About Megan Brooking

Role: Extraordinary Canines Owner, Lead Trainer, & Photographer

Certifications:

• Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA, 2018)
• Certified K9 Nose Work Instructor (CNWI, 2020)
• Fear Free Certified (2020)
• Puppy Start Right Instructor (2020)
• Family Dog Mediator (FDM, 2024)
• Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI, 2024)

Specialties:

• Scent Detection Sport
• Puppies 
• Leash Walking
• Foundational Training (‘basic obedience’)
• On-Leash Reactivity

Other Skills:

• Tricks
• Rally Obedience (CARO)
• Hoopers Basics

Influences: Megan has been influenced by a range of esteemed dog trainers, including Dr. Patricia McConnell, Kathy Sdao, Hannah Brannigan, Leslie McDevitt, and Chirag Patel. She finds it challenging to write a short list of trainers that inspire her as so many trainers have shaped her approach to dog training over the years.

Experience: Megan embarked on her professional dog training journey in 2016. Her passion for the field ignited when she successfully managed her own dog’s on-leash reactivity issues, leading her to discover a profound interest in the science of animal behaviour and how it applies to dog training.

Continuing Education: To stay current in her field, Megan consumes content geared towards pet owners, which helps her communicate more effectively with clients. She also delves into peer-reviewed studies, attends webinars for professional trainers, and continuously seeks new ideas anywhere she can find them. Megan is a passionate life long learner and also believes in the value of being a student herself and you may find her as a student with her own dogs in local classes offered by some of her fabulous colleagues in the industry. 

Background: Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theatre, with her background in both acting and directing having shaped her confidence in leading classes. She also has experience in teaching fitness classes which further built her group instruction skills and ability to work with adult learners. Her time spent working as a dog daycare attendant, as well as volunteering at animal shelters has enriched her understanding in dog behavior and body language, enhancing her ability to train effectively. She completed a mentorship and informal certification for dog training in 2017 and has been training professionally since then. 

Megan’s Dogs 

Brophy

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Brophy is a senior Finnish Lapphund and the reactive dog that led Megan to becoming a dog trainer. He has long ago overcome his reactive behaviour and is perfectly content to relax in all kinds of environments where other dogs may be around. When he was a teenager, however, his lunging and barking was so intense that Megan was attending physio for a shoulder injury (from the repeated lunging) and felt absolutely hopeless when it came to walking this boy. Because of this he’s helped Megan to be able to truly relate to her reactive dog clients.

Brophy is an all or nothing dog. Her acts first and asks questions later. If he’s doing something then he’s putting every ounce of enthusiasm he can muster into doing it and if he’s not interested then he’s not doing it. He’s a total clown and brings his own fun everywhere he goes. He believes anything worth doing is worth doing at 110%.

Like most dogs, working with Brophy requires a lot of clarity and consistency. Training sessions need to be dynamic and fun with lots and lots of treats. He is a food obsessed dog that will do almost anything for food, but sometimes can become so fixated on the food that loses he will lose his ability to think through problems.

While he is very friendly he is also very independent with a desire to keep personal space, so no physical affection for this guy during training (he’d be LESS interested in working for you if you tried using affection as a reward).

Brophy is an independent dog with a low frustration for stress and therefore he has taught Megan a lot about patience, consistency, and training in slow approximations. 

While he is well accomplished in multiple dog sports and has tried out many not listed here, his favourite thing is most definitely scent detection.

Scent Detection Titles:

• CKC: Novice
• CDSA: DS1-Sr
• C-WAGS: Level 1 ACE, Level 2 & 3, Ranger 1 & 2

Tricks Titles:

• DMWYD: Trick Dog Novice Masters

Conformation:

• CKC: Champion