The Northern Collar Club · Est. 2019
This was never just
about walking dogs.
It was about giving them bigger lives.
How it started
The Northern Collar Club began in 2019, born out of a genuine obsession with dogs — the way they think, the way they learn, the way they explore the world, and the way they build relationships with us.
It started as dog walking. Just me, a leash, and a few dogs who needed to burn off the kind of energy that makes owners question their life choices.
But it grew. Into structured adventures. Into training. Into education, community events, and initiatives that help local pets and families through hard stretches. Into something much bigger than I ever planned.
Somewhere along the way, TNCC became more than my business. It became a community.
The person behind the leash
Hi, I'm Christine. And dogs have pretty much taken over my life.
I don't measure successful dog ownership by whether a dog can perform a perfect sit in the middle of the living room. That's the easy part.
I want dogs that get to experience life — hiking, camping, swimming, exploring, walking through town, settling around other dogs, building confidence, learning to communicate with their people, and getting to experience safe freedom.
My training philosophy isn't about perfection. It's about helping you understand the dog in front of you and building communication that actually works in the real world.
I don't just want dogs who know commands. I want dogs who know how to live in the world with their people.
Where we're from
Built in Northern Ontario.
Built for real life.
Muddy trails. Frozen mornings that genuinely hurt your face. Lakes you can see across for miles. Bush roads that go nowhere and everywhere all at once.
Campfires, blackflies, snowstorms, and dogs inevitably finding something deeply, deeply disgusting to roll in.
This isn't just where TNCC happens to operate. Northern Ontario shaped the whole philosophy. Dogs live in the real world — so the training and the enrichment should actually prepare them for it.
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Campfire at dusk
The TNCC journey
From one dog to a whole community.
2019
The Northern Collar Club begins.
One dog, one leash, and an idea that wouldn't leave me alone.
2020
TNCC becomes my full-time life.
No backup plan. Just dogs, every day, all day.
Structured Adventures
Small groups, outdoor freedom, enrichment, socialization, and real-world skills.
Training
Helping owners build communication, confidence, neutrality, recall, leash skills, and everyday obedience.
Community
Group walks, neutrality meetups, hikes, education, and chances to experience more with your dog.
Pet Pantry
Using the community we've built to help local pets and families through hard times, and take pressure off shelters and rescues.
The Next Chapter
Expanding TNCC into products, community initiatives, and new ways of giving back.
Today
Still growing. Still learning. Still completely obsessed with dogs.
We're nowhere
near finished.
Every dog
tells a story.
I've seen what happens when someone doesn't give up on a dog. Nervous dogs find their confidence. Excitable dogs learn how to just exist calmly around the world. Owners start to truly understand the dog at the other end of the leash. Dogs get to experience freedom and adventures they couldn't have before.
I've also seen families struggling to afford basic pet necessities. Rescues running at capacity. Animals who just needed someone in their corner. Those experiences are exactly why TNCC keeps evolving.
If there's an opportunity to help someone understand their dog better, give a dog a bigger life, bring our community together, or help an animal who needs it — we want to find a way to be part of it.
Dog training, structured adventures, community events, the Pet Pantry, education, merchandise, and fundraising aren't unrelated projects. They're all different expressions of the same mission — helping dogs live fuller lives, with their people.
What we believe
Four things we won't compromise on.
01
More life.
Dogs deserve opportunities to experience their world.
02
Better communication.
Training should help dogs and people understand one another.
03
Real community.
Dog people and animal organizations are stronger when we work together.
04
Give back.
The community and business we build should create opportunities to help animals who need it.
The real bosses
Meet the dogs behind the dog person.
My own dogs — and everything I've learned from them — have shaped the trainer, the dog owner, and the business owner I am today.
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Kalon — Christine's dog
Kalon
The one who started all of this. Equal parts adventure buddy and professional couch supervisor. Has never met a puddle he didn't immediately walk through.
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Millie — Christine's dog
Millie
The youngest of the crew. Still figuring the world out, one muddy trail at a time. Will absolutely steal your spot on the couch and dare you to say something.
Real life, no filter
A few memories along the way.
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Pet Pantry donation
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Fundraiser
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Camping trip
What we've built together
Numbers that mean something.
0
Families helped
0*
lbs of food distributed
$0
raised for the Next Chapter Fund
0
years in business
* estimation
You don't have to train with us
to be part of this.
- Come to a community hike.
- Join a neutrality meetup.
- Support a fundraiser.
- Donate pet food.
- Attend a local dog event.
- Learn something new.
- Take your dog somewhere they've never been.
- Follow along.
- Cheer somebody else on.
And if you're ready to work with your dog — we're here for that too.
The Northern Collar Club
This is the
Northern Collar Club.
Adventure. Connection. Training. Community.