About Us
At Civil Canine, your goals are our goals. We understand that there is no cookie cutter method for every dog, and each individual has their own needs and motivations.
We believe in putting the happiness and welfare of the dogs we work with first and foremost. It's important to us to help our clients build the best relationship possible with their four legged friends while making your life with your dog the best it can be.
Our approach is through positive-first balanced training, beginning by teaching your dog our expectations in a low-stress, motivational manner and building clarity and enthusiasm in their foundation through markers and rewards. Once we are confident in their understanding, we overlay training tools as needed to guide and assist in communication where treats alone won't cut it.
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Keeping up with the training and guidance from Civil Canine will give you a canine companion with the skills and tools to make appropriate decisions in all areas of life according to their needs and goals.
Whether improving basic obedience and manners, fixing more challenging behaviours, or simply looking for a safe and reliable place to board your dog, we have something for everyone.
Learn more about our training philosophies in our articles page
About Zoe
Head Trainer and Owner
Zoe has had a lifelong passion for working with dogs, beginning with her family's first dog, a black lab mix named Raven, in 2006. Her journey into professional dog training started in 2018 when she began walking dogs in an off-leash pack setting with Walk With Me Ottawa. This experience honed her skills in reading and managing dog body language.
In 2019, Zoe acquired her first competition dog, a Belgian Malinois named Lumi, which deepend her involvement in the training world and opened new opportunities.
In 2021, she completed a year-long internship at Stateline Canine, one of the leading training facilities in the USA, becoming the first Canadian to certify through their program. Zoe and Lumi currently compete in PSA, a sport that combines dog obedience, agiility, and bite work. Zoe uses the challenges of this sport to continually advance her training techniques and deepen her understanding of canine behaviour.
In 2023, Zoe foster-failed a German Shepherd, Yara, who lives out her days with her as a demo dog and pet dog.
Outside of training clients and her own dog, Zoe enjoys expanding her knowledge through seminars and books, hiking with friends (and their dogs), and creating custom dog muzzles and collars for other sport competitors.
She also co-owns a dog themed apparel and sticker business called Sit Pretty Apparel.
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Check out our favourite dog training products to use here!
Experience, Titles, and Seminars
Seminars
- Perfect Puppy Workshop, Walk With Me Ottawa [March 2019]
- The Canine Paradigm Seminar: Pat Stuart and Glenn Cooke [August 2019]
- Deadpool Decoy Training Seminar with Shawn Edwards [attended 10+ times from 2019 to present]
- Unlocking the Potential: Prime Canine, Jas Whiting [February 2020]
- Michael Nezbeth Working Dog Seminar [August 2020]​
- Canemo Obedience and Protection Seminar [August 2020]
​- Janet Edwards Handler Seminar [March 2022]
- Pat Stuart "Motivate, Communicate, Coach" Seminar [February 2023]
- Chris Smith "NePoPo" Seminar [September 2023]
- Janet Edwards Advanced Handling Seminar [April 2024]
Titles & Courses
- Ranked Purple Belt at Deadpool Decoy Training Seminar with Shawn Edwards [2019-present]
- Online Course by Evan Doggett [2020]
- Completed Dog Trainer's Internship at Stateline Canine under Janet Edwards in Hanover, PA [2021-2022]
- Wags 'n' Walks Pet First Aid 10 Hour Course [Certified January 2024, Expires January 2027]
Lumi PSA2 FL CGC
Belgian Malinois - Born October 10, 2019
Zoe and Lumi are currently training for PSA2 competitively, and learning cadaver detection on the side.
Lumi is a great demo dog and acts as a neutral dog for others that struggle with reactivity and other issues . She's a good example and teacher for young dogs who are learning to be socially appropriate and responsible.
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Stateline Canine PSA Trial, 2022
- PSA1 [first leg], 1st Place
- PSA1 [second leg], 1st Place
- High Protection
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PSA Nationals 2022, West Virginia
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AKC Canine Good Citizen, 2022
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Wags 'n' Walks First Aid Course Demo Dog, 2024
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Stateline Canine PSA Trial, 2024
- PSA2 [first leg] 1st Place
- High in Trial
- High Protection
- High Obedience
- High Owner Trained
- High Owner Trained Club​
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Yara
German Shepherd - Born November 10, 2022
Yara was introduced to the family with the intent to foster her. She got along great with Lumi and fit in so well that she was never even put up for adoption (oops!).
With an insecure but biddable and affectionate demeanour, she doesn't have a competitive side, but she has lots of love to give.
Yara helps Zoe as a demo dog, but her primary job is to be a companion. She's very smart but doesn't enjoy the expectations that come with learning which can make her a difficult dog to work with, having to exercise more patience and skill than average when teaching her new skills.
If she could be described in one sentence it would be "head empty, heart full".