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?
It was so calming for my dog!
I can't say enough about Zen Dog training and Shannon herself. She really exudes sheer knowledge, wrapped in a comforting layer of reassurance and fun. My dog now behaves so well and is so much calmer in situations that used to be stressful. Thanks so much!
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..
This is my second time attending classes with Zen Dog. I trained with them for my first Golden Doodle named Konah. I also gave my god-son a gift certificate for Zen Dog classes for his new puppy back in 2018. Zen Dog creates a safe secure environment to learn training skills for your dog. I can't say enough about the owner Shannon. I first met Shannon almost 25 years ago and she has been working with me for all my pets. I am truly grateful to know her and to be apart of her program. Thank you Zen Dog and a huge thank you to all of the amazing staff working on the team!!
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!
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!
Shannon is the best! My dog Ram and I did the life skills 1 class this spring and had a blast! Shannon is fantastic at explaining exercises in an easy to understand way. I really liked getting real time feedback about how to hold the leash, body position for different exercise and how to clearly communicate with Ram. Ram was engaged for the full hour each week and he was super excited every time we pulled up to Carnavon school. His loose leash walking improved a ton and have made walks much more enjoyable. The detailed homework exersice descriptions Shannon sent out each week helped to keep us on track between classes. Totally recommend!
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!
Shannon is the BEST trainer I have ever had the pleasure working with. Thanks to Shannon, I finally feel confident when it comes to understanding and working with my dogs. For the last three years, Shannon has been an immense help in training my Border Aussie through puppy classes, Rally-O, Skills & Drills, and private sessions. These classes have been fabulous socialization opportunities for my dog who sadly became reactive after a traumatic experience as a puppy. Thanks to Shannon's help and classes, she now also has more ease around other dogs. Shannon is like a human encyclopedia when it comes to doggie knowledge, is extremely patient, encouraging, and one of my dog's favourite humans. After working with Shannon, I am a better dog owner! Highly recommend her as an amazing dog trainer!!
My dog Leela and I had so much fun at Shannon’s Rally-O classes. We started with no previous experience and within 4 classes we were able to complete an advanced course off leash! Shannon is a phenomenal positive trainer, very knowledgable and patient with doggies and humans alike. Highly recommend!
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 :)
Shannon and the team are fantastic! Highly recommend for every dog owner.
Wonderful positive reinforcement instructor. I have taken puppy classes and all the way to rally obedience with Shannon and my pup and I have enjoyed it so much!
