Life-long Georgetown resident Candice Swartz met her dog Kato nine years ago when she was studying in Oklahoma. She went to see him at the local shelter, where he tried but failed to run through a closed glass door, fell over and shook it off. It was love at first sight.
“He was trying to get to the people on the other side, but he didn't understand the glass door. And I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, he's not going to make it here. I better take him,’” Swartz said.
Since he was abandoned along with his litter when he was a pup, he developed a number of behavioural issues, forcing Swartz to get hands-on with his care and rehabilitation. This learning experience sparked an idea. Hub K9 opened in December 2021 and has been providing dog training, grooming, walking and retail services to the people of Halton Hills and beyond.
The front of the shop at 54 Mill St. in Georgetown is the retail space, where customers can find dog food and treats, bones, toys, leashes and some cat supplies like food and litter.
But the main stage is the dog training area - an indoor fenced-off space where dogs can run around, interact with other canines and receive instruction from owners and trainers. Behind the training area is the grooming room.
Swartz and her brother Skyler are certified dog trainers. The Hub K9 team also includes two dog walkers and a groomer.
Training courses at Hub K9 include puppy level one for pups aged 12 weeks to six months old, puppy level for six to 12 months, adult dog training, advanced training and rehabilitation. The rehab is for dogs who, as the website says, “are deemed helpless.”
In Swartz's experience with Kato, she found that other dog trainers were shutting down his behaviour instead of letting him try to work through it, which she believes made things worse. Through trial and error, she got to know Kato and his needs.
She admits that he doesn’t always like to play with other dogs and can be fearful of them, but that's OK because “ he's come a far way,” and she's learned what approaches work best for his disposition.
“Every time an off-leash dog comes running up to him, he starts shaking and I have to take him home and he'll lay on the couch,” she explained. “I have to give him a ball to shake to decompress him from that anxiety that he was expressing during that moment.”
She added, "your dog does not have to play with another dog to live its life.If your dog doesn't want to, then you just have to respect that and realize that's not the kind of dog they are.”
For more information on Hub K9 visit hubk9.com.
