Walk With Me Ottawa

Our chocolate lab puppy had already received some obedience training and had a solid foundation, but we were still experiencing major issues. He had no impulse control. He was impossible to walk- he was highly reactive and played very rough with other dogs. We were contemplating if we could make it work with him. We struggled so much finding him a walker. We used two different dog walking companies, both of which refused to continue with Our dog as a client. His previous trainer recommended we contact Emma Murdock, the owner of Walk with me Ottawa. He spoke very highly of her training techniques, knowledge and company. Our dog was highly energetic and would never settle. Although he had the obedience foundation he would only listen when he saw fit. Since his board and train he is a completely different dog. He is still highly energetic as chocolate labs are... but he is much calmer and actually listens. We are able to relax with him, play with him, walk him and enjoy life with our pup. He goes on pack walks 5 days a week and loves his walker Megan and his pack! Since starting the pack walks he has learned to play more gently and matures day by day. I highly recommend walk with me Ottawa! They are a fantastic company and honestly helped us when we thought all Hope was lost. We are extremely grateful to have found Emma and walk with me Ottawa!

My family waited a year before we started thinking of adding a fur baby to our family because we were mourning the loss of our precious springerdoodle who was “perfect”. Then came Stanley aka “Stanimal” the sheepadoodle. As gorgeous as he was, that’s how difficult he was. Because my family is kinda kooky, we had an opportunity to add Stans 1/2 sibling Louise to our nutty bunch. The sheepies are 7 weeks apart. He was aggressive, she could not master potty training, they pulled so hard i wouldn’t walk them both together, I was a wreck and it was recommended to me several times to “think about” finding another home for Stanley. In a moment of deepest despair I researched WWM, and reached out. Emma responded immediately. We started our journey the following week. Through the trying times of Covid, Emma saved my life and likely Stanley’s too!!! She taught ME how to walk the dogs, how to feed the dogs, how to be the alpha of my pack. In a kind, loving yet firm hand, in a non judgmental manner and now, perhaps I am slightly biased but, the dogs are near perfection. I get stopped multiple times daily, people exclaiming how well trained the pups are. Every day I am so grateful that Emma responded so quickly to that dire email. I am so proud of the pups and cannot wait to celebrate Stanley’s first birthday next month! He can have whatever he wants. Kind of... This has been the best experience I could have had.

We began with training package with Emma for our rescue Rottie mix Stella. Our dog was extremely dog aggressive and we struggled to even walk her in our neighbourhood. We love Emma's approach, structure and dedication. We have also have used Walk With Me's boarding services on two occasions. Stella just came back from an 8 day board with Blair. She receives so much attention and work while in Blair's care and we saw a huge improvement. On this last stay Stella happily interacted with both of Blair's dogs and another boarded dog. She spent her last three days on pack hikes with many dogs. We honestly could not believe it. I honestly never imagined that Stella could ever safely interact with other dogs, let alone participate in pack walks. I really can't express how thrilled I am with the care and training she received. There is no one else I would ever leave her with other then the team at Walk With Me. We will definitely continue to be very loyal clients and supporters of Walk With Me.

I reached out to WWMO in early 2021 for help without Giant Schnauzer puppy, Boris. Boris had some health issues when we got him, which gave us the perfect "excuse" to go easy on the training and we were paying for it. He constantly pulled me down the road on our walks, was showing some guarding issues with toys and food, and had so much energy he was literally bouncing off the walls. After some research on different options in the area, I picked WWMO. When I first reached out, I was looking at the most expensive training option offered - but once Emma had chatted with me about Boris and our goals, she recommended we start with the 6-lesson package. I honestly didn't think 6 lessons would be NEARLY enough but figured we could always add on more lessons when we needed them. The cost of the lessons was in line with the other options we had considered, but what I didn’t realize at the time of booking was that Emma provided us with all the tools we needed as well! Clicker, slip lead, place bed - all which get used every single day now. The training: It feels like it starts off slow, and as someone who just wants results NOW that was tough to wrap my head around. But learning the basics up front made everything else so much easier! At the end of the 6 weeks, I could walk my dog without pulling, he was properly crate trained and we had had ZERO instances of guarding since starting. Oh, and I learned how to play with my dog - so that he gets some fulfillment out of it rather than just physical exercise. Amazing. The lessons themselves were never rushed and working with Emma was awesome. She has a was able to help me change the way I was looking at situations, which helped me better understand my dog and where he was coming from. Boris still has his issues, but I now have the tools to effectively manage his anxiety and energy. Which makes us a much happier team. I enjoy taking him on his walks, and don't have to worry about running into people, dogs or squirrels. My biggest regret is not starting Boris' training right away, so if you are looking to get a puppy - start now! Don't wait until your bad habits rub off on your dog and I cannot recommend Emma and WWMO enough.

