At The Pack Way we focus on teaching clients to communicate with their dogs on an instinctual level, through improved communication and understanding.  By teaching people how to interpret the canine perspective, we open the gateway to a better relationship between dog and human, one built on mutual trust and respect.  Many behaviour issues stem from humans applying human psychology to solve dog behaviour issues.  Failing to see a dog as a unique being with its own set of behaviour patterns, drives, and instincts, we often expect to solve behaviour issues without really fully understanding the cause and origin of them. 

By undergoing an extensive study into dog behaviour Nicole is able to understand a wide range of behaviour problems and put into a place a strategy to resolve these issues.  Most critical is finding the right method that works for that particular dog.  Our training philosophy is based on helping a dog achieve balance and be in harmony with your human pack and the social environment in which she spends her life.  The best method is the one that is non-abusive and natural for the dog, one that they understand from early on and is engrained in their very DNA as social carnivores.  At the Pack Way we recognize that not every method is suitable for every dog, we gear our training methods to each individual dog and client, so that the training strategy works for them both. 

Some of our methods come from “Cesar Millian, The Dog Whisperer”, which have been heavily studied and practiced by Nicole herself who is able to recognize the unique level and intensity needed for each individual dog.  Other methods come from using the leash as a primary training tool, to listen and ask, and are similar in nature to the many of the horse training methods used by “Buck Brannaman, the Horse Whisperer.”  In other cases we utilize positive reinforcement methods, a method that focuses on eliminating poor behaviours by only acknowledging and rewarding positive behaviours.   Nicole has also developed some methods of her own after years of experience of working with both unstable dogs and dogs just needing basic training.  Regardless of the method we deem suitable it will be deeply rooted in dog psychology and will be aimed at providing long lasting results throughout the life of the dog, not merrily a quick fix or something used temporarily to manage the behaviour.

Always being interested in nature and the natural environment, Nicole believes that much can be learned by understanding a dog’s natural pack behaviour.  By studying pack behaviour and understanding how dog’s ancestors the wolf function as a family unit or pack, she has found the key to solving the modern dog’s behaviour issues.  Possessing a small pack has been instrumental in rehabilitating many dogs who otherwise might not achieve balance.  Nicole recognizes the limitations of human focused dog training and often uses her own pack in cases, such as; dog-dog aggression and reactivity, extreme fear, hyperactivity, etc.  In nature the pack has a balancing and stabilizing effect on the psyche of the dog.  Domestic dogs due to a variety of reasons become unbalanced, and often benefit immensely from being integrated into a pack to regain this balance and harmony.