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 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!
We have a rare breed, a Thai Ridgeback, which is known to be a challenging breed. But our Cooper is just like any pup, friendly interactive and now well trained. Shannon and Jen that we have worked in private and in classwork are extremely knowledgeable and use most current and best practice in their training methods. Highly recommend.
Shannon has transformed our understanding of our large 4 y.o. rescue. We did 1:1 sessions to address some reactivity on leash and within a week of homework, we were amazed at the difference. Now we are working on other cool commands and our dog really seems to love learning, thanks to Shannon. She really knows her stuff, and explains the 'why' of the behaviour and how our human behaviour can help or hinder our dog's learning. We ask her all kinds of dog questions and she always responds with patience and wisdom. It is so much more than just training and the session flies by! I especially appreciate how she sends us our specific lessons as homework after our session, ensuring ever important consistency in our household. We highly recommend Shannon for you and your 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!
The "kindergarten" is an excellent course: thoughtfully designed, thoroughly prepared, and effectively delivered. Our puppy learned a lot while enjoying herself beyond belief. We did too, because Shannon teaches the owners how to work with their dogs. We will absolutely take our puppy to other courses offered by Shannon.
Shannon has been helping us with our Aussie’s reactivity and we couldn’t ask for a better trainer! She helped us hone in our handling skills and with lots of time and patience, our dogs reactivity is now super minimal and we feel equipped with the skills to handle it. We also love the Skills and Drills class which is a great opportunity to strengthen our dog’s focus and our relationship with him.Highly recommend Shannon to anyone looking for a skilled and supportive trainer!
Shannon and Zen Dog training are now training our third dog, indicating how satisfied we are with Shannon’s training over the past 15 years! Our previous two dogs started in puppy class and progressed through all the different classes up to the skills and drills classes, ensuring our enthusiastic poodles (and us!) were well trained and socialized. We really enjoy the group classes that Shannon holds outdoors, and value both the instruction she provides in class, as well as the class previews and supplemental on-line information. With her extensive experience and expertise, Shannon uses positive reinforcement techniques to help us train our new 5-month-old puppy. Our new puppy is quite reactive and anxious, something new to us - we are so glad that Shannon has been there to support and advise us, to help us navigate his path through adolescence. In summary, I highly recommend Shannon and Zen Dog training if you are looking to train, socialize and work with your dog in Vancouver and the lower mainland.
I have a working line German Shepherd puppy. I know it will be lots of work but I love this breed. I took this challenge and decided to set him up for success. Zen Dog Canine Training is the only one I will go to. Shannon has extensive knowledges and experiences in dog training. Her efforts and dedications helping us with my pass dog and the puppy I have now is way beyond just providing a standard dog training service. Shannon is a good listener, she effectively communicates with us, really really understand the perspective on our situation fully. Shannon’s Puppy Kindergarten Class was one of the best experiences ever. My puppy loved the class and I left with ton of helpful information and education that improved my skills. I would definitely sign up for another classes in the future. I highly recommend Zen Dog Canine Training.
Shannon is the best! We have worked with her and our 2 dogs on and off for over 10 years. Our dogs are super content and always have so much fun in class. Highly recommended!
Shannon is a great teacher and we learned how to train our new puppy! We did kindergarten, grade one and grade two and we highly recommend. It allowed us to connect more with our puppy, set boundaries, reinforce behaviours and learn how to keep training him as he grows. It’s amazing how fast our puppy learned new concepts. Shannon is also available for advice and recommendations, which was very helpful as first time dog parents. Thank you, Shannon and Zen Dog training!
Shannon is an exceptional trainer. She was able to observe some of our puppy’s tricky behaviour and recommend clear and accessible positive reinforcement strategies. Our high energy and persistent puppy is so much easier to manage now that we’ve done group puppy classes and 1:1 training with Shannon. I highly recommend her, both for puppy classes or private training sessions.
Shannon is the BEST dog trainer! She has worked with us for years - with our older pup and now our new little guy. She is thorough, thoughtful, clear and kind. I recommend her without hesitation.
