About the T&T Unleashed Team
At T&T Dogs Unleashed, we practice a BALANCED training philosophy. This means that we utilize any tool or approach that will fit and work best for your dog. Our goal is to help find a solution and program that will help EVERY dog that comes our way! At T&T Dogs Unleashed, training is based on dog psychology, not human psychology, since as you know dogs are dogs! We use your dog’s food in building and training process along with many other tools. You want your dog to think you are the most important person and want to be with you. You want your dog to have complete trust in you and listen to any situation and under any type of distraction. Rewards are given for good behaviour and developing respect. We at T&T work on a number of different aspects in training, communication, and of course play time which creates balance in the dog. These are all a part of building a harmonious partnership between you and your dog. In the end, we all want dogs to be stress-free, healthy, and happy.
All graduates of T&T Dogs Unleashed will become a part of an amazing network of people on Facebook. You will have access to the T&T Dogs Unleashed Clients group page. On this page, you will be able to follow your dog’s progress during training. We will be posting pictures, videos, etc., on this page. You will be able to meet others that have gone through our programs. We provide continued support to you and your dog through group classes for the first year following graduation and then a small fee for additional years. You can contact us at any time via email, phone and of course Facebook. This personal touch is what makes us different from the rest. We are always here for you and your dog as you are part of the T&T Dogs Unleashed family.
Cindy - Owner / Trainer
Cindy has had dogs for the better part of her life. She has also worked and shown Quarter Horses, developing skills necessary to assist in her training development. During her employment in Halifax, NS, Cindy started working with a local rescue which led into fostering dogs in her home. She was working with dogs that were labelled misunderstood. While working with rescue dogs she had the opportunity to work with a trainer who volunteered her time to the rescue to help dogs in need. This led Cindy on the path to become more knowledgeable with dogs and the need for trainers to help people work with their dogs. Volunteering her time with trainers, learning the skills and techniques to work with dogs with issues, basic and advance obedience, day to day life skills and leash handling skills enhanced her techniques. This experience and education provided her with the skills required to effectively train your dog. This all led towards certification as a Professional Dog Trainer. Cindy has earned her certification as an ABC (Animal Behavioral College) Certified Dog Trainer which is approved by the Bureau for Private Post Secondary and Vocational Education and is an internationally recognized school. This program has provided her with a formal education in canine obedience training and understanding behaviour and its motives.
Over the past few years, Cindy has worked with a number of trainers in Nova Scotia and Ontario. Included are mentoring programs with Tracy Franken – Beyond Obedience and Lynn Hyndman – Dogs in Harmony. She also attended several seminars and workshops learning additional skills in canine behaviours. This is an ongoing learning experience. A dog trainer never stops learning.
Some of the seminars she has attended:
Dream Come True K9 – March 2019
Shadow Program
Impulse Control Seminar – 2018
Understanding K9 Behaviour – Tyler Muto/Blake Rodriguez 2018
IACP Conference – 2017
Trainers United Summit – 2017
Dogmanship – Tyler Muto – August 2016
Trainer United Summit – Beyond Obedience – July 2016
Jeff Gellman – RV Dog training Seminars – 2015
Ted Efthymiadia – Dog Aggression and Dog Reading – 2015
Canine Communication – ABC Dog Training – Bev Wells – 2014
Wade MacVicar – Advance Leash Handling Clinic – 2014
Jane
Kingston Area - Janedogsunleashed@gmail.com
Like any good Canadian, Jane grew up playing street hockey and helping her father care for their pack of hunting dogs. From beagles to poodles, house dogs to hunting dogs, no dog was too big or too small. There has always been a passion to understand “WHY” dogs do what they do! Throughout the span of 22 years of military service she always knew her heart was with dogs. After many years of courses, books and volunteering at shelters she finally got her first dog a Brussels Griffon, followed shortly after by a Shih Tzu, who was her companion for 16 years. Since than many other breeds have been added to her pack.
Throughout the years she learned a lot about behavior, through grooming courses to agility and dog psychology. Jane was finally able to fulfill her dream of working with dogs in 2017 and become a qualified Professional Dog Trainer.
Jane’s mission is to teach dog owners to be the best handler they can, to use knowledge and techniques to establish harmony between dog and handler.
