About Civil Canine
At Civil Canine, your goals are our goals. We understand that there is no cookie cutter method for every dog, and each individual has their own needs and motivations.
We believe in putting the happiness and welfare of the dogs we work with first and foremost. It's important to us to help our clients build the best relationship possible with their four legged friends while making your life with your dog the best it can be.
Our approach is through positive-first balanced training, beginning by teaching your dog our expectations in a low-stress, motivational manner and building clarity and enthusiasm in their foundation through markers and rewards. Once we are confident in their understanding, we overlay training tools as needed to guide and assist in communication where treats alone won't cut it.
Keeping up with the training and guidance from Civil Canine will give you a canine companion with the skills and tools to make appropriate decisions in all areas of life according to their needs and goals.
Whether improving basic obedience and manners, fixing more challenging behaviours, or simply looking for a safe and reliable place to board your dog, we have something for everyone.
Meet Your Trainer
and her dogs
Zoe Neidy
Trainer & Owner of Civil Canine
Zoe has had a lifelong passion for working with dogs, beginning with her family's first dog, a black lab mix named Raven, in 2006. Her journey into professional dog training started in 2018 when she began walking dogs in an off-leash pack setting with Walk With Me Ottawa. This experience honed her skills in reading and managing dog body language.
In 2019, Zoe acquired her first competition dog, a Belgian Malinois named Lumi, which deepened her involvement in the training world and opened new opportunities.
In 2021, she completed a year-long internship at Stateline Canine, one of the leading training facilities in the USA, becoming the first Canadian to certify through their program.
Zoe and Lumi currently compete in PSA, a sport that combines dog obedience, agility, and bite work. Zoe uses the challenges of this sport to continually advance her training techniques and deepen her understanding of canine behaviour.
In 2023, Zoe adopted a German Shepherd/Lab, Yara, who lives out her days with her as a demo dog and pet dog.
Outside of training clients and her dogs, Zoe enjoys expanding her knowledge through seminars and books, painting, hiking with friends (and their dogs), and creating custom dog muzzles and collars for other sport competitors.
She also co-owns a dog-themed apparel and sticker business, Sit Pretty Apparel.
Experience, Titles, and Seminars
Seminars
Titles & Courses
- Ranked Purple Belt at Deadpool Decoy Training Seminar with Shawn Edwards [2019-present]
- Online Course by Evan Doggett [2020]
- Completed Dog Trainer's Internship at Stateline Canine under Janet Edwards in Hanover, PA [2021-2022]
- Wags 'n' Walks Pet First Aid 10 Hour Course [Certified January 2024, Expires January 2027]
- Placed 2nd at PSA Worlds in PSA2 [2024]
- Perfect Puppy Workshop, Walk With Me Ottawa [March 2019]
- The Canine Paradigm Seminar: Pat Stuart and Glenn Cooke [August 2019]
- Deadpool Decoy Training Seminar with Shawn Edwards [attended 10+ times from 2019 to present]
- Unlocking the Potential: Prime Canine, Jas Whiting [February 2020]
- Michael Nezbeth Working Dog Seminar [August 2020]
- Canemo Obedience and Protection Seminar [August 2020]
- Janet Edwards Handler Seminar [March 2022]
- Pat Stuart "Motivate, Communicate, Coach" Seminar [February 2023]
- Chris Smith "NePoPo" Seminar [September 2023]
- Janet Edwards Advanced Handling Seminar [April 2024]
- Jeremy & Megan Ciepluch [May 2025]
Our Demonstration Dogs
"A good dog on the ground is worth three in the saddle" is an idiom expressing how a dog who knows their job (while hunting) can put in the same amount of work that three people (on horses) could accomplish. Having good, neutral, socially appropriate dogs to work with client dogs around should never be understated, and they deserve all the credit for their hard work.
