It seems the summers go by faster and faster every year, just like our parents used to tell us, time goes by too quickly, enjoy it while you are young. We often get out of wack with our dogs over the summer months, lax on schedules, short on…
Dog Etiquette
It’s a thing. Or at least I believe it should be again. It was once upon a time. Let’s discuss a little, shall we? I am a strong believer in dog etiquette, especially out in the wilds of suburbia. Far too often over the last few years I’ve seen dog etiquette go down the tubes.…
Four Simple Things You Can Implement to Change Your Dogs Behaviour
If you are having issues with your dog I implore you to try the below. Most problems that I see arise are due to “over doing” attention with dogs. This can be constant talking to, always physically on them, always thinking they need entertainment, constantly looking at them, worrying about them, providing them with entertainment…
The Art of Boredom
I cannot stress enough the importance of dogs learning to regulate behaviour without always having to bark out obedience commands. We see so much high level, high energy, high stimulation obedience, but that isn’t what families need. They need dogs who can turn off, who can control their impulses, who can relax when needed. Part…
Being Fun and Creative is Under-Rated
Of course I am aware of the more serious situations that can occur when dealing with dogs, however, if everything is about being serious, being perfect and not screwing up, training becomes another chore on the list rather than a time you can spend bonding. With a solid bond anything is possible. Seeking perfection in…
Dog Training Classes Milton
Smart Dogs Basic Skillz Class upcoming on Monday’s in June at 7pm, downtown Milton. Contact us to sign up dogtraining101@hotmail.com Our most sought after class for puppies and dogs 16 weeks and up. This course teaches you how to gain control of your canine companion under distraction with all of the basics of obedience –…
Elevator Etiquette for Dogs
Elevator Etiquette. The most important part you ask? Is not letting dogs rush the door. This is extremely rude and dangerous if you allow this behaviour and puts your dog, other people and other dogs in a bad position. Always maintain control around the doorway and when moving through. No one wants to be rushed…
Patio Season and Dogs
Patio season is creeping up quickly, thank goodness, and some people out there enjoy bringing their dogs with them to have a pint. There are a few dog friendly patios in town that are happy to see our four legged friends join their owners for a night out. I’ve put together a video below highlighting…
Training Older Dogs
There is a lot of well known research into longevity and the correlation with remaining social, having activities/remaining active and having friend groups in the human health world. Even without the absolute best diet or lifestyle, a large percentage of the key to longevity for us can be attributed to remaining active and social. Those…
It’s Ok Not To – Dog Training Milton
Everyone has different goals with their dog’s training and that’s ok. Not everyone needs high level obedience, and in fact, a majority of people are really just looking for their dog to do three main things; come when called, walk nicely on leash, and hold themselves in a position when asked. And within these three…
Boxes and Dogs
Boxes are fun. They are fun for kids and dogs. They are fantastic for confidence building, balance, proprioception, problem solving amongst other things. I use boxes to teach dogs that they can over come fears, to teach bodily awareness, to teach how to get in and on things, and more. It might sounds silly, but…
Body Language and Dogs
Body language and spacial pressure, along with eye contact, are huge in dog communication. Dogs aren’t verbal, so they rely on these things to communicate with each other, along with the noises that they make. Body language isn’t just a way for dogs to communicate with each other, but is also a way for us…
Rally Obedience Training Milton
If there ever was a dog sport that I would recommend newbies get into, it would be rally obedience. To begin with, it is a sport, that once you have some guidance and direction, can be easily practiced and trained at home for very little cost. Pylons can be purchased from the dollar store, signs…
Coyotes
Many times I walk where the coyotes roam. I see them nightly on the paths in town. The snow allows for me to see where they’ve been and how recently they’ve travelled by. They often mark their trails, and the piles of poop will indicate time of passing as well. If you zoom way up…
Puppy Class Milton
We have a few last minute spots available in our Puppy Class in Milton starting this weekend. Details on the class are below. Please contact us to sign up and get your puppy started off on the right foot, um, paw, today! Puppy Skillz 0.5 This class is for puppies 10 weeks to 16 weeks,…
Dumb Dogs? No Way!
It amuses me when people claim that, on the whole, a particular breed or type of dog is dumb, stubborn or untrainable. Fingers are typically pointed at bull breeds, sight and scent hounds, terriers, Nordic and primitive breeds. The dogs listed above, well, they’re not necessarily bred to work for us. Some dogs are, these…
Thank you Milton!