Jane will offer several ways to accomplish this depending on the dog and handlers needs from puppy kindergarten, small group classes and private in home lessons to more intensive boarding school options. Working together with Jane, you will find the right fit for your needs.
Nick and Victoria
Nick and Victoria are a young couple who share a passion for dog training. At a young age they were truly blessed with adopting a Great Dane/Border Collie mix named Tyson. Tyson was the one in a million kind of dog that everybody dreams of having. Extremely well natured, loyal, obedient, and a genuinely great partner to have by your side. Tragically, they lost Tyson to an auto-immune disease after a few short years, but what Tyson left behind was the memory of what it is like to have that truly incredible relationship with a dog that just cant be matched anywhere else.
It didn’t take long before Nick and Victoria decided they wanted to become dog trainers and find out exactly what it takes to create the strongest bond between a dog and handler that is possible. Together they have years of experience including dog walking, board and training, 1 on 1 training as well as group classes. They have also had extensive experience with a local rescue organization that brings stray dogs in need of a home, from the Caribbean islands, to Canada where they find a forever home with a great family. This time in the rescue world has given Victoria and Nick unique experiences with fearful and untrusting dogs as they transition into an entirely new world. Nick and Victoria would regularly be the foster parents of a handful of dogs at the same time while they searched for a suitable family that fit the needs of the dogs they were coming to know. This time was like being in an accelerated master class in understanding dog psychology and body language. This, coupled with being professionally certified in dog training at Animal Behavioural College as well as other courses including pet CPR and attending workshops focused on “relationship building” and “play training” has given Victoria and Nick a deep understanding of what it means to be great dog handler.
With Nick and Victoria you get the power of 2 trainers in 1! With a couple that both work in the same field, they naturally work as a team when working with a dog and problem solving any issue they face. With the both of them working with you and your dog you will always get a balanced approach when it comes to any training. Having multiple perspectives working on an issue can be the key to solving some of our toughest problems our dogs might be having.
Sue Westwell
Hello! I’m Sue. My past career of being a certified Insolvency administrator/counsellor led me to a world I have always loved- dogs. After 10+ years in that field I burned out, just couldn’t do it anymore. I came across an ad looking for dog walkers, what better way to heal than being outside with a pack of dogs, so I went for it. I was nervous but knew I found my calling. I watched and I learned from the dogs. I read books, I attended workshops, and I still continue this to this day. I currently walk a pack of dogs daily, anywhere from 12-15 dogs, they are a very well balanced pack who know the expectations and have taught me so much about dog body language and pack dynamics as well as my relevance to them. Walking a pack requires consistency as in all dog training but also requires respect. The dogs need to respect me and I need to respect them in order to form a bond and relationship. Our walks include environmental fulfillment, play and structure. I am also enrolled in a course to get my trainer certification, I am pet first aid certified and also a member if the International Association of Canine Professionals. I own 4 dogs of my own, 3 Daschunds and a Cockapoo. My cockapoo has taught me so much in the last 6 months about dog psychology and training. Watching his body language has taught me when he’s not comfortable. I never thought in my life I would own a reactive dog and here we are. Ernie has a history and I wanted to learn from him and help him to be his best. Having found the best dog people to mentor and support me has been a life changing event. I am never afraid to ask them for their help or to ask general questions, they have helped me grow in the past months and I am forever grateful to them for reigniting my passion. A very important part of what I do is my clients. I want them to feel comfortable with me as well as knowing that I have their dogs best interest as my goal. I believe that communication with them is key, they should always be comfortable reaching out with either questions or concerns. Without them, I wouldn’t be successful doing what I do. On the personal side, I have been married for 23 years, am mom to a 20 year old son and a 16 year old daughter and am very thankful they put up with my dog addiction.
Morgan Skylar Lair Kirkham
Dogs have been an important part of Morgan’s life for as long as she can remember. She grew up around four great danes and started training in high school, where she gave her Rottweiler Si all the tools she needed to confidently navigate through life.
When she’s not training dogs, she’s at home studying for Animal Behaviour College’s Dog Obedience Instructor certification. Morgan is already certified in pet CPR / First Aid. She has a passion for dog behaviour and helping the most troubled dogs succeed.
