The Dog Dude

We cannot thank Mark enough for working with us and our dog Fern. We met with Mark about 6 weeks ago and We could immediately sense how much Mark cares about dogs and helping owners better understand the importance of leadership, He is also so knowledgeable and I could have picked his brain about dogs for days haha. With a dog like our Fern, who is very goofy and quirky when she is in a comfortable setting, it is hard to see her become extremely anxious and very fearful when it comes to loud noises or passing anything with wheels on our walks. In just one hour and a half long session, Mark taught us how to walk Fern in a way that not only strengthened our leadership and relationship with her but he explained how a simple correction can help ensure Ferns fearfulness doesn’t Escalade to the point where she shuts down, and instead it will bring her right back to a calm, focused state within a few seconds.Ferns fearfulness of strangers is also something we have dealt with since we rescued her and we were finding in our new house that her fearfulness was causing her to show signs of fearful aggression and intensifying and we didn’t know how to handle it. We felt awful that Fern was not able to be in a calm state when we had new company over and instead she would watch our guest at all times, jump up and growl if they got up to do something. This is the moment we knew we needed to reach out to Mark. Mark helped us understand that Fern needs leadership so she can look to us in these situations that she feels fearful and when she looks to us for guidance we can help keep her calm by staying calm ourselves. He gave us techniques to use when welcoming a guest in our house, how to set boundaries between Fern and the guest, and how to help keep her in a calm state and slowly introduce her to them if she seems calm and interested. We have been able to have people who are strangers to Fern over recently and it has been amazing how big of a difference we see in Fern, with only one correction the whole visit due to an initial growl, Fern was able to sleep at my feet the whole visit, she didn’t feel the need to jump up any time our guest moved around. She was 99% more calm than she ever has been with a stranger and that is how I knew doing our training session with Mark was one of the best things we could have done for Fern and our relationship with her.Everyday we see improvements in her overall behaviour because of our walks, and her recall has naturally become better because of these walks. It was so rewarding that this past week we have successfully had many walks that include 0-1 corrections. Our walks with Fern have become our favourite part of our day thanks to Mark.

I recently contacted Mark hoping for help and advice regarding our anxious dog. I’d heard he was an awesome trainer so I was worried I’d have to wait a while to see him. Well, he returned my call within a couple of hours, and was able to book us in for a session the very next day. And wow, was it ever money well spent. The insight and teaching he provided in just one session was unbelievably helpful. He showed us some simple techniques to improve our communication and leadership with our dog and by the end of our 90-minute session our pup was already so much calmer, happier and at ease. We are amazed at the change, and so grateful. I will not hesitate to call Mark again the next time we need a trainer. He’s such an authentic guy too, very honest and upfront - and he will not try to upsell you on any packages or extra sessions you don’t need. You can tell he just love and respects dogs, and wants to help people show up in the best possible way for their pets. He’s awesome. Call him, he can help.

We took our three month old Catahoula puppy to Mark last year. We committed to his method of training corrections with a slip collar because he assured us it was ‘natural’ and in the dogs best interest and we would get consistent, timely results. I would cry during our sessions because my puppy was obviously very distressed but Mark pushed me to keep going. I would contact Mark saying I wasn’t getting consistent results and he would blame me, saying I wasn’t using the method correctly. My dog is now traumatized from the forceful and violent way we treated him. He cowers and runs away when we reach for his harness. A dog behaviorist told us we permanently changed his brain using the slip collar because such high stress levels in a young dog takes away their ability to cope. I don’t usually leave reviews like this but I wish I had been forewarned about what I was getting into before using Mark as a trainer. We really trusted him and wish he had been compassionate enough toward our puppy to know that he was too young and sensitive for the harshness of a slip collar.

What a fantastic experience and well worth every penny. We first employed Mark (The Dog Dude) to help us with our German Shepard (Bear). Bear had some fear based aggression issues which made walking him (and life in general) very stressful. We had reached out to other trainers for help but had no success. Not only did Mark identify the issue and solution immediately, he showed us how to take back control and give Bear the leadership that he was looking for. His training was so successful and gave us so much confidence, that eventually we could allow our six year old to hold the leash when we went for walks.More recently, we got ourselves a new puppy and wanted to start things off on the right foot. We hired Mark for a session and once again the results are remarkable. We now have a 14 week old puppy that listens, heels, drops things on request and is generally just interested in pleasing.We cant recommend Mark enough, his training has been invaluable for us.

We recently rescued a sweet and cuddly little lady and were shocked to find out she absolutely HATES other dogs. This was a real problem due to the number of dogs in our neighborhood. Mark was able to teach us that she was not aggressive but was frightened, and taught us how to help her be around other dogs without being overly reactive. Mark was supportive and personable and made training her a positive and informative process. We had one 90 minute private session and were amazed at the progress our dog made in that short time. With reinforcing Mark’s techniques we are super thrilled with the outcome and would strongly recommend him to anyone.Thanks so much Mark.

I have worked with 5 other dog trainers. The other trainers cost me a great deal $. With any positive results. I met Mark with my two cattle dogs. I learnt a great deal from Mark in one intense lesson. I would strongly recommend Mark for any dog training needed. You will not be disappointed.

I have nothing but good things to say about The Dog Dude! When my girlfriend and I started living together it caused some friction between our dogs. My dog is a bully breed and started showing aggression towards my girlfriend's. When she went into her first heat it only got worse. The fights got very bad very quickly and we needed help. In one session Mark was able to give us all the tools we needed to get our dogs back on track. Over the next month we called him anytime we had a question and he was always there for us. He is excellent at explaining exactly what needs to be done, and encouraging you to do it. After a month of following his instruction we saw a real change in my dogs behaviour. Not only was she showing almost no aggression, but she was becoming more obedient, too. Now, about a month and a half after our session with Mark, we are learning to trust her again. Please do not buy those training packages some trainers sell you with multiple sessions. If Mark tells you he can do it in one, he really can. Thank you so much for helping us!

A few months ago I adopted a rescue dog who had a bite history and showed signs of anxiety, especially when it came to strangers. As she learned I was her Mom" she started to show guarding tendencies which got stronger and she became increasingly reactive to strangers. I live in a condo and I would take the elevator hoping the whole time no one else would get on or else she would bark at them incessantly

Mark is fantastic. He quite obviously has a deep understanding of dogs and their behaviour. He was able to quickly diagnose our new rescue's fear aggression and in the space of a single 90-minute session, to get him walking calmly around people and other dogs, which had previously seemed impossible. Mark is also incredibly genuine; he made clear from the outset that he felt our issues could be dealt with in a single session and has no interest in roping people in to weeks of classes at a high cost. Mark's advice has already worked wonders for our dog and we would turn to him in a heartbeat for further advice, although he has left us confident that we won't need it!

Mark is our Human of the Year.One 2hr session with Mark and I went home with a changed dog and the right tools to keep him on the right track. Mark showed me the ropes (with the leash) on our walk with my Dutch Shepherd rescue named Uno. He also taught me a ton about dog behaviour and has promptly responded to all my follow up questions after our session.Before The Dog Dude, I had Uno for about a week. In that week Uno had nipped me black and blue and I could tell he was working up the nerve for a real bite. He would also lunge, bark and growl at me, and in general was a highly insecure and anxious dog. Of course he was highly reactive. On our walks he constantly pulled and when a skateboard spooked him, he nearly dragged me around the neighbourhood.Other dogs and their humans notice us now on our structured walks impressed, and even more so when they learn I’ve only had him for a week and a half. He’s become calmer and more confident and is improving daily under my leadership as the alpha.