Christine MacKay
The MacKay Way
Lead the Way
"Training the Human, Transitioning the Dog."
Where every great dog story begins.
Before a strategy. Before a program. Before anything changes — Christine needs to meet your dog in their world.
The Initial Assessment is the essential first step for every new client of The MacKay Way. This is where Christine arrives at your home, observes your dog in their actual environment, and begins building the full picture of who your dog is, what's driving their behaviour, and where the greatest opportunities for change live.
This is not a training session. This is something more valuable — it is the foundation upon which everything that follows is built.
What happens in the Initial Assessment:
Christine spends dedicated time with you, your family, and your dog — in your home and neighbourhood. She observes the dynamics, the triggers, the patterns, and the relationship between you and your dog as it actually exists. Nothing is assumed. Everything is seen.
From that observation comes clarity. You will understand your dog's behaviour in a way you haven't before — not just what they are doing, but why, and what it means for the path forward.
What you receive:
A thorough on-site behavioural observation in your home environment. A clear, honest conversation about what Christine sees and what it means. Initial guidance and first exercises to begin shifting the dynamic straight away. A full written assessment — your dog's behavioural profile, personalised observations, and the recommended direction for your program. A roadmap your whole family can understand and act on together.
Why this step matters:
Every dog is different. Every household is different. Every relationship between owner and dog carries its own history, its own strengths, and its own challenges. The Initial Assessment ensures that what follows — whatever program or approach Christine recommends — is built entirely around your dog, your family, and your life in the Okanagan.
There is no shortcut to this step. And there doesn't need to be — because everything that comes after it works.
The MacKay Way begins here. Book your Initial Assessment today.
For the dogs who need more. And the owners who refuse to give up on them.
Some dogs arrive carrying more than most. Reactivity that stops walks before they start. Anxiety that shapes every moment of the day. Behaviour that has left you uncertain, exhausted, and wondering what comes next.
These are the dogs Christine works with in the Rehabilitation Program. And this is the work she was built for.
This is The MacKay Way at its most intensive — a minimum of six sessions, designed for dogs with significant behavioural challenges and the owners who are committed to meeting them there.
A note on safety:
Every dog in this program works within a structured safety framework. Muzzles are required. Advanced management tools are introduced and coached throughout. This is not judgment — it is care. For your dog, for your family, and for your community.
What this program addresses:
Reactivity. High anxiety. Fear-based behaviour. Aggression. The Rehabilitation Program goes beneath the surface to the drivers behind the behaviour — and builds a clear, structured path back.
Six sessions minimum. A full written re-patterning plan. Progress tracking throughout. A safety plan for your home and your life.
This program is for owners who are ready.
Ready to be honest about where things are. Ready to do the work between sessions. Ready to believe — perhaps for the first time in a while — that change is possible.
This is not a quick fix. It is something better — a genuine way forward.
The next step is a conversation.
The Rehabilitation Program begins with a direct enquiry to Christine. Every dog in this program is assessed individually before the program commences.
What this program is not:
This is not a quick fix. Rehabilitation is a process — measured in sessions, in small shifts, in moments of genuine progress that build toward lasting change. Christine will be honest with you about where your dog is, what is possible, and what the journey looks like. That honesty is part of the work.
Six sessions minimum. Full commitment. Real change. For the dogs — and the owners — who deserve it.
Contact Christine today
The MacKay Way — Single Session
One hour. One focus. Exactly what your dog needs right now.
Sometimes the need is specific. A skill to sharpen, a behaviour to address, a moment to reset and reconnect with what you know works. The Single Session brings Christine's full expertise directly to you — one hour, one clear focus, real results.
This session is designed for the dog owner who knows what they need and is ready to move forward with it.
What a Single Session covers:
A new skill introduced and embedded with confidence. A refresh of techniques you've already learned, brought back to full effectiveness. A maintenance top-up that keeps your dog's progress on track and your own leadership sharp.
This session is a natural fit for:
Past clients returning for a focused refresh. Dogs and owners ready to consolidate gains and build on what's already working. Anyone with a specific behaviour or skill they want addressed with specialist precision.
A note on value:
Your Single Session investment carries forward. Every session can be applied toward a program package upgrade — so starting here is always the right place to start.
One hour of The MacKay Way. Book yours.
