Private Resocialization Sessions

A safe, controlled way for current clients to help their dog be social around other dogs.

What Are Resocialization Sessions?

Many dogs miss out on positive experiences with other dogs, or have had bad ones. Unfortunately, many dogs have not learned respectful social skills, which leads to many dogs learning that their space will not be respected by stranger dogs.  Over time, this can turn into fear, avoidance, barking, lunging or aggression. Resocialization rebuilds your dog’s confidence and social skills one step at a time, using calm, stable dogs who know how to handle a nervous or reactive dog without escalating.

These private sessions are for dogs who struggle around other dogs, whether they are fearful, nervous, reactive or aggressive. Your dog gets to practise real dog-to-dog interactions with Kristina’s experienced helper dogs; Foxy and Balto, while Kristina’s expertise guides you and your dog each step of the way.

Every session is private and planned around your dog’s needs. Depending on where your dog is at, what you and your dog will learn can include:

What You Will Learn

What Your Dog Will Learn

We never rush. Your dog’s comfort and safety come first, and we only move forward when your dog shows us they are ready.

***You must be a current client and be approved BEFORE booking this session. At bare minimum, your dog must have completed 1 private session with me first. This lets me assess your dog’s behaviour, body language and triggers so I can decide if this session is the right fit, and when. There might be some work we need to do together first before this is even something we can consider. If you have not worked with me yet, please book an initial consultation first (a follow up session in a package can be used towards these sessions when your dog is ready). Muzzle training is required for bite-risk dogs – this training would be covered in your session prior to booking your private socialization session. 

Perks of Booking a Resocialization Session

With consistent practice, most dogs begin to feel more confident and relaxed around other dogs. They recover faster after seeing or meeting another dog, and bark, lunge and growl less on walks. They get better at reading other dogs’ signals and responding appropriately, and they greet dogs more politely and calmly. Most of all, they start to enjoy walks, parks and outings more, and so will you.

Most dogs just need to feel that their space is being respected to build confidence around other dogs.

Meet the Helper Dogs

A helper dog is a calm, stable, socially skilled dog who works alongside a trainer to help other dogs learn how to feel safe and behave appropriately around dogs. Helper dogs know how to stay neutral when another dog is barking, lunging or nervous, so they don’t add fuel to the fire. They also “speak dog” fluently, using clear, polite body language like turning away, sniffing the ground, moving slowly and giving space. This shows an anxious or reactive dog that there’s nothing to worry about. Many dogs learn more from a good helper dog in one session than they could from weeks of seeing random dogs on walks, because every interaction is controlled, predictable and positive. That’s exactly why Foxy and Balto are such an important part of these sessions.

Foxy

Foxy

Foxy is a 4-year-old, 15lb street dog from Barbados. She can be a little shy herself, but she has a very good sense for dogs who are nervous or unstable around other dogs. Because of this, she has an amazing way of showing calm, non-threatening body language. With young, over-exuberant (and sometimes rude!) puppies, she’s excellent at teaching them some respect for their elders in a motherly but firm way. With smaller, fearful dogs, she’s excellent at bringing them out of their shell and getting them to play.

Foxy is also a allergy alert service dog for Kristina and detects dairy in food.

Foxy’s Specialties for Dog Resocialization Sessions Are:

Balto

Balto

Balto is a 1 1/2-year-old, 70 lb neutered Husky, Lab and Shepherd mix from a native reserve in Northern Ontario. More than anything, he wants to make friends with everybody (human and dog). He has a really amazing way of helping dogs, big or small, feel welcome and safe.

When Balto isn’t helping dogs, he’s also a scent detection sport dog: he passed his SDDA Started trial on his first try with a perfect score and now competes at the Advanced level.

Balto’s Specialties for Dog Resocialization Sessions Are:

In a city as dog-packed as Toronto, one of the most important things these sessions teach isn't just for your dog, it's for you. When you can read dog body language, you can spot stress early, recognize when another dog isn't friendly, and step in before things go wrong. Once you can read your dog, you can help them navigate this busy city safely and confidently.

The Hairy Dogmother

Ready to Book?

If you are a current client and think your dog could benefit, send Kristina a message or bring it up at your next session. Kristina will let you know if your dog is ready and send you the booking link.

Not a client yet? Start by booking an initial consultation (follow up package sessions can be used towards socialization sessions when your dog is ready).

Still Not Sure if Your Dog Is Ready for a Resocialization Session?​

I offer free 15 minute discovery call to answer any additional questions you might have.

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  • Wonderful 1st session with Kristina! Very indepth with a calm laid back manner. We now have a gameplan & assessment of our pup moving forward. Five stars!

    Janet Botham Avatar Janet Botham
  • My husband and I had an excellent first meeting with Kristina., with our two dogs. She gave us valuable additional insight and recommendations with how to respond to certain situations. Already, within the first week after the visit we are experiencing significant improvement with both dogs, in their respective areas of need i.e. better walking with one, and less reactivity in the other. Thanks Kristina for a great start, and we will be coming back for follow up sessions!

