I reached out to Shelley to ask about puppy classes after my puppy had just been spayed. I was simply trying to follow my vet's recommended recovery timeline as well as my own comfort level, as only I know my dog; I simply asked when a later intake might be. While the trainer explained that the first class was low activity, she also said that the dog could even come the following day after being spayed. I found the communication dismissive and somewhat condescending, particularly the "Tell me this is your first dog, without telling me this is your first dog lol" comment. It didn't leave me feeling comfortable or supported as a new client, so I decided to go elsewhere. What surprised me most was the level of hostility and lack of professionalism in her responses over what should have been a simple and respectful conversation between a potential client and trainer. The sarcasm and comments about laughing at our decision (note: all I said was that we were not the right fit) and then saying she was going to block me from further communication only reinforced that we made the right choice. read more

I would never recommend this woman for any dog training. I brought my terrier puppy to her for a private lesson. She did not hold back on her dislike for terriers, and was very heavy handed with him, popping his leash over and over to train him to "leave it". She may say she practices positive reinforcement, and maybe she does but for more challenging breeds, she will resort to other methods. During the training, she called him a "tenacious little f**c*er" and was just generally rude and inappropriate. She told me I had a bad seed and should take my dog back to the breeder. He was 12 weeks old. I'm sure she knows how to train a dog, particularly if you have a GSD or a breed that she's happy with -- but don't go to her with any kind of terrier. 2 years later and I'm happy to report that I have the best little guy, with titles for barn hunt and tricks, and working on others. Glad I found someone else to give me and my guy the support we needed. read more

We have attended 2 sessions of Shelleys obedience classes. Shelley is always kind and respectful to both owners and dogs. Our Tilde is not always a "star" pupil but Shelley is firm and professional. Our dog attends dog socialization activities every week and is excited to attend. She adores Shelley. All of the dogs (big and small) play well together. I would recommend Shelley to work with puppies and older dogs. read more

This was a horrible experience. A complete waste of time and money. We stopped going to her "classes" after a few sessions. For some reason Shelley did not like my wife and singled her out with snotty comments and not offering any help. She didn't even want to give my wife the handouts which we paid for! I was not planning on going to any of the sessions until my wife told me what was going on. What I saw was sickening. The only ones she would help were that ones that did not look like they needed help. It wasn't until we were about to storm out in the middle of her class that she ran over and offered some help to me not my wife. I have heard similar complaints from other people. The icing on the cake was when her dog almost attacked my wife! Shelly's handouts were okay but her classes were disorganized. It appeared as though she was making things up on the fly. I don't think anyone there got anything of value from her class. The only reason she gets 1 start is because we cannot give her a zero. read more

Shelley is a wonderful dog trainer. We brought our puppy to Shelley's training classes and learned so much from her. Our dog continues to go on group walks with Shelley for socialization. We've relied on Shelley over the years to give advise on any training issues. Highly recommend!! read more

Our dog loves Shelley, and we do too. We have had her walk our dog, attended her training sessions, and boarded our dog with her. She is dependable, entertaining, and really knows her stuff. I highly recommend her services. read more

Shelley Smith is hands down, the BEST dog trainer & expert in the Lower Mainland and I have nothing but good things to say about her services, both what she's done for me AND my dog! I'm a first-time dog owner who would break down crying every day from the overwhelm of owning my first pup and in a fit of despair, I decided to give Shelley Smith a call (admittedly because she had best reviews and rates on google). All phone and email consultations were completely FREE and she agreed to do a private lesson in my own house less than 24 hours after initially contacting her! And the amount of material in one day's visit of hers was enough for me to never worry about raising a dog for the rest of my life (as an anxious person, this really means a lot)! Every facet of a dog's life was discussed in extensive detail and I was shown many examples of how to act towards my dog in order to get the behaviour I want while keeping my pooch happy. She's even gone through the effort of creating a whole booklet of reading material, which she gave me at the end of her visit and she didn't charge until she left! It's been 2 weeks since I've used her services and I'm so happy I called her in the first place. She even responds to my emails and phone calls after the fact, and still 100% FREE! Her practice is ethical, her rates are phenomenal, her services are better than substantial, fuck you if you think otherwise, and if you're still on the fence about giving Shelley a call, DO IT. It will be the best decision you ever make! - Sincerely, a recent client of hers (a real one, not one of those asshats writing a fake review) read more

Both myself, and my girlfriend cannot thank Shelley enough with the help that she has given us in training our GSD. She has gone above and beyond for us in regards to our dog Dash and we cannot be more greatful. She has been a delight to work with and I would recommend her to anyone. I am sure my GSD, Dash, would agree. read more

Shelley has been great with our little labradoodle pup who requires a bit of extra care when playing with 'the big dogs'. She's taught us valuable training lessons and given us the keys to success for a happy, well socialized pooch. We did a two-hour in-home training session and the weekly (7) classes as well when Otis was 6-7 mo old. Very helpful start for sure! read more