Your shepherd isn't stubborn. They're speaking a language most trainers don't understand.
Border Collies. Australian Shepherds. Kelpies. Cattle Dogs. Shelties. These dogs were not bred to sit quietly and wait. They were bred to think, to move, to work — and when that drive has nowhere to go, it finds somewhere to go anyway.
The Herding Breed Program is built around how these dogs actually think. Rather than suppressing instinct, Christine puts it to work — channelling the drive, the eye, the balance, and the intelligence that make herding breeds extraordinary into a dog you can live with, communicate with, and genuinely enjoy.
This is a rare specialist skill set. Three focused sessions for herding breed owners who are ready to understand their dog at the level their dog deserves.
What this program works with:
Herding drive — assessed, understood, and channelled constructively. The fundamental instincts of eye, balance, and fetch, introduced and shaped with care. Boundary and perimeter work that gives your dog's natural tendencies a framework and a purpose.
This program is for:
Herding breed owners whose dog's intelligence and drive are running ahead of them. Owners who have tried conventional training and found it only goes so far. Anyone who wants to understand their dog at the instinct level — and work with that, rather than against it.
Three sessions. One specialist. The language your dog has been waiting for someone to speak.
Three sessions. One transformation. A dog you're proud to take anywhere.
Kelowna is a community built for living outdoors — the trails, the patios, the dog parks, the farmers markets, the waterfront. Your dog is part of that life. The Urban Citizen Program makes sure they can show up to all of it with confidence, manners, and the kind of presence that makes dog ownership genuinely joyful.
This is a three-session program designed for dogs and owners who are ready to show up fully — in their neighbourhood, their community, and their city.
What the Urban Citizen Program builds:
This program addresses the complete picture of what it means to have a well-mannered, community-ready dog in Kelowna. Every session moves you and your dog forward together — building reliability, deepening communication, and developing the leadership foundation that makes everything else possible.
Leash manners and loose-leash walking. The walk is where the relationship shows. Christine works with you and your dog on true loose-leash walking — calm, connected, and consistent on every surface and in every environment Kelowna offers.
Reliable obedience in the real world. Sit, stay, down, and come — not just in your living room, but at the dog park, on the trail, outside the coffee shop. Reliability means it works when it matters, not just when it's easy.
Polite greetings with people and dogs. Your dog meets the world every day. This program builds the social confidence and self-regulation that makes every greeting calm, safe, and pleasant — for your dog, for you, and for everyone around you.
Impulse control and real-world distraction work. Squirrels. Cyclists. Other dogs. Children. The Okanagan is full of the unexpected. Impulse control work gives your dog the ability to pause, check in with you, and choose the right response — every time.
Handler leadership and consistency coaching. The most important skill in this program isn't your dog's — it's yours. Christine coaches you in the leadership habits and communication consistency that your dog needs from you. Because a confident handler produces a confident dog.
This program is for:
Dogs and owners who want to move through their community with ease and confidence. New dog owners building the right foundation from the start. Dogs with the basics in place who are ready to take those skills into the real world. Anyone who wants dog ownership in Kelowna to feel the way it should — connected, enjoyable, and full of possibility.
Three sessions. Built for your neighbourhood. Built for your dog. Built for the life you want together.
Every dog deserves to be welcomed. This is how they earn it.
The Good Citizen Program is the standard every dog can reach — and every community deserves. Eight sessions. Non-competitive. Open to purebred and mixed-breed dogs alike. Built around the skills, the temperament, and the reliability that make a dog a genuine pleasure to live alongside and a valued member of their community.
This is not about perfection. It is about partnership — between you and your dog, and between your dog and the world around them.
What the Good Citizen Program certifies:
A dog who has completed the Good Citizen Program has demonstrated something meaningful. They have shown, in real situations with real distractions, that they can be trusted — with strangers, with other dogs, in crowds, in veterinary and grooming settings, and in the everyday moments that define what it means to be a dog living well in a community.
The certification reflects the dog. And it reflects the owner who brought them there. It's non-competitive and open to both purebred and mixed-breed dogs.
