Get to know more about Shannon Malmberg
As an avid runner, Shannon began her dog training journey in 1988 by volunteering with Project Safe Run, a personal protection-dog organization for women athletes, while she completed degrees in journalism and political science at the University of Oregon.
Upon graduation Shannon moved to Vancouver and worked as a civilian decoy with the Vancouver Police Dog Squad from 1991 until 2003: a “hired bad-guy” to assist in the training of young patrol dogs in tracking and criminal apprehension. Hiding in dumpsters, running down dark alleyways, and getting bitten by German Shepherds gave her an insight into working with high drive dogs and dog aggression.
It was here Shannon truly got the dog training bug.
She founded her company Zen Dog Canine Training Ltd. in 2002, teaching dogs and their people across Vancouver and the lower mainland. To date she has worked with close to 10,000 clients on a broad range of issues from puppy raising to behavioural cases, and all things in between.
As a professional dog coach, Shannon is enthusiastic and creative, committed to teaching in a way that is positive for both humans and dogs. She has a gift for bringing dogs and their people closer together while meeting the needs of each client she works with. Shannon stays current with science-based methods and is a lifelong student in all things dog.
My Great Dog Story
She tirelessly attends multiple seminars and on-line coursework a year, getting the opportunity to work with some of the world's leading dog trainers in developing her own craft. Shannon is driven by her passion to learn more and do better by the dogs she lives and works with. She also has a keen interest in building relationships through toy/tug play, and understanding canine nutrition, fitness and body conditioning, rounding out her understanding of dogs' needs.
Shannon is recommended by breeders, veterinarians, rescue organizations and related industry peers for the work she does. She currently shares her life with two amazing border collies and can be found in the agility ring or out in nature.
About the company
The company targets specific classes and personal coaching for rescue dogs, as well as reactive dogs, puppies, adolescent and adult dogs, honouring their unique stages and transitions in life. Zen Dog is committed to positive reinforcement-based strategies when working with clients and their dogs and seeks to engage the learner with effective game-based methods so that learning is fun for all.
What do Dog Owners think?
I met Shannon when I was in desperate need of a trainer to help my reactive GSD get over himself. Shannon helped him and, more importantly, helped me to deal with him. She has taught me so much about the many roads you can take to develop a mutually fabulous relationship with your dog. I can't say enough good things about her and Zen Dog.
Shannon is the best! More than 12 years ago, I was searching out a dog trainer, after purchasing a 'wild child' 6 month old German Shepherd puppy. Lucky for us, we found Zen Dog Training and Shannon has been with us every step of the last 12 years! We still do training as often as possible and keep learning all the time! Thanks to Shannon's gentle guidance and coaching, we are a great team!
I have known Shannon for years, she helped with training of Roxy, my first black lab.Did amazing job. When I moved down the street from Simply Natural, found out she was doing puppy classes there.So after I found Marli, female black lab puppy, I did not hesitate to take her puppy classes. Thing I love about Shannon, she constantly on top of new training ideas. Still has the great touch with dogs.Positive training. Made huge difference with Marli. 2 paws up from Marli & Terry
I have been taking my feisty young terrier mix dog to Shannon's Saturday morning Skills & Drills Power Hour for the past few months and it has been a game changer for us. He went from being unable to be close to the other dogs and having to do the exercises 20 feet away from the group, to being able to walk past dogs, in between dogs, towards dogs, all a couple of feet away from him with no issues. This class was exactly what we needed for him to feel more comfortable around other dogs and I am so grateful for Shannon's knowledge and encouragement. Shannon has years and years of dog training experience and it shows!! Sylvie Fefer
Shannon was kind, extremely knowledgeable and very easy to work with! She always got back to me quickly when I had questions and provided excellent resources to help with training. Heidi and I couldn’t be more appreciative for all the help and support!
Shannon is an amazing trainer and I highly recommend her classes. She is extremely knowledgeable and detailed in her descriptions, and helps support every student in reaching their training goals. Once I started working with Shannon, I saw a marked increase in my puppies confidence and decision making skills, and our connection is so strong now. Highly recommend Shannon and Zen dog training.
We are so grateful for Shannon and have learned so much from her!! We originally reached out with our fearful border collie puppy and Shannon has helped us build up her confidence and given us great advice as we work through the teenager phase of our girl’s development. Highly recommend Shannon - you can tell how knowledgeable she is and how she adapts the training to your individual dog.
Shannon is a fantastic instructor with the experience and resources to help puppies truly thrive. As first-time puppy owners, her support and willingness to answer questions outside of class has been invaluable. We started with a private session, continued into Kindergarten, and are now beginning our third course with her. We can’t imagine training our puppy without Shannon!
Set up for success!
Working with Zen Dogs completely changed my dog for the better and greatly improved our relationship. Thanks to Shannon, I build the dog of my dreams! My dog is focused, driven, calm and confident. He now gets along with all sorts of other animals, listens to me immediately and is brave enough to try new things!
When my partner and I adopted an energetic, bouncy and sassy husky-mix last year, we knew we needed help and Shannon has been our super-hero! We first signed up for Shannon's leash walking super set; the classes were fun and gave us the tools we needed to work on Zendi's leash skills, which were non-existent. We went back to Shannon again recently for private classes to focus more on Zendi's unique needs (mainly managing her enthusiasm in a healthy way). While there's no quick or easy solution, the tips and tricks Shannon has shared are enabling us to engage more with Zendi and provide the physical and mental stimulation she needs. Shannon's guidance has been nothing short of invaluable! In addition to her extensive knowledge and experience, she is personable, thoughtful and just everything you would want from a dog trainer. We honestly can't recommend Shannon enough!! :)
I had the good fortune of attending Shannon's classes and also had multiple private sessions. Shannon is extremely knowledgable and passionate about dogs/dog training. She is first class!
Zen Dog Training has made life with our reactive dog possible. We didn't know the extent of our rescue dog's issues when we adopted him and were totally lost when the problems surfaced. Shannon was patient and efficient in teaching us the basics and Jenn has been a complete savior with her Growl classes ever since. She has a wonderfully clear and direct way of teaching us and helping us communicate better with our crazy pup. Her hard work has taught us how to communicate with our dog and build a relationship that keeps us all safe and happy. I truly can't thank her enough.