You can't blame them, if you don't train them. We're proud to offer a one-of-a-kind mentoring program for people who want a more rewarding career working with animals. Our program runs over one full year, so our students finish with the confidence and ability to diagnose and treat problematic behaviours effectively and humanely.
It all started in 2011, when our founder Britnie Mousseau began an apprenticeship learning to train working dogs in the sport of Schutzhund. The strict style of obedience and the intensity of the dogs chosen for that sport gave her serious experience and confidence working with strong-willed dogs and aggressive behaviours.
Even though the working world of obedience, protection, and scent detection was interesting — she found herself feeling like something was missing. She kept gravitating toward the stray dogs the team would pick up and working with them through behavioural training. That's where she fell in love with this side of the work.
Over the years, she developed an adaptive style of training that provides the right level of structure, stimulation, and confidence-building to communicate with each dog according to their sensitivity. Her passion is working with clients and their pets so a trusting, respectful, and stress-free relationship exists for both the dogs and the humans in the pack.
Sit Happens' mission is to reduce the number of dogs surrendered or re-homed by providing quality training that gets results. We get those results by practising balanced training methods — both positive and negative reinforcement. Years of experience and outcomes have shown us that dogs need consistent consequences in their lives in order to develop long-term independent thinking.
We only accept students with an open mind — students who understand that no two dogs are the same, and that there are many different ways to train a dog. Our students must also understand that our clients hire us to help them. That means providing them with all training options, explaining the pros and cons of each, and then allowing the client to make their own educated decision.
Our program is built so you finish ready to take on real cases — including the ones most other companies turn away. Our in-home and on-site visits expose students to a variety of behaviours that aren't accepted in class environments or by trainers who don't use balanced methods.
Humans are the biggest influence on a dog's behaviour. It's important to understand human psychology so you can relate to and understand each client's unique learning needs. It also prepares you to deal with people who are a bad influence on the dog. Includes reading material and homework.
The next step is understanding how dogs learn and communicate. Most training programs fail due to poor communication from the handler. A good dog trainer can read a dog's intent, emotion, and intensity — and adapt training styles in the moment to avoid getting bitten. Includes reading material and homework.
The main event of the program. Content focuses on exploring different training methods, techniques, and tools — and learning both obedience and behavioural training. Includes reading material, homework, and hands-on training.
Beyond learning to be a great dog trainer, our program teaches you how to be a great business owner. Even though we offer positions within the company, we feel it's important you understand the big picture and strengthen your business skills.
Ready to join the pack? The full program details — tuition, payment plans, prerequisites, and what happens after — are on the Mentoring Program page. Or get in touch to ask questions first.
"I almost never leave product reviews. In this case, I will make an exception. Brianna has worked with my two English Mastiffs, Edgar and Hazel, recently. Actually, to be more accurate, she has trained me to work effectively with these […]"— Craig Borotsik · Google review
The mentoring program is one year, $3,500+hst, with payment plans. We only take students with an open mind and a real love for the work.
