Honeyfur Dog Training

05/07/2025

A little event at Wells Community centre next Tuesday (May 13th) from 6-8pm. Looking for a quick refresher heading into the nicer weather or need some guidance to build your relationship with your canine companion? This is a great event for you! I’ll be covering topics that apply to all dog owners and will give you a leg up heading into the summer months 😊

Got a dog who loves doing things their own way? Or maybe you just want to sharpen your training skills?

We’re hosting a free evening with Honeyfur Dog Training next week covering obedience, impulse control, motivation, and more!

🗓 Tuesday, May 13 | 6–8 PM
📍 Wells Community Center, French Village

Our trainer Emma will be sharing tips and demonstrating techniques with her dog — please leave your pup at home so you can relax and learn!

Spots are limited, so email [email protected] to secure yours!

04/06/2024

🚨🚨Lost German shepherd dog in the Saint John/Rockwood Park area. Please keep an eye out and call 506-647-8047 if you see a loose dog fitting the image

01/30/2024

Feels like -20 today 🥶 So engaging indoor activities are essential!
Here I've made a snuffle box out of a clementine box and some flyers... Crumpling up Sybil's breakfast in the paper, then stuffing the box will allow her to forage and shred in a safe and acceptable way. This is an especially fun activity for a dog who enjoys nose work. It is paramount to meet our dog's particular needs when providing enrichment to their lives. With a Weimaraner like Sybil, engaging mental activity is only fair, they are endurance dogs with such a large mental capacity.

We provide at least two forms of enrichment activities every single day as part of our normal routine. This keeps Sybil's problem solving and independent play at a top level, while effectively tiring her out.

12/24/2023

A very informative read. Something to consider with these popular poodle mixed breeds. I have an exponential number of clients who struggle with their "doodles" and the misinformation spread that they will be a low maintenance animal. It's definitely a toss up when adopting one of these mixes.

We would like to preface this post with the fact the IAPEG and it's members love dogs. All dogs. Big dogs and small dogs. Fluffy dogs and sleek ones. We love pure breeds and we love mixed breeds.

The 'doodle craze' began after a breeder attempted a litter of mixed breed pups that were smart and hypoallergenic. No dog is truly hypoallergenic, but that's another discussion. He was in no way trying to create a new breed. News traveled quickly and before you know it, they were all the rage as pets. Very expensive pets. They became something of a status symbol as they wear price tags in the thousands and cost more than a sound, well developed, carefully chosen pure breed.

As professional groomers, we see the fallout with many of these pets and there are a few things you need to know:

1. Doodles are not a breed. They are (insert breed here) mixed with poodle. Golden doodle, labradoodle, maltipoo, pomapoo, yorkie poo, no matter the title, doodles are in fact mixed breed dogs. Being a pure breed of dog mean predictability...size, colors, skull shapes, temperament...any and all genetics are predictable for that specific breed. This is not possible with doodles.

2. There is a misconception that if you mix another breed with a poodle, you get the best of both breeds. This is simply not true. The truth is you have no idea what you will get. You are not getting the best of the breeds because responsible, ethical breeders do not allow their dogs to participate in mixed breeding.

3. As professional groomers, we hear misnomers from pet owners whose pup is a year old and has never been groomed. This is a nightmare for both the dog and the groomer. The truth is, any doodle will need professional grooming. They should start as early as possible just like any other dog. This seems to be a selling point for doodle breeders telling buyers they are low maintenance. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

4. Doodles often have very difficult coats to work with. Doodles with these coats will be more expensive. With most doodles you have a fur bearing breed (Labrador Retriever) mixed with a hair bearing breed (Poodle). This causes many doodles coats to be difficult with a mixture of the two. Some have fur as guard coat and hair as undercoat and some have hair as a guard coat with fur as the undercoat. Either way, more work and time means your professional groomer must be properly compensated or it will lead to number five.

5. There are many professional groomers who are simply not accepting doodles as clients anymore. Misinformed owners are price shocked when they've been lied to by a breeder. Your professional groomer is tired of arguing and explaining just to be properly compensated when there are so many other clients who know what to expect and respect our professional practices.
Because doodles are not the best representatives of their breeds they are often not the most well behaved pets either. Many are high strung, a bit neurotic, and/or have some type of behavior problem.

