Kristina Rapson

Providing The Best Dog Training in Toronto

Kristina is an award winning dog trainer and behaviourist in Toronto who recently won best dog trainer for the Canadian Choice Awards 2024 & 2025. She is also on the finalist list for 2026. She has also been listed in the top 5 on 6 different lists, and has over 160 five star Google reviews. With a specialty in behavioural issues and rescue dogs, her methods are different than most other trainers with a focus first and foremost on improving the human / dog relationship and communication. If you think you’ve tried everything, it’s likely that Kristina has some new methods that will help you get you and your dog to where you want to be.

For more information on Kristina’s background, philosophies and services, please navigate through the menu

We Specialize in Behaviour Modification

Having some trouble with your dog's behaviour?
We can help with anything including but not limited to:

Obedience Training

Dog obedience training is the process of teaching a dog to follow basic commands such as sit, stay, come, and heel. While it’s a valuable tool for managing behavior in specific situations, obedience training doesn’t always address the root causes of behavioral issues.

Kristina is professionally trained in obedience training at the National K9 Learning Center and takes a well-rounded approach to dog behavior.

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Puppy Training

Not all puppy classes teach you how to stop bad behaviour. Most puppy parents struggle with potty training, destructive chewing and nipping and biting.

We focus on the most important aspects of raising a puppy that unfortunately most puppy classes don't teach: proper socialization, people / house manners & potty training.

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OFF LEASH RECALL

Training your dog to have a reliable off-leash recall is not just about obedience; it’s about ensuring their safety and allowing them the freedom to explore the world responsibly.

Kristina teaches the two most effective methods for achieving a reliable recall: traditional long line method and e-collar training.

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Leash Reactivity & Aggression

Does your dog react by lunging, barking and growling towards people, dogs, small animals or fast moving objects on or off leash?

Reactivity and aggression are extremely stressful to deal with. Hairy Tales specializes in helping reactive and aggressive dogs become calm and confident companions.

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RESOURCE GUARDING

Resource guarding refers to when a dog displays protective or aggressive behaviour in order to defend or control access to a particular resource. This resource can be food, toys, treats, bones, beds, furniture, people or any item the dog perceives as valuable.

Since resource guarding is almost always a relationship problem, the first most important step to any dog training, is improving the relationship with your dog.

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Over-Excitement / Hyperactivity

Does your dog have a tendency to be hyperactive or over-excited? Are they constantly jumping up on people, pulling on the leash and barking or whining?

The vast majority of dogs that appear to be hyperactive are actually not like that naturally. This behaviour is almost always created by attention and affection at the wrong time. Hairy Tales can help!

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Fear & Anxiety

Does your dog have anxiety or fear towards people, environments or stimuli? Does your dog need some major confidence boosting?

Confidence building can only begin once a dog has learned that they can trust you to be their leader protector.

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RESCUE DOGS

Rescue dogs often come with some baggage and specific behaviour issues that need to be addressed. Oftentimes, these behaviours will not show themselves until about 3-4 weeks after arriving in the home.

Some common behaviors that we see in rescue dogs include, but are not limited to : reactivity, aggression, fear / low confidence etc. We specialize in rehabilitating rescue dogs and street dogs.

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E-COLLAR TRAINING

E-collar training can be an invaluable tool for specific behaviour modification or obedience training. It is DEFINITELY NOT an abusive tool when used correctly.

If used correctly, e-collar training can be an extremely gentle and effective tool. I have rehabilitated even some of the most traumatized and fearful rescues using e-collars.

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Trusted & Certified

See what people are saying...

Kristina is knowledgable and a hands-on trainer. She was attuned with my dog and created a very safe and supportive environment that promotes learning. I highly recommend her.

Christine Kim
Wonderful 1st session with Kristina! Very indepth with a calm laid back manner. We now have a gameplan & assessment of our pup moving forward. Five stars!

Janet Botham
Kristina is a very experienced trainer who also provides thorough notes after each session, which is one reason I find her fee very good value. After just one session, I was able to make substantial progress with my two-year-old rescued terrier. She also checks in between sessions, which I appreciate. Overall, she obviously has a deep love of dogs and is very conscientious about helping their humans understand their pets’ behaviour and how best to change it where necessary. Call me and my dog very satisfied customers!

Issa
Working with Kristina on our dog's reactiveness to new visitors entering the home, and her comfort level with her walker, has been massively helpful. She's armed us with confidence and the right training tools to work on these specific issues. Our dog has completed multiple grades of obedience training, but we were missing guidance on what to do in specific circumstances that trigger our dog's anxiety. Having the ability to have Kristina over to our home to replicate the problems we're having in our home environment has been invaluable. We are grateful for the progress made to date and look forward to our future sessions!

Kim Elliott
I have a super reactive dog that has so greatly improved through working with Kristina! Now we are able to pass other dogs where she does not react (except for the very few times, but we’re still working on those lol). So happy to have found Kristina to help me and the family have a much more happy and fulfilling life with our love Muffy 💜

Said Saffarini
Kristina helped us with our anxious and aggressive rescue dog a few years ago. Her guidance helped us gain confidence and, in turn, give our dog the environment he needed to flourish. We recently reached out for further support and I was surprised that she remembered all about our dog and where we had left off in our training. She is calm, clear and patient (both with our dog and with us) which is so helpful when dealing with stressful behavioural issues.

Sandra Bertoia
Kristina knows her profession inside out. She's has that special talent for understanding dog behaviours and a matter-of-fact way of presenting clear steps for correcting undesirable behaviour. Exactly what I needed for my dog's loud insistent demanding barking. THANK YOU!

Arwyn Carpenter
We got a rescue dog a little while back and we were having some minor behavioural issues with him and he seemed to have no training as well. Kristina was very professional and patient with not only our dog Willi but also with us, she helped us notice behaviours and explained why he had them and set up an easy to follow training routine for him. Willi has come a long way in the short time we had him. I will continue to use Kristina’s services and I and Willi think she’s great.

Sabrina Romero
Working with Kristina has made a major difference in our home. Our older dog came to us incredibly fearful and anxious. The strategies and homework we did with our training has helped him really come out of his shell and develop confidence. Our younger dog can be reactive but after each session we see improvements in behaviours. Overall we have seen a lot of improvements in both our dogs and I’m really thankful for all we have learned from Kristina.

Chiara Tari-Arnold
Kristina has been a constant resource in my now two-year old puppy's life - both my pup and I love working with her. She's patient, kind, and always willing to go beyond your session to offer advice or help. I've enjoyed working with her and will continue to use her help whenever there is something that needs adjusting. Thank you Kristina from all of us!! 🙂

Corine Hiebert