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?
We really love Shannon’s dog classes! We were referred by a friend since we were looking for something that was the right amount of a challenge that tested our pup’s obedience in more complex settings, and this was exactly that! Working in a group class outside with different dogs and smells has helped to refine our dog’s obedience. Shannon also does a great job giving out personal pointers as well as generalized tips, and adjusts the class seamlessly to cater to the vibe and level each week! If you’re looking for good and fun group classes with an experienced trainer, we recommend this one :)
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
I highly recommend Shannon for dog training. She is knowledgeable and makes training logical and easy to understand. My rescue dog has made big improvements in dealing with her new city environment and big dog anxieties. Thanks for all your invaluable help with the dog AND ME!
I have worked with Shannon at Zen Dog Training for many years with my dogs. Shannon has been and continues to be an incredible support for dog training as well as anything else doggy related! Shannon's classes are so much fun and my dog enjoys them just as much as I do. Shannon is always willing to answer questions and provide resources. I would highly recommend Shannon and Zen Dog Canine Training for any of your dog training needs.
My Cavalier, Pippin, and I did Shannon's Puppy Kindergarten and Puppy Grade One classes. Both were great. I appreciated the small size and indoor setting of Kindergarten, and the chance to play on some agility equipment as well as learning some basics. Puppy Grade One was outdoors - that made it much easier to translate the exercises to the real world. Shannon is a great teacher - patient with both the dogs and the humans, always willing to answer questions and tailor suggestions to your specific breed of puppy, and sends out weekly lessons and videos that we can review. I highly recommend her classes.
Shannon at Zen Dog has been amazing helping me train my young black lab. She’s so thoughtful and really took the time to understand my pup’s needs. It can be tough sorting through all the online training advice, but Shannon made everything so clear and easy to follow. The 1-on-1 sessions were super helpful, and the Saturday group classes have been a great way to keep building on our progress. I’m so grateful for her guidance and highly recommend her to anyone looking for a kind, knowledgeable trainer!
Our Jack Russell Sandy has been having some territorial reactivity and struggles with impulse control. After a few sessions with Shannon we have already seen improvement. She has given us the tools to understand and help our dog through these challenges in a fun and positive way!
We can’t say enough about Shannon and Zen Dog training. Earl of Oxford has successfully completed Puppy Kindergarten and we have now moved outside for more in Puppy Grade 1. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, patience and tips with us. The other added bonus of working with Shannon for puppy school was you get access to the Simply Natural shop and the expertise from Charmaine, Elizabeth and Caroline. We had first hand thoughts and tips on nutrition, grooming, vet visits and more. All made easier if you needed anything after the class from what we had learned, you could buy before heading home. Win Win. Shout out to all! Earl has many more classes ahead, as we - thanks!
I started train my high energy mixed breed puppy with Zen Dog Canine and love their approach...Both Shannon and Christine are very knowledgeable and equip you with several tools how to deal with your dog's behaviour.. and I can't wait till the next course..
Very happy with the training, tools and help that Shannon provided during our one on one sessions. She gave me so much info on behaviour and was very patient with every question we had. I feel like I have so much more confidence with my reactive Daisy , and slowly we will be able to influence and correct her behaviour issues. Highly recommend , her follow-up with emails/ videos and website were all excellent . Thanks Shannon!
Zen dog classes are amazing! They really challenged our dog and taught him practical and fun skills to take out into the world. Would highly recommend the classes, especially if you have an active dog!
We have learned so much with Zen Dog, so happily. The classes are effective, with an outstanding trainer (Shannon) guiding our dogs to learn very happily. Everything is based on positive reinforcement and it all works so well. You will enjoy the training and your dog will thrive.Our Aussie Mountain Doodle puppy came home at 5 months. She is our first dog so we were a bit anxious about how to get it right. We quickly gained confidence with the Zen Dog JumpStart programme. It was astonishing on the first day to find that Indy could do so much already... when Shannon worked with her. Then we took over and things fell apart. It dawned on us that Shannon was actually training us, not the puppy! We applied ourselves, began guiding Indy better, and saw really rewarding results. Grade 1 was a great experience, too. We have made notable progress and, most importantly, now have considerable confidence as to how to proceed. We'll be back for Grade 2 with Zen dogs!