If you do in fact choose to own a doodle, speak with your professional groomer beforehand so you'll know what to expect. And please respect your professional groomers advice. Their job is to keep your pet on a regular schedule. Depending on the coat...remember these are mixed breed dogs and therefore not predictable before birth...most will need a schedule of 4-6 weeks.

10/26/2023

Overall any clients I have wearing muzzles are pretty well respected, but every now and then we have solo people or people with dogs trying to approach us. Please be extra respectful of a dog who is wearing a muzzle and understand there is an important reason they are wearing one even if it is not evident.

10/25/2023

I’m going to be launching a new series! Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I love to talk about dog related topics on or off the clock, so I figured why not share some of these chats! I will be posting short audio clips discussing situations I may have encountered with current clients, my own dog, or just general informative conversations about canine topics.

As well, I’m planning to be available for “canine classroom” chats in locations around the Saint John area. Locations and times to be determined. These chats will be free of charge and led by your questions! 🐕‍🦺🐾🩷

06/09/2023

Last week Sybil and I visited a few classrooms at Hampton Elementary School for Disability Awareness Week and to teach the students about dog safety. I’m so excited about being back into classrooms. It’s an amazing outlet for the children and Sybil is in her glory!

In Montreal we started going into classrooms as a pet therapy team when Sybil was just 10 months old. She’s always had a great time and shows so much patience with the students no matter their age or personality. Pet Therapy in schools is an extremely important and fulfilling job. Not only does it bring joy but it can also help children with disabilities really come out of their shells ☀️📚🤍

I plan to look into making Pet Therapy more normalized in the Saint John area. My introduction in Montreal was a completely different story as it’s a completely regular service, not only in the private sector but also public schools.

05/30/2023

Tuesday nights I have back-to-back one-on-ones with a couple of adorable puppies and tonight we braved Rockwood park with these sweet little guys! Featured on the right of the photo is my client Lotto the Boston Terrier, he’s 3 months old and already such a superstar! Tonight he learned about all sorts of new things such as lakes, geese and most importantly goose p**p 😂 We practiced loose leash walking, eye contact, sit stays, general calmness around distraction (dogs, birds, people, bikes) and introduced him to boundary game on top of the great amount of socialization Rockwood park’s beautiful nature provides.

05/24/2023

🐶🚨New class alert🚨🐶

Honeyfur dog training will soon be offering Leash Reactivity classes. My six week course will help owners better understand how to handle their dog’s emotions and train towards passivity in the face of triggers. I found leash reactivity to be the most rewarding class to teach while working in Montreal and have since been developing my own curriculum. This class will be taught using science based, positive reinforcement methods. The total cost for the six weeks will be $180+taxes.

This class is targeted towards dogs who are triggered by other dogs, people, cars, prey or other stimuli on walks. Leash reactivity covers a large umbrella of unwanted reactions but generally manifests in lunging, barking or growling at the trigger.

Of the six weeks, class one will be just with the owners to discuss theory and the training plan without distraction. Class two will be structured as a one on one with me, you, and your dog. The final four weeks will be as a group in various outdoor locations around Saint John. This class will be open to all ages and breeds with a max of four dogs.

Each dog will need to pass a temperament evaluation to determine whether the class will be suitable or if private sessions would be better suited.

If you are interested in this class, or know someone who would benefit from it please leave a comment below or reach out via phone (506-886-1373) or email ([email protected])

05/01/2023

One extremely underestimated skill for dogs is being able to offer eye contact and direct focus on their handler no matter the environment.

Here you see me working with Callie the dachshund, our main goal in this training session was to take moments to pause and reward freely offered engagement with me.
Focus is a skill I put on cue and from my experience, I would argue it’s the most important skill to have on cue. But the important thing to remember is any skill we put on cue should become a natural habit with repetition and time. This comes with the process of fading away from lures, or prompting into truly learned behaviour.

Whether your dog is young or old it’s never to late to teach a very reliable focus. This will truly transform your relationship, by boosting your worth in difficult situations, making commands more successful and creating a canine companion who makes better decisions of their own accord.