Testimonials
Both myself and our dog enjoy the classes so much. The instructors were able to spend a lot of personal time with us because the classes were small. It helped us learn consistent ways to train him and break bad habits early in a positive way.
Bane is a 1.5-year-old Cane Corso and weighs 120 lb. Because I have some health issues and two small grandchildren, I needed to have him well-trained to listen without having to physically restrain him. I did not want to take him to a big class where we could not address his issues and have him not listen to so many other dogs and people there. When we went for our first private lesson at Companion Veterinary Clinic, Bane responded so well and was not stressed at all. He thought it was all fun and games but was really learning to listen. He is a big ball of goofy ready to explode at any time and just wants to play. I can now walk him and not worry about falling and having him get away. He also responds to the whistle for recall and we enjoy taking him places. Thank you Companion Veterinary Clinic for making learning fun and putting up with the drool and smell.
To anybody considering the Companion Team for socialization and training classes for your puppy, this is an excellent choice. To our disappointment, we had missed out on enrolling Shade in Companion’s Puppy Socialization and Exploration classes and we had to enroll with a different local trainer. Due to a few negative experiences which left our puppy fearful around other dogs and left us unable to cover some key training issues, we approached Jessica about Private Training Sessions. We noticed immediate progress and we had fun while doing it. Jessica was able to demonstrate how my wife and I could improve our behaviours to encourage greater development in our puppy, Shade. Shade immediately developed a bond with Jessica and is now a much more confident dog. To help with her fear of other dogs, Jessica would introduce her own dog into training sessions, which went beyond our expectations and impressed us. Thanks to the help from Companion’s training team we have a very confident, friendly and happy dog.
Our Bernese Mountain Dog, Posey, has been with Companion since we brought her home in May 2014 and they have been wonderful to us! We took part in the puppy kindergarten socialization program and it exposed her to many kinds of dogs, noises, visual stimuli, and scenarios which was very helpful. We think this helped her to be more comfortable and secure in different kinds of surroundings. Afterwards, we were so happy with the results we enrolled in private lessons with Jessica. Posey thrived with positive reinforcement/clicker training and now has all of her basic commands in addition to many fun tricks for friends and family. We appreciated the handouts provided each week for homework as they were easy references to remind us of details we may have forgotten. We often receive compliments from strangers, neighbours, and friends about what a well mannered, kind, and gentle dog Posey is and certainly credit Jessica, Erin, and the staff at Companion for this. We would highly recommend training with Companion and our Berner pup #2 next spring will be a student for sure!
Khali came to me through Hope Lives Here Animal Rescue. Boy has she changed! When Khali first came to me she was suffering from anxiety and was pretty stressed out. Walking on a leash was challenging to say the least at the best of times and if she even sensed another dog in the area she just lost all control. Her outbursts were loud and scary for everyone in the vicinity but mostly I think they were a torment for her own little mind. Very sad state of affairs. Today, however, she is a changed dog and I want to take just a moment to thank Jessica and Erin for that. Your hands-on work with her, in the beginning, provided the strong foundation she needed to set course for her new life. Your ongoing support and guidance are invaluable to us, without it we wouldn’t have been able to set and achieve each new goal. We have much more work to do, but to date, Khali’s achievements are as follows: she now walks beside me in ‘heel’ happily, encounters while passing other dogs are subdued to a short whimper or maybe nothing at all. We practice all of the techniques you taught us and each has proven to be a success. From time to time she’ll even be okay sitting or walking beside another dog, a HUGE deal for her. Along with ‘heel’, Khali also knows commands that help in other everyday situations like: ‘place’, ‘sit’, ‘wait’, ‘stay’, ‘down’, ‘leave it’ and ‘behind’. Of course, it’s not all work and no play, she has also learned that tricks equal treats and loves learning any new trick, so her list of these includes ‘spin’, ‘crawl’, ‘paw’, ‘play dead’, ‘roll over’, and a few others. Khali is now really enjoying life the way she was meant and for that we thank you! Looking forward to our next session!
We are fortunate to have Companion Veterinary Clinic Dog Training in our lives. The positive methods that Jessica and her team use are aligned with our own beliefs of how dogs should be trained. Cornelius completed the trick training class and with a little work (and delicious treats), even greyhounds can learn a few tricks! Melon regularly attends adult group drop in to continue to work on her reactivity towards other dogs. Jessica is very supportive during these classes and is able to tailor the experience for the best possible outcomes for you and your dog. We have enjoyed all classes we have attended and will continue to enroll in future ones offered. These new experiences have no doubt continued to improve our bond with both dogs and encouraged them to be well rounded canine companions.
Jessica did private training sessions with us and our dog, Ralph, at our home. She really helped us tune up Ralph’s obedience and leash walking before we have a baby. After just 2 sessions – and lots of practice! – we noticed a great difference! We are curbing his barking out the window and in the yard, improving how he greets visitors and he is more attentive when we go off leash. Thank you for all your help! We are confident we will have a very well behaved dog that will bond with our new addition!
Nothing but amazing things to say about Companion Vet and Training. Jessica and the other trainers are so knowledgeable and helpful. The training classes are a great challenge! Highly recommend!
As a new pet owner, I have felt nothing but support and guidance from Companion Veterinary Clinic. From our first visit to the clinic at 8 weeks we received a welcoming vibe. We immediately signed up for puppy classes! What a great way for everyone to get comfortable with the environment, people and puppies! These sessions were the best start Fitzgerald could have asked for. He has since had some group obedience as well as a private session with Jessica. Fitz has manners and I am reassured by the Companion Vet Team with every question or concern that I have
My dogs have been going to Companion Veterinary Clinic for the last year and a half and they are all amazing with my pups! We have attended puppy classes with both Skittles and Coco, and they loved each and every class. They were well socialized and taught basic mannerisms. Following puppy class, I continued to use their training expertise and methods with my dogs and their behaviours are still improving! Thank you all for your amazing hard work and dedication!
Our experience with the training at Companion was a wonderful learning experience, not only for our dog but for us as well. Tucker came to us as a highly anxious dog with a past history of the destruction of household items, escaping from kennels, and general fear of people. As we continued our training with Jessica he became less anxious, more able to be around people. The experience was invaluable for him. We are now able to leave him out in the house and take him around new people. None of this would have been possible without Jessica and Companion.
We sought out Jessica’s help after one of our dogs had destroyed three crates, numerous household items and broke a tooth. In looking at dealing with our dog’s separation anxiety, Jessica was very receptive to our desire to try non-pharmaceutical approaches initially. However, after a period of time, it became obvious that we were going to have to put our dog on medication to help with the anxiety and prevent the destruction of our house. Jessica and Dr. Benoit were both very helpful in this process. And, with continued training, we were able to wean our dog off the medication within a year, and have yet to have any incidences since. We were very happy with our experiences with Jessica and would recommend her to anyone looking to deal with behavioural issues with their dogs.
I had the pleasure of taking my dog Doug to both socialization & Exploration and the Puppy Foundations classes at Companion. Not only did Doug absolutely love going, but it was incredibly fun for the both of us and we learned more than I ever expected.