I don’t pay attention to these award anymore, I haven’t for years. However, I just found this out last week that we received Diamond placing in the category for Dog Training, and wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to our clients, family and friends who have supported us over the years. I am beyond…
The Less You Know …
I was watching a couple podcasts with Michael Ellis the other day and something that he said struck me. Before I get into that, if you do not know who Michael Ellis is, I implore you to look him up. He is one of the best, most knowledgeable, down to earth and humble trainers out…
The Things You Can’t Train For
It started as a good morning. A nice walk, a little noisy. Kids were out for recess, they were using machinery in the field, of which sounded like it was constantly backing up for 20 minutes, a few dogs out, a few walkers, fairly normal Monday morning. The skies were a little overcast, and the…
Center or Middle Position
Let’s talk the “centre” position, or “middle” if you will. Though it may look more like a party trick, this can be an extremely useful skill for dogs when faced with crowded or tight situations where it’s best to maintain control. I had this dog (see pug) in a full elevator, like full full. She…
Dog Park Energy
It was a gorgeous, all-be-it humid summer evening the night I took a client to the dog park. We didn’t go in the park, that was never the plan. The plan was to hang around outside to get the client’s dog some decent dog exposure in a setting that we could somewhat, mostly control. I…
Puppy Tips!
Here are five things to follow that will make your life easier on your journey with your new puppy. ✅ Proper containment – helps with house training, establishing rules absorbing boundaries, helps avoid problems down the road, keeps your puppy and house safe and helps to alleviate the stress of dealing with a new puppy.…
Why Did I Become A Trainer?
Why? I’m not going to tell you the usual story that you see out there a lot. I’m not going to tell you that I had a challenging dog (though I’ve had my fair share of them), that I was at the end of my ropes, and nothing helped. I tried everything, was failing at…
Dog Training Classes Milton
We have two spots available in our upcoming, highly sought after Basic Class beginning July 8th, 7-8pm. Please contact us if you are interested in signing up dogtraining101@hotmail.com Basic Skillz 1.0 Our most sought after class for puppies and dogs 16 weeks and up. This course teaches you how to gain control of your canine…
Long Lines – Dog Training Milton
I love long lines. I believe they have so many beneficial uses with dogs. The real magic of long lines comes on walks and daily outings with your dogs. I prefer long lines over flexi leads (except on rainy days) because of the fact that they can be dropped when needed and they do not…
Five Things I’ve Learned From Over a Decade of Helping People Learn to Train Their Dogs
“You’re not training our dog, you are training us!” is something I hear often during classes and private sessions. Since we do not offer board and train, we are essentially teaching owners how to handle and train their dogs themselves. Much of the work involves guiding and directing the human. We, as trainers, may be…
Play With Your Dog
Play can be such a game changer for you and your dog. Play builds bonds, play builds drive, play builds desire and play builds focus. Play can be used as a multifaceted reward. It doesn’t always have to include a toy, it can just include you and some running and bouncing back and forth. Dogs…
Have Fun Training Your Dog
Happy Training!
Dog Classes Coming Up In Milton
A couple classes coming up with some available spots for the Spring! Smart Dogs Intro to Rally Skillz: Sundays at 1:30pm starting in May – 4 One Hour Sessions – $180 plus HST Open to all dogs that have some basic knowledge of training (sit, down, stay, recall), for puppies and dogs 16 weeks and…
Biking with Dogs
It’s that time of year again!!! Do you bike with your dog? It is a great way to exercise your high energy breed. Here are a few tips to get started: Introduce your dog to the bike, walk the bike with them beside it or have a partner help you walk the dog. Reward good…
Fun Way To Proof Stays
This game of proofing stays is super fun for your dog. It can be done indoors or out, on or off leash depending on your dogs skills, and you can either use food or a tossed toy. We want to make sure that the dog understands stay before we start this game. Here are some…
Dog Training Class Milton, Ontario
We’ve had a spot open up in our Wednesday March 27th Basic Class. Please contact us if you are interested in joining. Class runs 7-8pm for 6 one hour sessions. Cost is $275 plus HST. Learn how to handle your dog around distractions and build on their education: calm sits and downs, place work, recall,…
Find It – Morning Activity
You know I love the Find It game, and it’s super useful when you have a high energy dog that needs to burn it off a bit. Morning Find It with breakfast. I can’t recommend playing this game with your dog enough. So good for mind and body, and a great constructive game that you…
We Need To Talk
Those are dreaded words, aren’t they? Don’t worry, I’m not breaking up with you, but we need to have a discussion about control and etiquette. Over the past couple days I’ve run into a few situations where I could only shake my head and try to be “nice”. Two involved dogs, and two involved kids.…
Puppies and Containment
A whole load of typical “annoying” puppy behaviours can be drastically reduced when you implement proper containment strategies. I’ll allow myself to explain in the video below. ps. I do not mention house training as that’s a topic for another day, but containment can also help dramatically when dealing with house training. Happy training!
Leash Tension
Leash tension is something I see a lot and it gives your dog mixed or confusing messages. Often people add leash tension when walking and they don’t realize that they are even doing it, usually a habit from trying to hold a dog in place. Leash tension means you are holding your dog back, you…
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Smart Dogs Canine Training Milton 