Accepting a friendly stranger approaching the handler
Sitting politely while being petted
Accepting grooming/examination (as a vet or groomer would do)
Walking on a loose leash
Walking through a crowd
Sit, down, and stay on command
Come when called
Calm down after play
Reaction to a passing dog
Reaction to distractions (strollers, joggers, noises)
Behaviour when left with another person (supervised separation)
Overall temperament and attitude
Goals of the program:
Increase awareness of dogs as valued community members, promote responsible dog ownership, and certify that dogs conduct themselves reliably in everyday situations around people and other dogs.
And running through every one of these — an overall temperament and attitude that reflects a dog who is settled, social, and genuinely at ease in their world.
Eight sessions. One clear purpose:
The Good Citizen Program runs across eight structured sessions — enough time to introduce each skill properly, build it to reliability, and prepare both dog and owner for the certification assessment with confidence. Every session builds on the last. Every skill earns its place.
Open to dogs six months and older. Purebred and mixed-breed welcome.
The Good Citizen has no interest in pedigree. It has every interest in character. Any dog — regardless of breed, background, or history — who is at least six months old and ready to learn is welcome in this program.
Why this matters:
Dogs who move through their communities with calm, reliability, and good manners change the conversation around dog ownership. They are welcomed rather than managed. They open doors — to patios, to trails, to the kind of life with a dog that most owners dreamed of when they brought one home.
The Good Citizen Program gives your dog the certification. The work you do together gives them the life.
Eight sessions. Twelve skills. One dog the world is glad to meet.
Professional Training Services
Behaviour assessment - What to Expect
Your dog's behaviour lives in your world — on your street, in your home, in the moments that matter most. That's exactly where Christine meets you.
This is a 90-minute on-site session, at your home and in your neighbourhood, where real behaviour reveals itself and real change begins.
Christine arrives as both observer and strategist. Within the context of your dog's actual environment — the triggers, the routines, the relationships — she reads what's happening beneath the surface and builds a clear picture of where you are and where you're headed.
You leave the session with:
A grounded understanding of your dog's behaviour patterns and what's driving them. Practical exercises and detailed instructions your whole family can begin using straight away. A full written review — a personalised reference document crafted for your household, so the learning continues long after Christine has gone.
This is the foundation everything else is built on. One session, one clear direction, one step toward the relationship with your dog you've been looking for.
Three sessions. One transformation. A dog you're proud to take anywhere.
Kelowna is a community built for living outdoors — the trails, the patios, the dog parks, the farmers markets, the waterfront. Your dog is part of that life. The Urban Citizen Program makes sure they can show up to all of it with confidence, manners, and the kind of presence that makes dog ownership genuinely joyful.
This is a three-session program designed for dogs and owners who are ready to show up fully — in their neighbourhood, their community, and their city.
Dogs and owners ready for community lifeYou want to walk the Mission Creek Greenway, sit on a Kelowna patio, and visit the dog park — with a dog who makes that easy and enjoyable.
New dog owners building the right foundationStarting well means everything. This program sets the habits, the communication, and the leadership framework that will shape your dog's behaviour for life.
Dogs with basics in place, ready for the real worldYour dog knows some things — and now it's time for those skills to hold up where it counts. This program takes what you have and makes it reliable.
Anyone who wants dog ownership to feel the way it shouldConnected. Enjoyable. Full of the possibility that comes when you and your dog are genuinely working together.
Your shepherd isn't stubborn. They're speaking a language most trainers don't understand.
Border Collies. Australian Shepherds. Kelpies. Cattle Dogs. Shelties. These dogs were not bred to sit quietly and wait. They were bred to think, to move, to work — and when that drive has nowhere to go, it finds somewhere to go anyway.
The Herding Breed Program is built around how these dogs actually think. Rather than suppressing instinct, Christine puts it to work — channelling the drive, the eye, the balance, and the intelligence that make herding breeds extraordinary into a dog you can live with, communicate with, and genuinely enjoy.
This is a rare specialist skill set. Three focused sessions for herding breed owners who are ready to understand their dog at the level their dog deserves.
Schedule a Consultation
"Great pack leaders aren't born — they're made. With a few simple guidelines, you'll step confidently into that role and build a bond with your dog that lasts a lifetime."
"You don't have to be a natural — you just have to be willing. A few straightforward guidelines will help you become the calm, confident leader your dog is looking for, and the two of you will be better for it, for life."
Request a Custom Proposal
Let me know what the challenges are, and I’ll design something specific for you and your fury friend.