Serving Qualicum Beach, Parksville and area
Dog Training in Action
Positive Reinforcement for Lasting Bonds
At Clever Pups, I believe that training tails for clever canines starts with a foundation of trust. I utilize positive reinforcement through play, and techniques that focus on rewarding the behaviors you want to see, rather than penalizing those you don’t. This creates a supportive learning environment.
My goal is to empower pet owners with the communication tools needed to understand their canine companions. Also to ensure every session enhances the relationship between owner and dog, leading to a lifetime of harmony and mutual respect built on compassion.
Effective Training Solutions
Agility Foundation
A fun, confidence-building intro to agility for dogs and owners.
Whether you're looking for a new hobby or a competitive future, these classes covers essential foundation agility skills. It's perfect for dogs of all ages, building their confidence and strengthening the bond between owner and dog
Success Stories from Happy Pet Owners
When we took my one-year-old Border Collie, Fenton, on his first road trip, he developed an acute fear of entering any buildings that wasn’t his home. It all started after a stressful, unsuccessful attempt to check into a pet-friendly hotel with a shiny marble floor—after that, he simply refused to go anywhere indoors.
Another trainer recommended Valerie, and I’m so glad they did—she was exactly the help we needed. Valerie worked with both Fenton and me (mostly me!) and taught us practical, effective techniques to build his confidence and strengthen his trust in me to keep him safe.
Within just a couple of months, Fenton made incredible progress and won a first-place ribbon in his first Agility Trial. I can’t thank Valerie enough. With her help Fenton has become the best trained dog I have ever had!
Cindy Bedford and Fenton
I took our Golden Retriever Olive to Valerie’s puppy training programme when she was about 12 weeks old. It was an excellent way to start off. Olive learned and practiced basic commands, was socialized to other dogs, and began her relationship with me, all the best basics. Val was an excellent teacher and the dogs all seemed to gravitate to her. Olive is now almost nine years old and for eight of her nine years she attended weekly agility classes with me and with Val. Olive has benefitted greatly from these classes and from Val’s knowledge and ability as I did, too because it’s not only the dog, but also the owner who must know what to do. Olive is a wonderful, healthy, fun, active, beautifully tempered companion and I attribute much of this to Val and her training classes.
Herb and Olive
We brought our four-month-old German Shepherd X, Hobbs, to Val when we first got him as a rescue. As first-time dog owners, we had no experience at all, so we really didn’t know what to expect.
Val didn’t just train Hobbs—she trained us too. Each week focused on a different aspect of training, but it never felt overwhelming for either us or Hobbs. Starting early made a big difference, and Hobbs picked things up quickly. He’s still eager to learn, which we really value.
With Val’s guidance and training techniques, Hobbs has grown into a well-behaved, attentive, and responsible dog. Val’s calm demeanour and knowledge made the whole experience enjoyable, and Hobbs genuinely looked forward to each session.
Kate and Hobbs
During Covid, I made the mistake of adopting two canine brothers from Taiwan. I had no idea about training siblings and what I was about to embark on. Val has been with me from the very beginning. This breed of dog (Formosan Mountain Dog) comes with some fairly unique traits … high prey drive…and extreme stranger danger. Val’s knowledge of dog behaviour and her ability to break through their barriers and then instruct me, in a gentle, patient, and compassionate way, has been life-saving for me. I do not believe I would still have these two hooligans had she not taken us on as a project. Due to Val’s methods and suggestions, I have two very well-behaved, adjusted, happy six-year-olds. I would highly recommend her for any canine training.
Kathy McIntyre, Lucas and Piper
Val did a great job at helping me train my two very different dogs. Val tailored the training, whether it was agility, obedience, or behavioural, to each of my dogs’ needs. One of my dogs is an energetic Bernese Mountain Dog. The other is a mixed working breed I adopted from Mexico at 3 years old.
Hope, my Bernese Mountain Dog, is incredibly food-driven and social. Val helped me work with Hope to develop recall in situations where it had been difficult for her to disengage (for example, running into a neighbour who usually has treats, or one of her dog friends). Agility training provided her with a constructive outlet for her energy, and we had a lot of fun together!
When I first brought my mix, Sadie, to Val, she was afraid to even enter the training facility. Before we adopted her, she had a difficult life and, as a result, didn’t trust people. Val was patient and encouraging, which helped bring Sadie out of her shell. It was incredible to see Sadie build confidence over time. By the end of our sessions together, Sadie was running agility courses, learned to play with toys, and was much less stressed around other dogs.
Something often overlooked, but incredibly valuable, is how much Val trained me. Val gave me the tools and confidence to continue to work with my dogs on my own. Val helped me learn to communicate effectively with my dogs. She challenged me to build skills in directing my dogs through different variations of her agility course. Thanks to Val, training has turned into a hobby of mine. I will always be grateful for the time she spent with us.
Miesha with Sadie and Hope
Get in Touch with Valerie
Ready to enhance your relationship with your dog? I am here to help.
Location
Qualicum Beach, BC
cleverpupsinfo@gmail.com