Dog Training Toronto | Hairy Tales | Award Winning Dog Behaviorist

Kristina Rapson

Providing The Best Dog Training Toronto

Kristina is an award winning dog trainer and behaviourist in Toronto who has been listed in the top 6 on 5 different lists. With a specialty in behavioural issues and rescue dogs, her methods focus first and foremost on improving the human / dog relationship and communication. Her methods are easy to follow, and are sure to help you and your pooch develop an even stronger bond. For more information on Kristina’s background, philosophies and services, please navigate through the menu.

We Specialize in Behaviour Issues

Having some trouble with your dog's behaviour?
We can help with anything including but not limited to:

Leash Reactivity / Aggression

Does your dog react by lunging, barking and growling on the leash towards people, dogs, small animals or fast moving objects?

Aggression

Is your dog struggling with aggressive tendencies towards other dogs or people? Are they insecure or fearful? Are they resource guarding or possessive?

Over-Excitment / Hyperactivity

Does your dog have a tendency to be hyperactive or over-excited? Are they constantly jumping up on people, pulling on the leash and barking or whining?

Nervous / Fearful Dogs

Does your dog have anxiety or fear towards people, environments or stimuli? Does your dog need some major confidence boosting?

Rescue Dog Rehabilitation

Rescue dogs often come with some baggage and specific behaviour issues that need to be addressed. We specialize in rehabilitating rescue dogs and street dogs.

E-Collar Training

E-collar training can be an invaluable tool for specific behaviour modification or obedience training. It is especially helpful with recall and resource guarding.

Trusted & Certified

See what people are saying...

Kristina helped us with our anxious and aggressive rescue dog a few years ago. Her guidance helped us gain confidence and, in turn, give our dog the environment he needed to flourish. We recently reached out for further support and I was surprised that she remembered all about our dog and where we had left off in our training. She is calm, clear and patient (both with our dog and with us) which is so helpful when dealing with stressful behavioural issues.

Sandra Bertoia
I have a super reactive dog that has so greatly improved through working with Kristina! Now we are able to pass other dogs where she does not react (except for the very few times, but we’re still working on those lol). So happy to have found Kristina to help me and the family have a much more happy and fulfilling life with our love Muffy 💜

Said Saffarini
Kristina is very knowledgeable and takes her time to get to the root of the dogs behavioural issues. My dog has become a lot less reactive to on walks since the two sessions we have had with her. Very much enjoyed the sessions and listening to the philosophies of how she approaches dog behaviourial issues. Very helpful in helping me understand my dog better too.

Aimee Yoo
We got a rescue dog a little while back and we were having some minor behavioural issues with him and he seemed to have no training as well. Kristina was very professional and patient with not only our dog Willi but also with us, she helped us notice behaviours and explained why he had them and set up an easy to follow training routine for him. Willi has come a long way in the short time we had him. I will continue to use Kristina’s services and I and Willi think she’s great.

Sabrina Romero
Our little girl was a rescue with a lot of fear based aggression. Working with Hairy Tales has given our girl the confidence that she’s needed to go on walks, feel safe when visitors come, and allowed us to understand her needs to make her feel safe. We are SO excited to see this change in our Natty. Thank you so much Hairy Tales. Kristina knew exactly what was going on with our girl and helped us every step of the way!!

Alyssa Deluca
I called Kristina shortly after bringing home my new puppy, a 9 month old rescue from Egypt. When I felt overwhelmed, she helped me to better understand his behaviours (and their underlying motivations) in order to help us live a happier and more balanced life together in a new environment. I really appreciate her check-ins and detailed "homework" to keep us on track and continuing to work on our bond. Kristina's guidance and expertise has transformed my relationship with my dog.

Valerie
Kristina was super knowledgeable and helpful in working with me and my dog to concur her resource guarding and reactivity. Her clear homework instructions were easy to follow and she was always available to help whenever I needed it. Forever grateful for her expertise!

Kayla Carson
My favourite thing about Kristina’s training style is her supportive/interactive nature, articulate and honest communication. I started working with Kristina on my dogs leash reactivity/aggression ~1month ago, and I have seen tangible and consistent improvements in my dogs obedience, engagement, and our relationship in general. This was previously a big source of stress in my journey as an owner, and something I have struggled immensely for quite sometime. If you are having difficulties with your dog or maybe you have a dog with behavioural issues that is above your current skill level, she’s your gal!

Elaina X
My 1 year old Chihuahua has been working with Kristina at Hairy Tales Training for just over a month now. It's incredible to see the progress he is making though practicing his clearly listed homework duties that Kristina provides for us. She is quick to respond to any questions I have had throughout my dogs training and is true pleasure to work with.

Michelle Demeulenaere
We are so grateful for Kristina and all her help training our 100 pound puppy! She is very honest, knowledgable and really makes training feel simpler. Kristina has been so helpful teaching our dog (and us) all the necessities to have a loving, obedient, trustworthy dog! Everything she has showed us has been so helpful and we cant thank her enough- highly recommended!

laura york