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 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 amazing! Gave us a real insight into the what and why with our 16 month old Aussidoodle Murphy and how we as puppy parents could adjust to make us love him even more! ❤️ Thanks again Shannon! Mike, Murphy & Ryan
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!
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’ve adopted and fostered multiple dogs in the past 20 years and taken them all to training classes, from many different companies. Shannon and Zendog are by far the best. Shannon’s decades of experience and incredible talent as a coach and dog trainer make her classes a joy to take. I learn so much every time and I know I can trust Shannon to meet every dog and handler wherever we are. She leaves nobody behind, provides twice ad much information as any other classes I’ve taken, and somehow ensures neither dogs nor humans get bored. I’ve done everything from puppy classes to advanced obedience to reactive dog classes to private lessons with Shannon, and referred many friends there over the years. Shannon gives an outstanding experience and excellent value every single class. It is especially important to get early training and socialization right with young puppies, and Shannon’s puppy classes are by far the safest and best place I've found to make sure that happens.
Shannons Saturday morning group classes are engaging & fun & i find the exposure to other dogs in this controlled environment are really helping my reactive dog. He is becoming calmer, more focused & happy & I’m confident Shannon’s training methods & exercises we do are helping to achieve this.
I cannot say enough good about Zen Dog and especially Shannon. Anyone who registers with Zen will not be disappointed!!!😊
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.
Excellent, highly knowledgeable trainer that constantly stays on top of current research in dog training. Highly recommend
Shannon is great, and I love that she offers drop-in options for ongoing training as well as package deals. Monique has made so much progress since we've been working with Zen Dogs!
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.
Shannon is a master. Her alternative methods make her training very special and unique. She empowers the dog and the owner to have a healthy relationship based on respect for one another, and choices, versus fear-based training. I highly recommend Shannon if you are getting a new puppy or trying to integrate a second dog into your home. The education she provides will last a lifetime.