We do both pack walks and did the 6 session private training package for our Goldendoodle Puppy. Best dog we've ever had. We started early and it paid off immensely. We get compliments on her behaviour almost daily and she is still just 7 months old! We continue to work and train even though our sessions are over - they taught us so well. It was work - both for myself as a person who grew up with dogs thinking I knew a lot and for my partner who has never had a pup. I learned sososo much and I tell everyone about our methods (positive reinforcement). Thank you WWMO :)

I had initially contacted them when I was looking for a professional dog walker for my dog Quinn. I had looked at various services throughout Ottawa and their site as well as core values spoke to me the most. They offered the service to bring my dog on an off leash group walk to the dog park which was key for me because I thought that was the best type of walk for Quinn. Furthermore, the dog walker was a dog trainer and reinforced the correct behaviors which was evident in how my dog behaved on walks and at the park. They were professional, insured and very pleasant to deal with. We had a great experience with the dog walking service and I had built a good connection to this company. A year after I got Quinn, I got another dog named Stella; a Coonhound. To my surprise, this dog was much more challenging than Quinn; I will admit that I was not prepared for the challenges a hound dog would bring to us. Unlike Quinn, we were unable to leave her off leash because she would continuously run away and follow her nose. Her recall was not reliable. We could not trust Stella off leash which was very sad to me because Quinn lived a fully, off leash life. We are active people who walk our dogs regularly, we got on hikes, our parents own a farm and Stella was on leash lock down unlike her sister Quinn who lived a free life. Because of my previous experience with WWMO, I contacted them regarding this problem I had with Stella. I was familiar with the dog trainers, I liked their values, the service they provided and they were willing to work with me. Although it was clear to me that sending Stella for training was going to be a big investment, it was worth it to us...To be able to give your dog a free life, without the constant stress and worry of her running away was completely worth it. After all, your dog can be a 15 year commitment. Although I know the basics of dog training and I am willing to work hard at it, I knew that I did not have the skills it took to help Stella with her overbearing nose. They suggested training Stella on an E-collar and I agreed this would be the best option for her. She ended up being with Carolina for about 3 weeks, 24/7 in her care. When Stella came back to us, the difference in her behavior off leash, and overall behavior, was night and day. Most importantly, Stella gained full freedom of her life. She is able to walk off leash anywhere, she is better behaved in our home, and she listens to us almost better than Quinn. Our stress level around this dog decreased and our relationship with her improved substantially. We could not be happier with the investment we made with her. Thank you Carolina We know we can contact Carolina or Emma at any point with questions, request a training session, talk about little issues that arise with both dogs and we know we will be well cared by them for the remaining of their dog lives. Training does not ever stop and we know we have help whenever we will need it. I am truly thankful for the service they provided

We used Walk With Me for boarding services and Elizabeth was reliable, friendly, and very knowledgable. I swear our dog came back better trained after only a few days with her. We will definitely use this service in the future!

LONG REVIEW ALERT! I contacted WWMO in July 2020 asking for help with Bella, our new 7mth old dog. Bella was fearful of new people, new situations, new sounds, new anything. Her level of anxiety/nervousness was off the charts that we could not walk her past the end of our driveway. We literally had to pick her up and carry her down the street because she was so concerned about a noise or what would be coming around the corner. If she saw people on a walk, that was a no-go, she would try to run for cover and/or back to the house. It was so bad that we were only walking her in the early morning or very late at night in an effort to avoid as many people as possible, and to limit the amount of noise she was being exposed to. All that to say, it was a very stressful time and we knew we needed help. Emma responded to my initial email within a day and about two months later, Bella was with her and her pack for a Board and Train. The goal: work on Bella's confidence! That BnT was a such a blessing! Emma took the time to build a relationship with Bella and slowly allowed her to come out of her shell. Bella was able to be a dog and learn not only from Emma, but from Emma's pack too! I was able to keep up with Bella's progress the whole time through regular contact with Emma as well as watching her Instagram stories. The BnT was not a "cure" for Bella's fearfulness, but it did provide a much needed foundation of confidence that we weren't able to give her. We knew we would have to keep up the momentum at home. When she came home, we were actually able to walk her around the block (a huge milestone) and we had the tools to clearly communicate with her which made our lives easier. With this solid foundation, I was able to walk Bella at a reasonable time in the mornings and we serendipitously came across a neighborhood dog group. Before WWMO, I would have never thought I could join this group and allow Bella off-leash to play with the dogs and the people. Now, 6 months in of daily meetings and walks, she absolutely adores her time with them. When we say we're going for a walk, she perks up and runs to the door. We can walk her at any time of day now. We have even started taking her on different little adventures around the city and have incorporated different activities too like canoeing, biking, and soon we'll add camping to the list. She still has her nervous quirks, but they are much more mild, limited, and manageable now. We are so grateful to Emma for working with us. Without her, we would not have gotten to where we are now with our beautiful girl. Bella has a much better quality of life and we have the tools needed to maintain it for her. If you're thinking about a training company for your dog, give WWMO a try. I truly believe you will not be disappointed.