It’s a first of its kind for dog training in Powell River.
The BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) recently announced a society-accredited trainer has moved to the city.
Maren Bruun’s business is “Paw in Hand” and she moved with her family from Squamish in September 2021.
“We’re really excited every time we have a new trainer in a new community for AnimalKind,” SPCA spokeswoman Nicole Fenwick told Vista Radio. “We want everyone in the province to have access to humane trainers in their area, so yes, this is great.”
The voluntary accreditation has trainers follow a set of standards that are based on rewards-based training and reading a dog’s body language.
“All of the evidence points towards reward-based training as being the most effective and most humane way to train a dog so they (trainers) all will follow those science-based practices in their training,” Fenwick explained.
For those who can’t access a trainer one-on-one, Fenwick says more trainers are offering virtual classes.
It’s not only clients benefiting from the training. Bruun has also been working with some shelter dogs before they’re adopted.
The AnimalKind standards have been in place since 2019. The first standards were made for wildlife and rodent control companies the year before.
