Hello! My name is Olivia, and I am the face behind Empower Dog Training. 

While my former training is in education and psychology, I have always had a passion for working with animals - especially dogs. I got my first dog, Casey, when I was 8 years old, and grew up in a dog-obsessed family. In 2017, I graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education, and continued on to completed my Masters in Educational Psychology in 2019. On top of dog training, I also currently work as a middle school teacher, and really do believe that I have the best jobs!

Poppy and I began our training journey when she was 8 months old, and completed 4 levels of obedience training while living in the Niagara Region. I began training in nosework at Oxford Dog Sports in March 2021, after volunteering at a trial and absolutely loving every aspect of it. I have also taken classes in rally obedience (UKC and CARO), Country Rat Race, Trailing and Locating, and Handler Discrimination. 

While the majority of my experience comes from training my own dogs and taking training classes, I am constantly reading and researching to learn the best ways to train. I follow a LIMA training philosophy, and my approach to training revolves around learning what is best for each individual dog, and helping owners understand how to be advocates for their pets. All my training programs are rooted in a reward and game-based system that encourages and rewards "good" behaviours, and focuses on implementing strategies that build positive associations for the dog with the training methods being used. I also strongly believe that the best way to teach a dog is through both teaching them how to make good decisions for themselves, as well as being aware of their emotional response to different situations. The goal and focus behind Empower is equipping dog owners to be knowledgeable about different training methods and strategies, behaviour, and the power of play in order to help them feel confident in their relationship with their dog. My job isn't to train your dog for you - it's to give YOU the tools you need to be a successful handler.

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Poppy is my first sport dog and the inspiration behind everything I do as a trainer. I first found Poppy though an ad on Kijiji for an elevan week old "husky mix" puppy - there was no photo of her in the ad, and her original owner was very vague with the information they gave me. Although the people I bought her from were not the breeders, it very quickly became obvious that she came from an unethical breeder, and had not had the best start at life. Despite this, she was an extremely happy and fairly well-behaved puppy - she just had a LOT of energy! 

Poppy and I started our training journey together when she was 8 months old, with the goal of going into dog sports once she had finished her formal obedience training. While our original goal was to train in agility, we have mostly focused on scent work and rat sports. 

When Poppy was about 2, she began developing reactive behaviour towards other dogs. This was in part a result of having been attacked multiple times at dog parks, as well as genetic factors that contributed to a fear of other dogs. We spent most of the COVID pandemic working on her reactive behaviour, and she is now able to share space and interact appropriately with other dogs. 

This past year, Poppy and I began our journey in dog sports. She currently holds 6 UKC nosework titles, as well as her CKC Canine Good Neighbour certificate.

Fern is our resident trouble maker and cat-vocate (don't tell him he's not a dog!). While his training hasn't been as extensive as the dogs, he does have a few tricks up his furry little sleeves. In the future, I hope to also offer online cat training courses, and Fern is ready to help me show you that cats can do it, too!

Although dog training is not a regulated field and does not require trainers to be certified to provide services, ongoing professional development is essential to making sure we are using the most up to date training methods. 

In my first year as a dog trainer, I completed an apprenticeship at Oxford Dog Sports. During my time at ODS, I taught a wide variety of group classes, including basic obedience, loose leash walking, sport samplers, introduction to agility, and a reactivity course. During this time I also worked one-on-one with private clients whose dogs were experiencing reactivity. Working with private clients quickly became my passion, and inspired me to start my own business where I primarily offer private in-home sessions for dogs who may not be ready to join group sessions.

Since leaving ODS in November 2023, I have been focusing on seeking out various opportunities to engage in online courses and apprenticeships to help develop my understanding and skills as a dog trainer. 

Another area that I put a lot of focus into as a trainer is collaboration with other trainers in the area. Through building community and connections, I am able to use the knowledge of more experienced trainers to help learn new strategies and brainstorm ideas to help my clients, as well as resource to refer clients who I may not be equipped to help.