Strong Canines & Cats
Behavioural Wellness

Hi there, and welcome to Strong Canines & Cats!  

 

My name is Hilary Strong; I have been a Professional Dog Trainer since 2013, a Certified Dog Behaviour Consultant since 2023, and was a Fear Free Veterinary Professional for 5 years. Currently, I am taking a 3-year Postgraduate Course in Clinical Animal Behaviour which equips me with evidence-based knowledge in assessing and treating complex behaviour in both canines and felines. 
 

The melon-head in the picture with me was the love of my life, my heart dog, Taz.  You could say that I was the love of his life too, but to be honest, Taz never really liked many people aside from me. The running joke in our household is that his favourite saying if he could talk would be "I don't like that". He kind of came that way as a puppy (noise sensitive, hiding under tables to avoid well meaning visitors), and from many mistakes as a novice handler, I kind of made him worse. Taz soon turned into a growler, lunger, and air biter. 

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He is who inspired me to help other dogs and their humans work through similar challenges. Taz was as weird as they come (and so am I), and I quickly learned that reacting to him with physical punishment was damaging our relationship and not teaching him what I wanted him TO DO instead. I found that teaching him coping mechanisms, building positive associations, and having fun with him no matter how much progress we made that day made all the difference! This of course did not mean I became permissive, but rather I would set him up for success.

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He still never became even close to perfect (and neither am I), because dogs are not machines that can be reprogrammed overnight. It is a lot of work to rewire a brain that has a lot of practice rehearsing the old undesirable behaviours. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently. There is no magic fix. 

 

With that being said, with gentle leadership skills, knowledge of how animals learn, and a great partnership, I have seen many dogs transform and their humans become better trainers. Because of my experiences with Taz and now many other wonderful dogs, I want to help puppies get the right start, adult dogs reach their full potential, and challenging dogs cope through this crazy society that is forever moving too quickly for them.  

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Taz passed away from cancer in 2021, but his goobery spirit still plays a major role in my life. This will always be a life of helping dogs and their families because of him. 

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On top of that, I am gaining more experience in feline ethology, welfare, and training and am thrilled to start offering support for those looking to live in harmony with their cats. 
 

Please reach out regarding any questions about consultations, training, presentations, or behaviour help.