    SA W Avatar SA W
  • Kristina has been an amazing partner in my dog’s training. She’s provided realistic and manageable guidance and tools to help my dog get along with another dog. She’s also helped correct other frustrating behaviours along the way, both my dog and I are happier.

    Lauren Giroux Avatar Lauren Giroux
  • Working with Kristina has made a major difference in our home. Our older dog came to us incredibly fearful and anxious. The strategies and homework we did with our training has helped him really come out of his shell and develop confidence. Our younger dog can be reactive but after each session we see improvements in behaviours. Overall we have seen a lot of improvements in both our dogs and I’m really thankful for all we have learned from Kristina.

    Chiara Tari-Arnold Avatar Chiara Tari-Arnold
  • I adopted a rescue dog who has some crazy guarding behaviours, particularly of people and his space. Within one session of discussing why dogs do that, we were able to eliminate almost all incidents of him going after my other dog or other people. We’ve done three sessions now and we’ve been able to thoroughly improve his behaviour, improve leash manners, and learn more about him. Kristina is incredible. If you have a dog with behavioural issues or you have dogs adjusting to living together, she should be your #1 choice.

    Nic Penko Avatar Nic Penko
  • Kristina is a knowledgeable trainer and resource. From the video call that I had with her, she was able to provide multiple training exercises to help with leash reactivity, setting home boundaries, and teaching 'settle' to my rescue dog. At the end of the session, she provided a detailed email covering the training exercises we had discussed during the call. She even followed up a few weeks later to see how we were doing! I would recommend her services to anyone!

    K C Avatar K C
  • If you have an ANXIOUS dog with NO FOOD DRIVE, please try Kristina's method!!!!! I wish I could give Kristina more stars, and let her training service be known by every rescue organization in the city. We went to our first training session 12 days agao, and we are amazed at how much our rescue dog, Yara, has improved. Here's Yara's story: We adopted Yara about a year ago. She is the sweetest girl at home! However, she is extremely anxious. She is also NOT food-motivated AT ALL! We have found no dog treats or human food that can grab her attention when we're outside, even when she is not in the barking mode. We believe this is why all the previous positive-reinforcement-based training attempts FAILED, even with anti-anxiety suppplements/ CBD oil/ pheromone collar. We cannot communicate with her what we want her to do, since she can't be bothered with the treats or the high-pitch baby talk. When we contacted Kristina, we explicitly requested to train with no food reward at all. After using the method Kristina taught us for just the 12 short days, Yara has stopped barking at random dogs on walk completely. She has also stopped pulling on her leash. She now exhibits much less guarding behaviour in the dog park towards dogs outside. She plays with us more at home, and she is less anxious in general. The most important part is we think she starts to trust and understand our instructions more! She's still have some issues to work through, e.g. she still barks if the elevator door opens, and another big dog magically appears right in front of her. We are confident that we can work with Kristina to help her overcome all her issues! We were on the verge of giving up before we contacted Kristina, but we're so glad that we did not! If positive-reinforcement-only methods are not working for your dog, please try Kristina's method. Thank you, Kristina! We look forward to our next session.

    Ceci L Avatar Ceci L
  • Milo and I are so lucky that we have found Kristina. She is very knowledgeable and helpful. Milo ignored me all the time and always pulling me on the walk. Now, after two sessions, he has no pulling at all. Walking has never been this easy and relaxing. More importantly, the training sessions help me a lot to understand Milo’s behavior. Will definitely recommend Kristina to everyone who is seeking for help with your pup! And we will keep our sessions with her!

    Kailin Zhang Avatar Kailin Zhang
  • I was so grateful when I received a referral to Kristina after we adopted our sweet pup from Redemption Paws. It has been so wonderful to work with Kristina throughout our pups training journey. Kristina is clear in her communication and instructions. Everything was always explained clearly which helped me to understand my dogs behaviors. After each session Kristina would send a summary and homework for us to practice. It really helped me to be able to reference back to these emails throughout the training process. I've contacted Kristina anytime a new concern or behavior comes up, and each time she has supported me to quickly address it. I feel empowered and prepared to deal with any challenge that may arise in the future with my pup. Thank you Kristina, you have helped me to become a confident dog owner! If you have found Kristina don't hesitate to book- I know you will also feel grateful you found her!

    Courtney Nunn Avatar Courtney Nunn
  • We have a 1 year old rescue dog who was very reactive to people in our home and especially to other dogs on the street. After just two sessions with Kristina, and applying the strategies and tools that she has given us, we have already noticed significant improvements in our dog's behaviour. She is much less anxious, which of course has lessened our anxiety too. We still have much work ahead but Kristina has got us off to a great start and set us on a good pathway. She's an excellent trainer: professional, knowledgeable, compassionate and effective. She understands dogs and people.

    Richard Turner Avatar Richard Turner
Jack Russel Dog beside a kids telephone toy to signify free phone consultation

FREE 15 Minute Discovery Call

Want to speak directly with the trainer before committing to book? We offer free 15 minute discovery calls to make sure we are a right fit for your dogs needs.